Lincoln students: From bulky to balky

Saturday's Daily News reported on a notable argument brewing at Lincoln University in Chester County, over a recently implemented program requiring obese students to take a fitness course in order to graduate.

The ruling, which affects undergraduates, is considered a boon by some, but overweight students are not surprisingly beginning to object.

The mandate, which took effect for freshmen entering in fall 2006, requires students to get tested for their body mass index, a measure of weight to height.

A normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. Students with a BMI of 30 or above - considered obese - are required to take a class called "Fitness for Life," which meets three hours a week.

The course involves walking, aerobics, weight training and other physical activities, as well as information on nutrition, stress and sleep, [chairman of Lincoln's department of health, James L.] DeBoy said.

As of this fall, DeBoy estimated about 80 seniors - 16 percent of the class - had not had their body mass index tested nor taken the fitness class. Some of those students will likely be exempt from taking the class once they get their BMI results, he said.

One student protested that "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." While an obvious rejoinder is that learning how to stay healthy is one of the most valuable kinds of education anywhere, it's certainly valid to wonder whether that learning belongs in the curriculum as a mandatory course - for anybody.

If Lincoln is serious about its students' overall fitness it would do well to supplement the stick with a carrot or two, following the lead of institutions worldwide that are improving their food-service options, whether for environmental or health reasons, and offering more nutritious fruits and vegetables instead of traditional high-cholesterol cafeteria fare.

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