Stopping Short of No More Fries
Lincoln University’s requirement that all obese undergraduates lose weight or take a one-semester fitness and nutrition course to graduate has angered students, drawn questions from faculty and roiled many observers -- to the point that the institution may back down from the plan following a faculty forum later this week.
While Lincoln’s policy is extreme in mandating a class for students with a body mass index of 30 or greater, many other colleges and universities have developed less controversial programs aimed at fighting obesity among an ever-growing proportion of significantly overweight students. A 2007 analysis of data collected for the Harvard School of Public Health’s College Alcohol Study found the proportion of obese college students increasing -- from 5 percent in 1993 to 8.4 percent by 1999. The spring and fall 2008 National College Health Assessment surveys found 10 percent of college students to be obese.
Lincoln University's aggressive approach has garnered an enormous amount of attention in recent days, and faculty leaders there are said to be reconsidering it. But the underlying issue that prompted the Pennsylvania historically black institution to act is generating significant concern on other campuses, too.
At the University of South Carolina's main campus in Columbia, a string of efforts aimed at “making healthy choices simple” have been brought under the umbrella of the Healthy Carolina initiative. Michelle Burcin, director of the program, points to a four-season farmers' market that averages about $7,000 a week in sales, eight walking and running paths around campus, and Fitness Buddies, an anonymous online networking tool to match students, faculty and staff who share the same exercise interests.
The introductory University 101 class for freshmen includes talks on nutrition and health. The university’s Campus Wellness unit offers free nutrition consultations to all students, as well as Choose to Lose, an eight-week weight management program that includes exercise sessions, nutrition instruction and food logs.
Gustavus Adolphus College, in St. Peter, Minn., has eliminated all-you-can-eat meal plans and instead requires students to pay for each item they take, à la carte. Food waste has been cut by 80 percent. Campuses that have made their dining halls trayless also report dramatic reductions in food waste. [Inside Higher Ed]
