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Is The 'X Factor' Bloodbath Over?
Lincoln University faculty and administrators voted Friday to rescind a stipulation requiring overweight students to take a fitness course in order to graduate, an official told AOL Black Voices in an exclusive interview.
The official, James L. DeBoy, chairman of Lincoln's department of health, physical education and recreation, said the decision came after administrators and faculty decided that "relationship building between students and instructors is better than coercion" at the nation's first black university, founded in 1854 in Oxford, Pa.
"After much discussion, we are no longer requiring students to pass the fitness test in order to graduate,'' DeBoy said. "People were asking, 'How can you, as an HBCU, discriminate against anyone? You are testing students and singling them out.' Stigmatization can have a harming effect.''
The vote to rescind the requirement came during an emotionally charged regularly scheduled hour-and-a-half-long meeting, attended by 60 faculty members and administrators, in which other business also was discussed, DeBoy said. News of the course sent shock waves across the country last month when it was revealed by 'The Lincolnian,' the student newspaper, that co-eds would be unable to graduate without it. The story was picked up by news outlets around the world.
Under the new guidelines, according to DeBoy's motion that was obtained by AOL Black Voices, instructors will recommend the class to students whose health suggests they may benefit from it. Whether students choose to enroll in the class will depend on relationships between students and instructors. "Let's be clear, if recommendations are not honored by students, we will be upset,'' DeBoy said. "We will come back with a different recommendation. Helping students monitor their health is really important to us.'' This was to be the first year of the requirement.
Students with a body mass of 30 or higher would have been required to take the Fitness for Life course for three hours a week, according to the Associated Press. A normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, according the National Institutes of Health.
New guidelines for the course are still being worked out, DeBoy said. They may involve five assessments, ranging from measuring BMI, blood pressure, cardiovascular ability, joint range and self-efficacy (how much power students have over their health). It will meet two times a week for two hours instead of three.
Indeed, the fitness course is a clarion call for students to adopt better exercise and eating habits. But administrators could have been more compassionate about showing students they care about their health.
Comments: (19)
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By: G on 12/09/2009 8:07AM
Well in order to be fair to African Americans in general, we need our own BMI guidelines. The current BMI guidelines don't accurately describe African Americans since our bodies tend to be more mascular than others.
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By: g on 12/09/2009 1:40PM
that should be muscular not mascular... my bad
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By: STEVE TURNER on 12/09/2009 10:19AM
YES MORE MASCULIN BUT NOT A FAT ASS.! U DONT HAVE TO BE OBESE! PEOPLE LIKE TO MAKE EXCUSES BUT NO EXCUSE JUST GET YOUR FAT ASSES IN SHAPE!!!
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By: Need2GetEducatedNow! on 12/09/2009 5:52PM
You are full of shit, Steve! I certainly understand that obesity is a serious problem, one that has greatly affected the medical and insurance industry yet, we must look at it as we do all other serious diseases! AND a DISEASE it is! You don't tell a diabetic to just stop eating so much damn sugar or a person with hypertension to just chill the hell out! We need to take another look at how social trends and poverty feed into this epidemic. We live in a Super-Size me society where more for you money is accepted and expected! A society, which ONCED hailed as the riches in the world, has one of the highest poverty rates!! AND when people dont have enough money to buy foods that are nutitious or live in neighborhoods that do not provide opportunites to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, you can EXPECT them to be obese, ill and malnutritioned! So, PLEASE keep your ridiculous, ill-advised, unsympathetic opinions to yourself......unless you have a solution that will help to resolve this epidemic!
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By: TiresomeToTheNth on 12/10/2009 1:34AM
@ NeedToGetEducatedNow!
Logorrhea is not argumentation and neither is bloviation. Your hot air is squeezing all the space out of broadband!
The over-focus on weight is because too many people don't have enough self respect to deal with the fact that they live in the body they created for themselves. Here's a tip....if you're fat and unhappy –do something about it - try mimicking the eating pattern of someone who's closer to your ideal weight and see where that takes you. Chances are things will only improve.
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By: Black Butterfly on 12/09/2009 3:44PM
I understand the concern about the overall health of Americans and the specific challenges that face the African American population (i.e. obesity, heart disease, stroke). I commend the university for wanting to tackle the challenge. My suggestion would be to make fitness courses an overall requirement for ALL students in all degree programs. Education is key and we must first educate our society about health concerns. Once we are aware and understand the issues -- we are more likely to respond positively and work to resolve.
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By: Shay on 12/09/2009 12:26PM
Come on people, let's be real. A persons weight is personal. It should not affect their graduation. As long as a person knows his guzzintas he should be able to graduate. You know like, 4 guzzinta 8 two times. And 2 guzzinta 4 2 times. LMAO!
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By: bobbye on 12/09/2009 1:04PM
are you Shay from the Biggest Loser? If you are, what an inspiration you are and good luck to you with your Subway Challenge. If not, I do agree with you...as long as the individuals get their book learnin' down, they should be allowed to graduate. Hopefully, along the way with their studies they will learn something about health and proper nutrition and exercise so that they can have long, healthy lives!
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By: Hugh Tha Man on 12/09/2009 1:42PM
We know that the BMI was not created for black folks. However, those same folks, and I used to be one of them, never seem to worry about the BMI in line at BK, Micky D's or my old favorite, Fat Burgers.
We all can do better with our eating, rest, reduction of stress, sleep, prayer and exercise. Let's not blame others for our poor scheduling and bad attitudes.
The truth is that some students(and adults)need to have a small kick in the pants about their weight. This should include a physical activity paired with them learning a new set of eating skills.Telling them that they are fat is not working.
To our youth, this all seems like overkill on a private issue. Afterall, Big Mamma is well, BIG. And Baby Bro is well, BIG. The Pastor, most of the chior, hair stylists, and mechanics are all well, BIG. Far too many of their classmates are well, BIG. BIG is a normal look for these students.
Black folks are dropping dead at an alarming rate from obesity. We need students to be around for many years and contribute to society. They are less likely to do that if they can't walk or talk. Just do it, but don't eat it!!!
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By: Leslie on 12/09/2009 2:17PM
This is really over the top--who came up with this madness? If fitness and health is the school's goal then ALL students need to have this as a life skills requirement. There are thin students who have eating disorders and many stay thin with diet pills, Red Bull, drinking and not eating, and using cocaine, et al. Seen people do all kinds of drastic things in college (mostly women.) So, rather than doing this the tacky way by looking at an overweight student and adding to that person's already probably low self-esteem, do the INTELLECTUALLY CORRECT thing, and make all students learn about good health practices and nutrition. Anything else is just pure ignorance. If they kept my kid from graduating, after I'd paid tuition and took out loans, they'd have to speak to my attorney--then they could name a wing after me!
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