Academic Exercise

Some Gym Classes Now Include Text Books

Upon returning after a long summer vacation, many Yeshiva students were greeted with a rude surprise. The Athletic Department, formerly sanctum for macho athletes and would-be jocks, had undergone drastic changes, shocking many and leaving others in despair. In an effort spearheaded by Dr. Richard Zerneck, Director of YU Undergraduate Athletics, a proposal was adopted which calls for nearly every gym class to require a textbook, final exam, and in some cases, even reading assignments.

The last thing people want to hear at the start of the semester is that they need to buy another textbook. For Rich Frohlich, SSSB '00, the "gym is a way to let loose and clear your head from all other schoolwork. Bringing textbooks into the picture will surely take away from this relaxing atmosphere and the important release it brings." And so the argument goes, it's bad enough that students are forced to overpay for books, is it really necessary to bring textbooks to gym class as well?

One of the most beloved individuals on campus, YU's athletic king, Stan Watson, agrees with Zerneck's initiatives. He is a firm believer that gym classes should be taught like all other college classes, using textbook and other teaching aids as necessary. For Stan, "the gym is tantamount in importance because it lets a person learn more about themselves." This was the spirit that motivated him to develop a new course, "Wellness and Fitness," which is geared to help students become more aware of themselves. The course teaches principles of healthy living, including proper maintenance of diet and exercise, ideals meant to be carried beyond college.

For Zerneck, the chance to teach people how to properly take care of themselves, something which he believes many YU students neglect, is one that "should not be overlooked."

Zerneck strongly feels that the new class should be the "foundation of all classes in the coming semesters." For that reason he wants it to become a requirement for incoming students in the coming semesters. Beside the gym activity itself, he feels that all physical education courses should teach more theoretical knowledge about game strategy and execution. For example, instead of just playing basketball, its rules and historical origin should also be stressed. Sports, in this way, becomes a metaphor for going through life, avoiding obstacles and maintaining balance and stability. Still, students wandering through the gym wondered, "What ever happened to basketball being fun? The rules and history should be taught in referee school!! Let the boys play some ball!"

There are still several gym classes that are without textbooks. The reason for this is simply that the athletic department has been unable to find suitable textbooks. While this mishap may belie the suggestion that gym classes are, perhaps, meant to be more than academic exercises, it also means that the recent push by the Athletic Department still faces an uphill battle. In this vein, one student noted, "Maybe there's a reason for that; the gym is supposed to be fun. Doesn't chemistry take care of the intellectualism?" Still, Coach Watson is of the opinion that gym classes are, in fact, more important than all the science and accounting classes since, unlike those classes, the gym teaches you about yourself and your body.

For most students, the only real problem with the new program is the emphasis it places on textbooks. Many would just as soon settle for getting out of Seasonal Sports rather that being lectured about the finer points of soccer history. But, for Zerneck, that is just the point. "Student have a responsibility, especially at Yeshiva, to take care of their health. We want to teach them lasting lessons about fitness." Despite the apparent sincerity of intent on the part of the athletics department, many students remain skeptical.