With priority registration starting Tuesday and senior class registration beginning next week, students needing an extra credit or two to round out a schedule may be disappointed to know some classes like individual exercise and jogging will be cut next fall.
The department of kinesiology and health (KNH) will be downsizing the Physical Activity Life Skills Program (PALS) in fall 2009 due to budget cuts.
Helaine Alessio, KNH chair, said there are currently 98 PALS classes being taught with an enrollment of about 2,472 students. Out of the 98 classes offered, the KNH department currently sponsors 39 classes. Alession said the department will be getting rid of about 10 of the 39 current courses offered, which she said will affect about 1,200 students in fall 2009.
Alessio said eliminated PALS classes include individual exercise, racquetball, jogging, tennis, dance and weight training.
"We will still be having the equestrian, ice skating classes and Outdoor Pursuit Center courses, but we are just not exactly sure which classes we will be able to keep," Alessio said.
Alessio said the department is working to limit the negative impact on students.
"We just simply will not have the staff next year to accommodate all of the classes," Alessio said. "We will be going from 21 teachers to a total of 17."
Alessio said the decision to make the cuts was decided in early 2009. Alessio said the full extent of the cuts has not been confirmed, but said there will be about 29 remaining classes after the cuts are made.
First-year students Brigette Myers and Stephanie Bennett both enrolled in beginning ice skating during fall 2008.
Myers said she found the class to be very beneficial.
"I definitely knew I wanted to take some sort of physical activity, and I had previous experience in ice skating, albeit very limited," Myers said. "I thought it would be a fun introduction to Miami's different options offered."
Myers said she noticed the cutback of classes when she was looking at fall 2009 course on BannerWeb.
"It's disappointing because with the Miami Plan we have to take electives, and the general goal is to get us to study outside our majors," Myers said. "For them to cut back on those classes is taking away one area that we generally wouldn't venture into."
Bennett said she was also disappointed with the cuts.
"I wanted to learn how to skate so I could go public skating with friends," Bennett said. "I didn't want to take lessons anywhere else. (PALS courses) were very convenient. I really wanted to continue to take ice skating and even try running and dance in future semesters. It was nice to take a break from the monotonous classes."
Although Bennett said PALS classes were enjoyable, they are not all fun and games. She said she had a very positive learning experience in the ice skating class.
"It's not a joke or completely pointless, you learn a lot of techniques and it's definitely positive," Bennett said. "I'm disappointed that they have to take them away."
