A new Oral Roberts University requirement for all first-year students to purchase and log a Fitbit band, a watch that tracks physical activity, was made to fight the “freshman 15.”
Darci Thompson, Oklahoma Christian University Director of Wellness said the policy is a unique way to encourage students to stay active during their college experience.
“I love the Fitbit bands,” Thompson said. “I think it’s motivating. I think they’re encouraging, especially when you have support from others and encouragement from others who are also using them, so I think it can be a great thing for their freshmen.”
The university integrated this new policy in the fall of 2015, requiring each student to purchase their own $150 band, excluded from tuition costs.
The fitness course requires students to reach a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity each week, as well as 10,000 steps each day. Weights and diets are not monitored in the course, however the university keeps track of each student’s heart rate, along with physical activity and steps.
Baylee Hancock, Oklahoma Christian freshman, said that although it is a good way to encourage students to stay active at college, she disagrees with the fitness class requirements.
“I think it’s a good idea, except for the part that you have to have it as a class,” Williams said. “I think it’s a really good idea to monitor how healthy you are and how many steps, but not have it as a class.”
Fellow Oklahoma Christian freshman Adam Cassada said that fitness class obligations interfere with students’ freedom.
“I don’t know if they should have to do that,” Cassada said. “If I want to go sit in my room and not do anything all day, I should be able to do that.”
According to Cassada, fitness class requirements may also add to the stress that most college freshmen experience.
“I think on top of all your grades, your friends, getting used to the whole college atmosphere, coming from a different state – or even a different country – could add some stress,” Cassada said.
Although the Fitbit bands are new to the Oral Roberts, fitness requirements are not.
According to Kathleen Reid-Martinez, Oral Roberts , the university has always included fitness requirements in the school curriculum. In past years, students manually logged aerobics points in journals.
“I feel like it could be a hard thing to balance,” Thompson said. “But there are so many different things that you have to learn to balance as a freshman and transition is tough regardless, and I think having to integrate fitness and personal wellness is really important.”
Hancock said that since coming to college, staying fit is more difficult for her as well as her friends than it was in high school.
“I think it’s a little more difficult because most people aren’t on a sports team, so you’re not working out,” Hancock said. “You have to push yourself to work out and find healthy things to eat.”
According to Hancock, although working out and eating well in college is more challenging, she said the “freshman 15” is not as prevalent an issue as its common stereotype makes it seem.
“I think it’s not as big as we make it out to be,” Hancock said. “You’re probably going to gain some weight from a different lifestyle, but you can control your weight just as much as you did in high school.”
Thompson also said that the freshman college experience is more than the “freshman 15.”
“I don’t think that is a true gauge of what the typical freshman experience is,” Thompson said. “I think there’s lots of different things that happen – weight loss, weight gain – it just depends on what you’re going through, and each person is different.”
Even though students’ health experiences vary in college, Thompson said that fitness and practicing a healthy lifestyle should be a main priority among all college students, and each student should find an active hobby.
“I think they just need to find something they enjoy doing, whether that’s Frisbee golf outside, or participating in some of our running events or joining a yoga group somewhere,” Thompson said. “I just think you need to find something that you enjoy doing and know you can keep up with consistently.”
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