P.E. Bill Gains SGA Support

Author: Ilyse Mehlman

In a unanimous vote of 14-0, the Student Government Association (SGA) passed the "Physical Education Requirement Resolution" on Nov. 2, sending to the administration for consideration a bill that will afford student-athletes more flexibility to fulfill Middlebury's two required physical education courses through participation on athletic teams. The bill addresses the current stipulations of the Middlebury College Handbook, which states: "As a part of Middlebury's degree requirement, each student must complete two different physical education courses by the end of the sophomore year. Each course carries one unit of physical education credit by participating in a season of varsity or junior varsity intercollegiate athletics. Two credits can be earned by participation in two different sports."

Written by Kevin Sullivan '04.5 when he served as an SGA senator between 2001 and 2002, the Resolution explains, "One season of any intercollegiate athletic team at the varsity, junior varsity or club level is a significant time commitment that exposes students to a variety of physical training exercises and techniques."

The resolution maintains that because all athletic teams with coaches on staff require strict attendance, all athletes on teams with hired coaches should receive physical education credit for their participation.

Additionally, the bill addresses the fact that, currently, students receive only one physical education credit for participation on an athletic team even if they play the sport for multiple seasons. This bill would amend that rule so that students could receive one credit per season of participation. However, the bill also anticipates the fear of coaches that many students might join a sport played in both fall and spring seasons, such as rugby, for only the fall season. Coaches worry that students might not have any intention of continuing play in the spring and only participate in order to receive physical education credit. The proposal outlines that individual coaches "reserve the right to change the distribution of a physical education credit over one season to multiple seasons."

Sullivan first presented this bill to the SGA two years ago. While the SGA passed it, no further steps were taken toward ensuring the bill's implementation. Sullivan's sister, Erin '04.5, student co-chair of Community Council and vice president of the SGA, reintroduced the resolution to the SGA.

She explained that since the resolution is now re-endorsed by the SGA, "the SEAC (Student Educational Affairs Committee), the EAC (Educational Affairs Committee) and the faculty will consider the proposal."

Explaining her support of the bill, Erin Sullivan said, "It seems unnecessary that on top of that level of commitment [athletes] still have to fulfill the second P.E. credit by taking courses that are very often less demanding and rigorous than the training and challenges that accompany being a part of a team. I hesitate to place on the same level what an athlete learns on the field to what one learns in, say, massage class."

Erin Sullivan is "confident that students, especially student-athletes, will be excited if a proposal like this is approved by the faculty." First-year and member of the varsity football team, Jason Korbelik, tended to agree with Sullivan. "It would be really awesome if I didn't have to take the time to take a P.E. class. Even in the off-season, football will require a lot from me. Plus, I will be putting in so much effort each season, it seems crazy to me that my efforts would not be viewed as equal to the efforts of students in P.E. classes."

Sophomore and member of the junior varsity field hockey team, Eriko Hashimoto asserts a somewhat different point of view. "The bill makes a lot of sense in allowing club sports to count toward P.E. credit because students are putting in a huge time commitment as well as showing a commitment to athleticism. As for varsity sports, I don't really care if one sport for all four seasons counts as one credit. The whole point of the P.E. requirement is so that students try out different activities. Even if you are an all-star athlete, the college might want you to try something else you aren't as good at. I wouldn't necessarily push for one sport as two credits, but I am not against it, either."

Now that the SGA has approved the bill, its implementation is out of student control. Erin Sullivan explained, "It is hard to gauge how the faculty will feel about a proposal like this. On the other hand, I really don't think the proposal is making any excessive demands. Why bog students down with extraneous requirements that perpetuate the campus culture of stress and never having enough time in the day?"