Wow, just … wow.
I have nothing to say here except to share this article and see what you think about it. Per the article, “Students at Lincoln University with a body mass index of 30 or above, reflective of obesity, must take a fitness course that meets three hours per week. Those who are assigned to the class but do not complete it cannot graduate.”
Can you imagine?! As if body image issues aren’t a big enough deal for college students, now they might not graduate on account of being overweight?! WTF?!
People go to college for an education … not to enter a beauty contest or begin a modeling career where appearances matter.
While you know I’m all for promoting physical fitness and advocating good health … come on … how can this be for real!?
How about you? What do you think? What would you do if you were a student at this school?
Let There Be Light 
When I attended the University of Chicago as an undergrad they gave all entering freshman a fitness test. It did have a caliper based body fat test, but it also had weight lifting, running, flexibility, and other components. Based on our scores, we were requires to take 0-3 quarters of PE sometime in the four years before graduation.
The class chives were varied and fun, like martial arts, ballroom dance, etc and weren’t hard to fit into our schedule. I didn’t think this requirement was so bad. Most of the students had to take at least one PE class. I don’t recall the kind of complaints that are being levelled at Lincoln U.
I think maybe we felt less singled out by the requirement because it was based more on fitness than on weight. The university was just trying to encourage people to not neglect their bodies as they underwent a rather gruling program for their minds.
I think it’s a good idea to encourage physical fitness, but it can’t be forced and results can’t be what determines if someone graduates or not!
i guess it is a matter of choice. a private school should be free to make its own mandates, and people are free to choose whether to go there or not. i guess if it were something mandated after the fact, it wouldnt be fair.
with that said, i think it is a st00pid idea! especially considering there are various reasons for obesity, and they seem to be assuming it is all because people are lazy and eat too much or something.
students go to college to learn the skills and knowledge to get a job in the real world. while a leading and learning about a healthy lifestyle is certainly important and will aid anyone in life, in this setting it seems a hell of a lot more like babysitting… where the person doesn’t even want to be babysat AND has to pay for it too. hrm.
Clare, that’s a good point (public vs private) … but still. I agree, I wouldn’t want to pay to be babysat.
Am I missing something? Where in the article does it say that a student must have a BMI lower than 30 to graduate?
My reading of it says they have to “complete the course.” Which is probably based on attendance, no?
If the requirement were imposed on everyone over a BMI of 25 I might think it extreme. But a BMI over 30 is sort of pushing it. Certainly anyone with a BMI over 40 is in serious trouble.
I know, having been at a BMI over 50 myself, for many years.
I have pondered this. My first reaction was anger. What business does the school have regarding anyone’s BMI?
Then, I thought some more and figured, “Whatever. Let ’em do what they want.” With one major caveat. That any new rules are not enforced retroactively.
If they want graduates to have a certain BMI, goody for them. Let them broadcast that in advance to anyone considering going to school there. If they like the rule, they can opt-in. If they don’t, they can opt-out. In that manner the free market will no doubt speak. Somehow I feel it will limit their potential pool of applicants, especially within the United States. But my sources tell me that up to 60% of enrollment in some schools in now foreign, so perhaps it won’t be that much of an impact.
Either way, the rules that existed on sign up day are the ones that should exist for graduation. Period.