There was a time in my life when a game of basketball or flag football provided a nice relief to a long day of academic classes. It provided a way for me to have some fun before tackling the rigorous lectures of math or science.
That was then, this is now.
As part of the general education requirements at the University of La Verne, I was required to take two physical education classes. It has been changed since I have entered and now students are just required only to take Fitness for Life. This is not enough of a change. At a time in a student’s educational career when exploration and independence are needed, it is ridiculous to me that this should be a requirement for a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree.
I am not knocking athletes nor the fact that P.E. is even offered at ULV. I am, rather, critiquing the fact that it is a requirement.
The 1997-1998 catalog says that Fitness for Life “aims at establishing lifelong patterns of fitness.” I understand that exercise is important and I also realize that many valuable skills can be learned when playing sports. Skills such as teamwork, the benefit of fitness and the fact that “it does not matter whether you win or lose but how you play the game” are drummed into your head as a kid. Many valuable skills can also be learned when playing chess but it should not be a requirement to graduate from an institute of higher learning.
P.E. is not the only requirement that should be dumped, though. A serious analysis needs to be done on the University 100 classes. The majority of current freshman I have talked with find the University 100 class as much a waste of time as I did three years ago. This may be because the freshman are, like me, independent people who have learned to cope with new situations.
The class should not be a requirement. It should be an option for students who need help adjusting to college academically and socially.
The only valuable thing that happened in U100 was the library tour — which you receive in eight other classes anyway.
The other topics, including drugs and alcohol, are too reminiscent of health class in junior high. Most of us have passed that stage both mentally and physically. Don’t we know by the time we get to college that drugs and using alcohol in excess are bad for us?
Furthermore, the class requires students to write one page papers that are essentially busy work. The papers require you to do little thinking and are low on the priority scale when compared with homework from other G.E.’s such as math and English courses. Evan Martinez, a freshman, agrees and describes the papers as a “bad idea.”
The other baffling thing about U100 is that transfer students, who have under 30 units, and foreign exchange students are required to take the class. These students have already had a taste of what college life is like. Is it really necessary to make them take a class to learn about it?
As Teresa Bader-Hull, the general education program director, puts it, the point of general education is to “assist students in having a well-balanced education.” I do not think that P.E. and University 100 have to fit into this mold.
I definitely think that G.E.’s are needed. After all, that is the point of a liberal arts school-to get a well-rounded education in a variety of subjects. All the P.E. and U100 requirements do, though, are to take time away that could be used for people who would like to further explore their major or minor.
Rob Strauss, a senior broadcast major, is editorial assistant of the Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at straussr@ulv.edu.
