Obese students forced to take fitness class

[AggieDave 6]

What if colleges focused on getting anorexic college students to eat a sammich? A friend of mine has had serious problems carrying a baby to term due to previous anorexia (she has had miscarriages). This has caused her a serious amount of grief for her and her family.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[ZigZagMarquis 9]

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However, none refer to the students' BMI, hair length, piercings, or other lifestyle matters.

Yeah... that stuff only can come into play when said student having graduated with an engineering degree wants to actually go get a job.

[Ron 10]

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Then again just think how cool it would be to require political science and civics courses for all of these fatheads who got their politics backgrounds at church

I think they should be required in ANY program. You would not believe the story's I have from my US Constitution classes!

One person told me the Govt was going to take away the black persons right to vote, a few people heard this as well.... I asked if they knew the process it would take, they didn't so the class talked about it.... They STILL thought it was going to happen anyway.

But still it boils down to if you think a school should just focus on academics, or develop a person in many ways.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[kelpdiver 2]

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When I was an undergrad, freshman year had 3 physical education classes (quarter system) -- aerobics, gymnastics, and swimming. The quarterly grade for aerobics was based on how far you ran in 12 minutes, with 7 laps (1.75 miles) being an A, 6.5 for a B, etc. I'm not sure whether anyone that showed up every class got an F, but I'm sure that D's were handed out.

Ouch - that's a remarkably primitive means for evaluating aerobic fitness. The ability to run 6:50 pace for 12 minutes is fair to the (male) runners, but not for other athletes. Was it 12 weeks of running 3 days a week, nothing else?

[headoverheels 334]

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Ouch - that's a remarkably primitive means for evaluating aerobic fitness. The ability to run 6:50 pace for 12 minutes is fair to the (male) runners, but not for other athletes. Was it 12 weeks of running 3 days a week, nothing else?

We didn't have any non-male students in aerobics -- they comprised ~4% of the student body and were only offered "health" if I recall correctly. Somehow, I think that has changed since then...

I think it was 3 days a week. We did a bit of stretching also.

[Andy9o8 2]

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When I was an undergrad, freshman year had 3 physical education classes (quarter system) -- aerobics, gymnastics, and swimming. The quarterly grade for aerobics was based on how far you ran in 12 minutes, with 7 laps (1.75 miles) being an A, 6.5 for a B, etc. I'm not sure whether anyone that showed up every class got an F, but I'm sure that D's were handed out.

Now that stinks. PE requirement aside, a person's overall cumulative average could be screwed up just because he happens not to be in great physical shape? Ridiculous.

[billvon 3,120]

> a person's overall cumulative average could be screwed up just
> because he happens not to be in great physical shape?

If it's part of the curriculum, yes. If music is a required part of the curriculum and they're tone-deaf (and refuse to try the drums) I'd expect them to get a lower grade average as well.

[nerdgirl 0]

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PE requirement aside, a person's overall cumulative average could be screwed up just because he happens not to be in great physical shape? Ridiculous.

I had to take 2 years (8 quarters) of gym in high school.
The only quarter in which I didn’t get an “A” was the quarter in which (what I considered to be a ridiculously large) part of one’s grade was based on shooting free throws.
Standing free throws, i.e., not moving. The gym teacher was a big basketball fan.
Short white girl can’t shoot free throws ... still.

/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[Andy9o8 2]

I was required to take a couple PE classes in college, too. Grades for PE classes were either pass/fail, or letter grades were based on effort, sometimes combined with a written test on points of knowledge based on what was taught. It wasn't perfect; but the point is, grades were not based on raw athletic prowess or success.

[wmw999 2,589]

I think PE classes in college are a great idea. Required participation in intramural sports could easily substitute for it. The idea is to get people moving.

Effort should not be the only determinant of grade received in PE, any more than it should be in the academic classes. We have no problem with the smart students getting As when some kids have to struggle to get Bs or even Cs (I'll submit that a student who has to struggle to get Cs is generally in the wrong class). PE isn't really that different, if it's worth doing.

College isn't only about taking the classes that get you the job that you think will be yours for life at 22. It's about preparing you for a wider range of opportunities than you might have been able to think of at 18.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Andy9o8 2]

Sorry, guys; we're just going to have to disagree here.
Making a college kid take PE, say, pass/fail? Fine with me. But if it's a mandatory class, and not an elective, then screwing up a student's academic cume (which isn't without consequences) just because he happens not to be athletic is pure bullshit.
Quick!!! Lock the thread.

[DanG 1]

I taught a PE class at my school for a couple semesters. Grades were pass/fail, with the very odd exception of grad students from the Education School. I (an undergraduate) was required to give a letter grade which factored into their overall GPA. I only ran into this once, and really wanted to just give the girl an A, but she phoned it in pretty much every class, and ever worse during the practical final. I think I gave her a B+.

Anyway, PE was not required, and you were only allowed to take two PE classes for credit (1 credit each). After that you could survey all the PE classes you wanted. I have no problem making PE mandatory, but to single out the fatties (and based on a bogus measurement like BMI) doesn't seem right.

- Dan G

[billvon 3,120]

>then screwing up a student's academic cume (which isn't without
>consequences) just because he happens not to be athletic is pure
>bullshit.

If a student doesn't like it, he is free to pursue an education at a school that does not have such requirements.

Is it bullshit to give someone at an A+P school a failing grade in a course because he is so uncoordinated he can't use a rivet gun? Suppose he just wants the rating to help him with his job in the FAA; is it still bullshit?

[ryoder 1,590]

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Now that stinks. PE requirement aside, a person's overall cumulative average could be screwed up just because he happens not to be in great physical shape? Ridiculous.

When I was an undergrad at Purdue, I had a friend from Singapore who lived in the same dorm.
He was a real wiz-kid, and got his BSEE in three years, then went off to a masters program at MIT.

While at Purdue, he made the mistake of taking a one-credit class in tennis and got a "B".
He was so PO'd that he irreparably damaged his otherwise perfect GPA.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Andy9o8 2]

Hey. I locked the thread.

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If a student doesn't like it, he is free to pursue an education at a school that does not have such requirements.

Impractical and unreasonable.

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Is it bullshit to give someone at an A+P school a failing grade in a course because he is so uncoordinated he can't use a rivet gun? Suppose he just wants the rating to help him with his job in the FAA; is it still bullshit?

Now you know why I dislike bad analogies.

[ryoder 1,590]

The fundamental problem with forcing obese people to exercise is that it unlikely to cause weight loss:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

They should be educating them on good eating habits.

I do 100+ miles of cycling per week over hilly terrain.
I still need to closely monitor my diet in order to control my weight.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[billvon 3,120]

>He was a real wiz-kid, and got his BSEE in three years, then went
>off to a masters program at MIT.

Good thing he didn't do undergrad at MIT, then. They have a phys ed requirement.

[ryoder 1,590]

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>He was a real wiz-kid, and got his BSEE in three years, then went
>off to a masters program at MIT.

Good thing he didn't do undergrad at MIT, then. They have a phys ed requirement.

It wasn't a weight issue; The guy was pretty skinny.
So I imagine it must have been a coordination problem.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[billvon 3,120]

>So I imagine it must have been a coordination problem.

Ice hockey, then. If you can skate and run into people, you're good to go.

[Andy9o8 2]

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>He was a real wiz-kid, and got his BSEE in three years, then went
>off to a masters program at MIT.

Good thing he didn't do undergrad at MIT, then. They have a phys ed requirement.

Now there's a perfect example of ivory tower delusion. I'm thinking scene from "Revenge of the Nerds" kinda thing.

[billvon 3,120]

>I'm thinking scene from "Revenge of the Nerds" kinda thing.

It was worse. (Fun though.)

[kelpdiver 2]

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The fundamental problem with forcing obese people to exercise is that it unlikely to cause weight loss:

Weight loss isn't the only gain from exercise, though.

Time, as typical for them, did a half ass job in this article.

[Ron 10]

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But if it's a mandatory class, and not an elective, then screwing up a student's academic cume (which isn't without consequences) just because he happens not to be athletic is pure bullshit.

Same could be said of ANY class. How can a grade in an elective mean more than a mandatory class?

Why was European Lit needed from my degree in marketing? Why should that grade count towards my GPA? Point is we already have mandatory classes that are not directly related to the degree and they already count towards GPA.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[Andy9o8 2]

Arguments sufficiently addressed. See above. I stand by my posts.



OK, I can't resist.

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Why was European Lit needed from my degree in marketing?

In your case, to give you an appreciation for the finer points of human discourse. Glad to see it worked.

[kallend 2,150]

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But if it's a mandatory class, and not an elective, then screwing up a student's academic cume (which isn't without consequences) just because he happens not to be athletic is pure bullshit.

Same could be said of ANY class. How can a grade in an elective mean more than a mandatory class?

Why was European Lit needed from my degree in marketing? Why should that grade count towards my GPA? Point is we already have mandatory classes that are not directly related to the degree and they already count towards GPA.

At our school we list both the cumulative GPA and the GPA in major courses.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.