In one of the strongest institutional stances in the country’s losing fight against obesity, Lincoln University has put together a curriculum by which obese students will not be allowed to graduate unless they complete a fitness class.
As the rest of the nation gorges themselves during the “Holidays of Gluttony and Access” – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day – Lincoln University, a Historically Black College and University just outside Philadelphia, has another program. They say students will not be allowed to walk across the stage if they have a body mass index [a measure of height to weight] of 30 or above unless they enroll and complete the fitness class.
Lincoln officials say the fitness requirement was instituted in 2006 out of the concern for the skyrocketing rate of obesity in the nation. Numerous scientific studies state unequivocally that obesity leads to a number of medical maladies, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Although the measure was undertaken for the welfare of the students, some students aren’t so appreciative. Tiana Y. Lawson, who was chosen to take the class, wrote in an op-ed piece: “I didn’t come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not in an acceptable range. I came here to get an education.”
Lincoln officials are quick to add they are not inhibiting or preventing any student’s education. James L. DeBoy, Lincoln’s Chairman of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, said obese students are not required to shed a single pound before they graduate; they only have to pass the requisite fitness class. It consists of walking, running, weight training, aerobics and education about nutrition, sleep and stress.
Fitness observers are skeptical, remarking that the university’s policy would be hypocritical and counterproductive if they publicly promote healthy lifestyles while failing to purge the campus of many unhealthy foods from the vending machines and the cafeteria. – terry shropshire.
