Lincoln University in the US is causing controversy with their new initiative that all students with a BMI (body mass index) over 30 therefore clinically obese, must how enroll in the physical education class in order to graduate.
The program is called ‘Fitness for Life’ and was first introduced in 2006 but this is the first year it has come into effect with 24 students being potentially unable to graduate.
The initiative has been widely panned especially by students. One student Dionard Henderson said, “What’s the point of this? What does my BMI have to do with my academic overcome?”
The class includes activates such as walking, Pilates and other exercise and fitness games. Has not been undertaken by 24 students with BMIs over 30 and who will now not be able to graduate.
James DeBoy, the chairman of the department of health, physical education and recreation has this to say in defense of the university’s decision. “We know that obesity and its co-morbidities are going to rob individuals of quality and quantity of life. What good is it to go through college, get your bachelor’s degree at Lincoln University, go get your graduate degree, work for five, six, seven years, and all of a sudden, you experience a catastrophic health issue associated with obesity? That would be a tragedy. We believe that it’s our professional educators’ responsibility to alert students to this.”
However in a dramatic U-turn yesterday Lincoln has now cancelled its policy and has now made the physical education class optional rather than compulsory. Lincoln President Ivory Nelson said, “We don’t want people to feel like they’re being picked on,”
Danielle Almond
