Are You Too Fat To Graduate? [POLL]

November 30, 2009 - 5:00 pm By Brianna-Fordham University
|More

Students at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania aren’t very happy. And you probably wouldn’t be either if your school told you that you were too fat to graduate.

Sound rude? Yeah.
Are they right? Maybe.

But the real question is: does a university have the right to tell students that they have to lose weight?

As of now, Lincoln University is requiring all students with a BMI of 30 or more (which is considered obese) to enroll in a physical education course that meets three hours a week. Receiving a diploma will be contingent on them completing this course.

In other words, you may ace every course you take, but if you can’t walk up a flight of stairs to get to the classroom, you won’t be receiving a diploma come graduation time.

Some students find it unfair that they are being targeted because of their weight, claiming they came to college to get an education, which has absolutely nothing to do with their body mass index. On the flip side, the University claims that they are committed to aiding students in “achieving and maximizing students life goals” and that obesity is a factor that hinders this process.

On one hand the school is helping students adopt a healthy lifestyle (and who wouldn’t want to get credit for working out? Goodbye, gym membership!), but at the same time, is it the university’s job to force students to adopt a certain lifestyle or yank their degree?

What do you think?
|More

25 Comments   Posted in Body, Reality
  Tags: , , , , , , , ,
25 Comments on "Are You Too Fat To Graduate? [POLL]"

  1. Emily says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20095:05 pm 

    Sounds like another way for the university to get more money.

  2. Erin says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20095:23 pm 

    When I graduated I ran 3.5 miles a day and ate very healthy, my body was over my BMI and if this had been at my college I would not have graduated. I was healthy, skinny for my body but because of my genetics I’m not meant to be very thin so I was still chubby. But most importantly I was healthy and loved my body, although I was very paranoid about gaining the weight back, which I did. Anyway. I think this a horrible idea and it’s going to create a bigger rift between the students who are overweight and those that are not. Not to mention people who maybe be very healthy but are not in their BMI range. I see no good coming from this forcing health on ADULTS who’s academic achievements have nothing to do with their BMI’s. I believe in promoting health, but a better first step is to serve all healthy food and and less fried foods and carbs. I also believe in healthy body image I don’t see how this could help anyone, having the school calling you fat, thats not helpful, it’s beyond rude and hurtful.

  3. Celia says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20095:31 pm 

    I think they should have to take it, but NOT have to pay for it.

  4. laura says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20095:42 pm 

    I am assuming the BMI’s are calculated by their school’s health services? Is it possible to have these numbers fudged (bad pun)? There must be some way around it! How could it stop you from graduating?!

  5. Brittney says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20098:10 pm 

    I think this whole policy is ridiculous. I read in another article that the college kind of admitted to not having enough money when asked if they considered changing their options for food to be healthier.
    There’s still very little evidence that being fat makes you unhealthy. A thin person (a BMI of underweight) could have just as many scary health concerns as an obese person–why aren’t these people required to take this class?

    this college, which is a historically black college is finding a way to make money by discriminating against a particular group of people.

  6. Alex says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20098:12 pm 

    What about people who have BMIs that are too low? Can those unhealthy people still graduate without taking an extra nutrition class and possibly counseling if necessary? The fact that this only targets a certain group is completely unfair, even more unfair if they have to pay for it and doubly unfair if it hinders them graduating on time. Require it of everyone or require it of no one.

  7. Jessica says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20098:45 pm 

    I think it’s stupid that you HAVE to take the course to graduate. First of all, if these students are overweight, forcing them to work out may change their body in the short term, but what is making them stay healthy? Nothing is going to change these students unless they want to change. Second, it sounds alot like a money cry to me. If they do require this class, then the students shouldn’t have to pay for it.

  8. Michelle says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20099:06 pm 

    So being fat hampers how smart a person is? This is absolute bs!

  9. Abroughman says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20099:21 pm 

    what hahahahaha this is so ridiculous

  10. TheBritishGuy says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 20099:45 pm 

    Wow thats an interesting way of thinking.

    To be honest with you it’s a bit hard to know where to stand with this issue.

    If you are obese it does effect you in many ways and some of those ways do effect your mental performance too.

    It doesn’t mean if your fat your stupid it means if your morbidly obese you likely to fatigue a lot easier.

    On the other hand being in good shape is great for you from a mental perspective.

    I think this should be more a suggestion than a rule but I guess its one of those “the ends justify the means” things.

    I won’t agree with it but I really can’t say I am against their end goal.

  11. alice says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 200910:05 pm 

    This is beyond horrible. A person’s body is no one else’s business but their own. Period. Full stop.

  12. Laura says:
    Mon, 30th Nov 200911:18 pm 

    A policy like this is unmitigated bullshit.

    If you want to instate a policy, or adjust graduation requirements to promote healthier lifestyles, it should be a requirement for ALL STUDENTS.

    1. BMI is not an accurate gauge of health. Period.
    2. These students (above bmi 30) have completed all the required courses, worked hard, paid some serious $. They are, in this sense, ENTITLED to that degree.
    3. Discriminatory. All there is to it.

  13. A says:
    Tue, 1st Dec 20095:34 am 

    There are heaps of unhealthy lifestyle choices that students could make so to single out weight and say you are concerned with their health seems ridiculous. Smoking, or drinking to excess are not healthy habits either. Is the college stopping those groups of students from graduating? It also seems like a bit of a breach of privacy in a way to me because you are indirectly disclosing a piece of information that should really be between doctor and student only. What’s next? Mandatory sex ed classes for any student needing treatment for an STI?

  14. sara says:
    Wed, 2nd Dec 20098:51 am 

    First of all, yes obesity IS linked to many other diseases and health risks. The school is not saying that if you are obese you are unhealthy, just that you are at a much greater risk (true). Good point about the smoking/drinking, I could see people being much more up in arms if there was a mandate to quit smoking before you graduated. I think it would be difficult to test for tobacco or alcohol problems though, as opposed to BMI which is a quite a simple thing to measure.

    As for the argument of some people just being built bigger than others, I may be wrong but a BMI of 30% is quite large? Not just a little bit over average, it is in the obese range.

    I am all for this class. It sucks if you were already enrolled in the university when it became required, but everyone else can choose whether or not this is right for them. There are many universities like this, for example universities that are extremely strict about dress codes and visitation policies are not for everyone- if you don’t like it, don’t go there! This definitely should NOT be a free course, I am not going to see any more of my tax dollars go towards an issue like this. While I don’t think it is a money cry for the school, I think on the contrary it is done out of concern for the student’s well-being.

  15. Jessica says:
    Thu, 3rd Dec 20094:06 am 

    People go to college for academics, not to have their lifestyle dictated to them. College students are paying for their education in their field of study, period.

    If people wanted to pay to be forced to lose weight, they could go to fat camp.

    College is academics, period. Anything else, especially something that forces you to alter your physical appearance, is completely and totally irrelevant.

    I thought we lived in a free country? The minute we start dictating to someone how they should look we cross a dangerous boundary. Yes, it is for their own good. But you can bring a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.

    Its like when you deal with someone with a drug addiction. They won’t get sober until they are good and ready. People won’t make lifestyle changes until they are good and ready.

    To curb obesity, the price of produce and healthy food options needs to drop drastically. Right now, unhealthy processed and deep fried foods, such as fast food, and processed bread, snacks, etc, are so much cheaper than healthy options like vegetables and grass fed, organic, antibiotic free meats, that the majority of the country who isn’t wealthy cannot afford to eat healthy. It is that simple.

  16. Michele says:
    Thu, 3rd Dec 200912:11 pm 

    Well…… I wouldn’t want to hire an obese person. If they can’t take care of their body properly, what else can’t they take care of?
    Obese = Gross.

  17. Erin says:
    Thu, 3rd Dec 20094:12 pm 

    I agree with Laura 100%.

    Michele, you’re an idiot. Plain and simple.

  18. Star says:
    Wed, 9th Dec 200911:23 pm 

    How is this not discrimination based on weight? What if they said all women had to take special courses that guys didn’t based on their gender or that black people had to take courses because they were considered more “risky” than white people? Would you be offended? You should be.

    This is just as bad as saying someone can’t graduate until they do something about their race or gender. I can’t believe how people think that because they have the messed up notion that all larger people are “unhealthy” or “lazy” that it’s alright to force people to lose weight or tell them what they should do with their lives. I would be ashamed to associate with anyone that felt that way.

  19. Rachel says:
    Sun, 13th Dec 200912:48 pm 

    No doubt a lawsuit will soon arise from this grand idea that the university has put into effect. This scheme is nothing more than a discrimination issue, as there is no other variable that FORCES these ADULTS to make them take extra, required credits for an issue that they may or may not feel control over.

    Regardless, if the college does not want to lose a little bit of money and a lot of credibility over this issue, they should make all students take a physical education credit. I think that ALL young adults would benefit from learning how to do weight lifting, core training and cardio.

  20. Lauren says:
    Tue, 22nd Dec 20092:24 am 

    Wow Michele!! Do you realize you could hire someone that is “skinny” and then they could later become obese? Also, by discriminating against obese people you may have a less bright work force. Obese does not equal lazy at work. Maybe some obese people are so busy at work they don’t make time for the gym. You are ridiculous.

  21. Valerie says:
    Mon, 28th Dec 20093:52 am 

    The fact that the college even thought this would go over well proves that they didn’t do their research.

    The BMI does not take into account body shape, or type, and for women especially this is a huge problem. Say you were a slender woman, but you have larger hips, and a larger bust. This would typically put you over the “standard” BMI for your height.
    Personally, the BMI says that I should be at around 150 lbs. I’m six feet tall in my stocking feet. I have a large bust, and ample hips, I am in no way overweight or “obese” but according to the BMI I am “morbidly obese”.

    I agree with those who say that these students are adults who are being forced to change their lifestyle even if they are in fact healthy. The school does not have the right to force students to take this class. There are many larger issues on college campuses, alcoholism which is brushed off as Okay “because its college. Getting trashed every weekend is like totally cool.” is the first one which comes to mind but there are many more.

  22. Donna Hull says:
    Fri, 8th Jan 20102:04 pm 

    Wow. So someone like Oprah would not be able to graduate from this school with a degree in journalism?

    Huh???

  23. Kelly - University of Iowa says:
    Fri, 8th Jan 20102:42 pm 

    Oprah definitely is not a journalist, even though a lot of people think she is. But with the %28374923 million she makes a year, she doesn’t need to be.

Tell us what you're thinking...




Look what we found across the web...

Loading...

COVER STORY

I Remember: My Journey through Fatness, Skinniness, and Healthiness I Remember: My Journey through Fatness, Skinniness, and Healthiness

|More People can be monsters, and I don’t mean in the Lady Gaga sense. They can... 

The Jersey Shore Kids Go On Strike – Send In The Replacements! The Jersey Shore Kids Go On Strike – Send In The Replacements!

|More Guess who decided to up and pull a diva move?  No, Mariah Carey isn’t castrating... 

Body Blog: Stress Does the Body Bad Body Blog: Stress Does the Body Bad

|MoreStress has been my companion for as long as I can remember. I’m the kind of... 

Read More Posts From This Category

HAHA

Sexy Time: Why Numbers Don’t Matter Sexy Time: Why Numbers Don’t Matter

|MoreWhy does it matter how many people someone has had sex with? In the world of... 

Ask a Dude: He Dumped Me…and Won’t Stop Texting Ask a Dude: He Dumped Me…and Won’t Stop Texting

|More [Got a Dude itch you just can’t scratch? Sick of getting the pity-eyes as... 

Eat, Pray and Love Yourself Through a Nasty Break-up Eat, Pray and Love Yourself Through a Nasty Break-up

|More Okay, so how excited are you for Eat, Pray, Love to finally come out?  Because... 

Read More Posts From This Category