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Can you imagine that successfully completing college and receiving your diploma could be dependent on the amount of pounds you’re packing, versus your level of intelligence or grades you worked for?
Some students at Lincoln University can.
Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania has instituted a fitness course, called “Fitness For Life.” The course meets three hours per week and is required for students with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. If you are asked to be in the class (due to your BMI) and you don’t complete it, you cannot graduate. Ouch.
One of the enrolled students at Lincoln, Tiana Lawson, age 21, wrote an honest editorial in the Lincolnian, their student run newspaper.
She asserts, “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 which, as a three-time honor student, is something I have been doing quite well, despite the fact that I have a slightly high Body Mass Index.”
I am all for fitness and health. Yes, obesity is a widespread problem. I mean, I live in Boulder (one of the healthiest cities in the U.S.) and my financial value is largely based on wellness. But you know why all that’s okay? Because it’s my choice.
Instituting a required fitness class, because of your BMI (a.k.a. you’re overweight and others aren’t, so they don’t have to join the class) at your so-called place of higher education, is crossing the line.
I recognize where the educators of Lincoln are coming from. They want to look out for their student body’s overall well-being and general health. The point where they’ve crossed the line is by targeting “obese,” “fat,” or “overweight,” students and leaving out the “healthier” ones, due to their BMI.
The exclusivity of singling out specific individuals based on their weight isn’t fair. If they were on The Biggest Loser, sure, kick their ass in the gym, on their diet and make them work. However, this is a University (not a reality show) that is going about health and fitness in the wrong way.
Largely, students enroll in college to gain an education, learn, excel, grow and experience. The college years are a time of growth change, and challenge filled with insecurities and uncertainty of your adolescence to early-20’s. Don’t make the time worse by pointing the finger at student’s weight and then reprimanding them or not allowing them to graduate.
What do you think? Can you put yourself in the shoes of the students at Lincoln University? Would you have been able to graduate if your BMI was calculated at graduation time?
Wow. I too am all for health and fitness. I agree that it should always be encouraged and students should be given as many chances to make healthy choices. However, this is a tad absurd and I'm really surprised to hear about this.
Not everyone can lose the weight so easy, especially if weight issues have been around for longer than college or high school. I'm also not a fan of the BMI, but that's beef for another dinner. I would love to know how many other schools have something like this going on.
Great post!
eat less, work out and get slim. No big deal. It's not like they are asking you to chop off your hands is it?
@ tempo dulu, the concept of what's "acceptably thin" varies from person to person due to culture, geography, and self perception. In Jamaica there are many girls with higher bmi who would not think of themselves as too fat and are not necesarily unhealthy. The food they eat is unprocessed, natural, and they walk daily. Even within the States, someone with a thicker frame in Atlanta may not feel the same compulsion to get slim as someone with the same body in Southern Cali. So does an institution of higher education have the right to dictate who needs to lose weight and who doesn't? I don't think so.
@Rich, I'm with you on the BMI. I've been an athlete since I was 2, but because I'm not very tall, my BMI is all over the place. I know Lincoln considers athletes a separate group, but at the same time, I know a number of people who are of healthy weight who consider themselves out of shape.
I'm with the suggestion of the freshman course around healthy eating and cooking. I know I could have used tips to get past the college diet of microwaving everything.
There was an article on slate.com about how BMI was never intended to be used to indicate fitness. At least 100 years ago, European researcher was looking for a way to measure the average mass of a person and the BMI measurement provided the best numbers. The fact that a 30 BMI is considered obese is a modern arbitrary cut off. There's no science behind it other than being easy to measure.
That's what makes this even more disturbing.
Disclosure: My BMI is above 30 and I climb mountains, jog 4 miles/day, do yoga, rock climb, and have normal cholesterol and blood pressure. The biggest driver of my BMI was my decision to weight lift from high school until a few years ago. Lincoln can bite me
Hey Grace! Really interesting topic. I think that your suggestions are actually the most compelling part of this piece. It is definitely an interesting decision by the university to enact a regulation like this, but I like the way you are thinking about widespread nutrition counseling and more education about unhealthy behavior.
I myself could have used this. When I got to college, I thought nothing about the choices I was eating because I was in the middle of NYC and food was everywhere. It wasn't until I started seeking out my own education on this subject that I began to make very different choices.
Great ideas!!
@Rich Agreed. Also, what about students that are anorexic or bulimic. If we're tackling ONE issue about health and fitness, what about the rest? There's a long list I could bring up and that's why I suggested a few additional options.
@Tempo It's not as big of a deal as asking the students to chop off their hands (extreme example). However, they've singled out individuals at a place of higher education, where BMI doesn't even signify your real level of health.
What @Kim has to say also is very relevant that "acceptable weight" varies across cultures and it's difficult to say what is thin or healthy.
@Kim Echoing what you say, I also agree. I don't think college's have the right to discuss weight levels, but I do think they should implement classes around health, fitness, diet, etc. that is important to everyone. I'm also not trying to deny that obesity is one of the biggest killers in the U.S. right now. I'm just saying there are other ways to go about this.
@Emily Thanks for sharing. I too as an athlete, would be over the correct BMI. But I've never been "overweight" (by my standards) I just have a muscular build.
@Dead Hedge Well said! There's another example. I just cited that my BMI would be close to over the allotted health range for my height. I too do yoga, hike, kick boxing, running and snowboard 4-5 times a week year-round. I'm not out of shape by any means, but if I went to Lincoln U. I would HAVE to take this class. Bullshit.
@Beth Thank you. My point was to not jump up and down screaming because I was angry at Lincoln U but think of a more holistic solution. I do agree with the fitness idea and I'm all about wellness, so I wish they could have been a little more broad in their approach, including everyone.
Thanks for sharing everyone!
I came across this just had to comment. As someone who has struggled with my weight (both up and down the scale) I think what this school is doing is heinous! I have always made good graded regardless of where I was on the scale, there is simply no correlation between the two. It is also discriminatory to only make certain studemts take the class. If they really care about students overall health and future then they would make all students take the class. Also a few years ago I read a great article about the illusion that thin equals healthy. It talked about super thin people who actually have a higher risk of heart disease due to things like high cholestorol, smoking etc but are thin by a genetic predisposition for a high metabolism. I live with someone like that(my husband) and our doctor confirms that I am in better overall health even though I am "technically" about 10lbs overweight. The school had better be prepare for lawsuits, with policies like this the ACLU can't be far away!
What the school is doing is beyond inappropriate. I understand that obesity is a problem in the United States, but there are other ways around it than singling out a group of student based on their BMI. While I do think, implementing a health class would be beneficial to college students, it should be required for everyone. Thinking back to high school, I was required to take a health and wellness course for one semester, and a physical education course for the other 7 semesters. Why not implement this type of strategy. The school would then be promoting health and wellness to everyone, and would be continuing the support of physical activity.
I first heard about this when I saw an article on CNN with a similar title as your post; obviously it drew people in! The commentary both on the CNN article and your blog post is similar to my feelings about the matter.
At first, I was outraged. How could they target one specific group of people and get away with it? I thought we were trying to get PAST discrimination. I was especially offended because I have struggled with weight issues (and more specifically, how weight affected my self-esteem) and I know how hard it can be when your BMI indicates you're "obese". It seemed blatantly unfair and I couldn't understand how Lincoln was able to pass this rule without opposition.
As I read more into the situation, there are two key points many people were unaware of and/or fail to mention when discussing this. One is that in addition to your BMI, your waist measurement was also checked because many athletes' BMIs actually place them at the obese level. The other is that Lincoln had considered offering the class to everyone but due to budget issues, was unable to provide the necessary facilities to all students.
The above statements are in no way excuses for what the university was trying to do; however, I felt it important to bring that information to light.
I am extremely happy to report that Lincoln is no longer requiring this course - more information can be read in the Philadelphia Inquirer: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/78749342.html.
@Kristina You're right, it's extremely frustrating and I see a lot of people's passion coming out through this fitness class at Lincoln U. BMI isn't a good indicator and weight doesn't equal good (or bad) grades. Spread health and fitness throughout your school, not just to one select group.
@Lauren That was just what I said in my "Suggestions" portion of the post. I'm all for what they're motive is, but they've gone about it the wrong way.
@Meghan Yes, on my blog with the post, we discussed how the school considered implementing it across the entire campus but their budget didn't allow for it. Thanks for highlighting both of those pieces and for including the link from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
it is very frustrating why students should have to go through that. it is very healthy to be slim or slightly small but people should know that weight is not only a result of food but also, genes. i am personally big. i do exercises every day but i never lose weight, i just become fit. does that mean that i have a problem? i dnt think so. all things considered, some people just love being fat, they claim it earns them respect. besides, many of my friends hate skinny galz, in Africa, it is regarded as being totally unhealthy. wat am trying to say is that before policies are imposed on the students, the administration should lay down all factors and come with a considerate decision.
@Kimkeen I like your last sentence...the administration should lay down all factors and come up with a considerate decision that will affect their entire student body. Thank you for sharing.
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