thelincolnianonline: "Lincoln University students will now have to endure a physical exam determining each student's BMI (body mass index) before they are permitted to graduate. An individual's BMI measures the amount of body fat.
Amid fierce criticisms, Lincoln University has recently installed a new requirement for its undergraduate students. If your BMI is over 30, you are required to take a physical education class."
5 comments:
I find this article pretty offensive. We are talking about an academic institution that students voluntarily attend in order to get a higher degree of education. What they chose to do or not do with their bodies is their business. If they pass the required academic classes then they should be allowed to graduate. I can't believe that people or advocacy groups are going to stand for this. This university is making a mistake that will cost them students as well as respect from the academic community.
Though this is certainly not the best way to go about encouraging healthy living in its students, I think that the university might be on to something here. Psychologically, physically fit people are generally more happy because of the chemicals released into the body during exercise. And yes, happy students would be a good thing for the administration. But putting a ban on students' weight is ludicrous; if you want your students to be healthy, encourage them to do so, don't disallow them to graduate because of their previous lifestyle choices.
At first I was expecting this article to sway towards performing arts majors, but was even more shocked to discover it is a more universal requirement of the university students. While the idea of creating a more healthy environment is noble, the university can go about it other ways such as offering healthier food, offering free group fitness classes, physical trainers, and equipment. I can't see that this will be legal in any way and the cost of the ensuing lawsuits will probably be enough to discourage the university from putting this plan into action.
This is so dumb. While I think people should be healthy, going about it this way is highly offensive. Why can't the university just make it mandatory for everyone? Everyone could benefit from one PE class, and there is no reason it couldn't just be listed as a University requirement to graduate. I think it shows how stupid this is since the faculty is so split on the issue. It's pretty bad when you have the people teaching PE to these people not liking what they're having to do.
I would hope the university doesn't go through with this policy as it is--I think they should make it a blanket policy, not just for people with a high BMI.
You don't ask a literature major to take a class in advanced mathematics, it has nothing to do with what that literature major came to school to learn. For the same reason, why would you ask a student who came to study something unrelated to physical fitness (I can see requiring it for someone majoring in Phys Ed, perhaps some performing arts, and programs like ROTC and athletics but those are areas where some degree of fitness could be a practical requirement) to meet a physical fitness requirement just seems absurd.
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