College Students Should Be Allowed In College

In a study involving 907 students at an unidentified public university in the midwest, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, it was calculated that on average a freshman student gains 7.8 pounds during their first year at college (Freshman 15 Statistics…). Many have come to know this weight fluctuation as the dreaded, “Freshman 15”. Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States affecting more than one-third of the population. With the increasing rate of obesity and the well known fact that college students undergo a great fluctuation in weight gain, what are universities doing to make sure their students are healthy? Specifically, Penn State does a very nice job providing healthy options for their students in the many dining halls around campus. However, eating healthy is only one step to avoiding the freshman fifteen. In order to remain healthy it is crucial to remain active and physically fit. This is an area where Penn State falls short. While they provide many facilities for students to work out, this facilities are not accessible to everyone because of the membership fee attached. Penn State needs to make their gymnasiums more accessible to the average student by taking away the membership fee, and including the gym in their tuition, thus, providing more students with the opportunity to remain active. …show more content…
College students are hit with so many additional fees such as housing, meal plans, books, school supplies that by the end of all of these expenses they do not want to think about spending more money on a gym membership. By including the gym membership in their tuition at a less expensive cost, they will have the opportunities to be as fit and active as they deserve. It is time that Penn State actively changes the way they handle physical fitness, and including gym memberships in tuition is the perfect way accomplish