US: Lincoln University ends obesity rule

For the past few weeks, 'Fitness for Life' may well have been the most discussed college course around. From now on, however, no one at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania will be required to take it, writes Scott Jaschik for Inside Higher Ed. The course became famous because of a requirement adopted for classes that entered in 2006 or later: that any students with body mass index scores above 30 show that they have lost weight or taken the course by the time they graduate.

This year's seniors were the first to be covered by the requirement, attracting publicity that set off a national debate and a 4 December faculty vote. At that meeting, faculty voted on a policy that will encourage students who are obese to take the course, but to end the stipulation that these students enrol in the class as a graduation requirement if they don't lose weight. Ivory V Nelson, president of Lincoln, said that the faculty "wanted to keep what we were doing, but wanted to send a message that we were not singling out any group".
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site