Students, faculty discuss PFW requirement

With the College of Arts and Sciences having the largest number of majors at the university, more than 10,000 Texas Tech students are required to take at least one personal fitness and wellness course, depending on their degree.

The College of Arts and Sciences offers around 16 PFW classes every semester. From the most enrolled course of yoga, to the most advanced scuba diving class. Karla Kitten, the personal fitness and wellness coordinator, said there is a class for every student.

Although nobody is an expert, Kitten said there are courses from the novice to the more experienced students. The classes give students a chance to get out of their comfort zone. Kitten said students may have always wanted to participate in a sport, but were not able to in high school because only the elite athletes made the team.

“Here, everybody is on the team,” she said. “There’s nobody that is left out. I train my TA’s to accommodate every level of skill.”

Kitten said at least one PFW course should be required for every student at Tech because it would be beneficial for their overall health and help improving their academics.

“There’s activities that we do for life-long fitness that they can carry on beyond college and into their work place,” Kitten said, “which would be improving their quality of work.”

Bry Ong, a senior microbiology major from Austin, is currently enrolled in bowling for his required PFW credit. The course is held at South Plains Lanes once a week from 11:30 a.m.-1:20 p.m. Even though the class takes place for two hours, it is only counted as one credit hour.

Although he said the class is benefitting him because it is a stress reliever and more laid back compared to his science classes, PFW classes should not be a requirement for any college.

“It’s kind of a waste of time to take a PFW when it’s not related to your major,” Ong said.

A one-hour class, which is the average length of a PFW class at Tech, costs above $500. Ong said it is a waste of tuition money, and it may be a problem for students who already have trouble affording college, especially when the course does not relate to what students may want to do as a career after graduation.

“[Students] want to come to college to get educated in that degree alone, but yet they force us to take PE classes, which kind of stales us in a way,” he said. “Most people don’t take it until senior year any way.”

Ong said if PFW classes weren’t required, then students could take other classes that relate more to their degree.

As a senior, Ong was in an earlier catalog yearm but now the requirements have changed for students in the College of Arts and Sciences completing a Bachelor of Science.

Angela Lumpkin, the sports management department chair, said the requirements changed for the College of Arts and Sciences around two years ago. Now, students who are going for a Bachelor of Science have to complete one hour of PFW, while Bachelor of Art students still require two hours.

“The reason for that was because there are so many more science-type classes that need to be taken by students to prepare them for graduate school or their career,” Lumpkin said.

The one exception of the bachelor of science students are those in the department of kinesiology and sport management, who still require two credits.

Lumpkin said the PFW classes will stay a requirement for their college because fitness and physical well being are important to the student’s future lives.

“The idea of a liberally educated person is preparing for your life,” Lumpkin said. “We’re trying to give you some skill that you’ll continue. If you learn how to do something, like lift weights and play tennis, you’re much more likely to do them throughout your life.”

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