ft
page 5
Wednesday, September 10, 1975
daily nebraskarr
PE a far cry
from push-ups
and chicken fat
i X
-si.1- (
-1
By Ann Owens
Physical education-which to many students once
meant chin-ups, push-ups and jumping jacks has recently
taken on a broader meaning at UNL.
UNL's physical education curriculum, comprising
activities courses ranging from scuba diving and parachut
ing to ethnic and social dance, offers students a variety of
imorest areas, according to acting Chairman of Physical
Education James O'Hanlon.
In courses where interest is high, UNL's physical
education department expands the number of sections
and offers advanced classes, O'Hanlon said. .
He said he believes that increased interest in physical
education at UNL can be attributed to this wide selection
of course offerings. -A
national trend
"Besides, it has caught people's fancy," he said. "There
is a national trend towards keeping physically fit and
cultural attention towards how leisure time is spend.'
For many years- graduation requirements in various
UNL colleges included a number of hours in physical
education.
V:-: V . Uji V
'v
"As these requirements were dropped the physical
education department feared a large drop in enrollment,
he said. "On the contrary, enrollment has grown signifi
cantly." " ' . .
No current enrollment figures for physical education
classes are available now, according to O'Hanlon and
activities courses coordinator Elizabeth Petfakis. After
registration this fall every class offered was filled, she said.
Coliseum renovation needed
The department's future growth depends on renovation
of the coliseum, O'Hanlon said. A plan to use the building
for physical education classes has been drawn up and is
being considered, he said. l
Included in this plan are facilities for 15 handball
courts, which are now very limited, according to
O'Hanlon. ' '
If the plan is accepted it won't actually go into effect
for quite awhile, O'Hanlon said, but use of the coliseum
is "an important factor in effecting the kind of program
wc cui offer M
"Because of limited staff and facilities we can't project
a large grwoth in the program or the near future," he
'added.
Marie Sanwick, UNL physical education dance coordin
ator,, said both dance faculty and students are "young,
alive people working very hard."
"Not sissy to dance"
She added that people are not only becoming aware of
dance in general but also the different forms of dance.
"This can be seen in the high percentage of males en
roDed in dance courses," she said. "Men no longer regard
dance as an unacceptable form of activity. It's no longer
sissy to dance." i
Interest in co-educational physical fitness courses is
growing at UNL, according to Petrakis. This helps both
men and women, she said.
"Both sexes show a wide range of ability. Co-educational
courses allow increased understanding of this,
Petrakis said.
Enthusiasm important
. The role of each instructor in the department is im
portant, according to O'Hanlon.
"Students appreciate instructors enthusiasm, which in
turn affects enrollment," he said.
Interest , goes up and down quickly, according to
O'Hanlon.
Student surveys best
"It's hard for us to predict which courses will be in
high demand" he said. "The best we can do is conduct
student surveys and watch early registration patterns. It
would be nice if we could be a little more sure."
According to Petrakis, courses of particular interest
this year are tennis, karate, judo, fencing, parachuting,
backpacking, aerobics, dance and riflery.
"There was a time when students were content to sit
around and watch television, but we are in a new era
now," she said. ' ' , , ,
This is especially true of outdoor activities, she added,
evidenced by the large appeal of bicycling, backpacking
and other outdoor activities '
Interest in cycles
Interest irf different activities appear in cycles, Petrakis
said. ' ' "
"I think it's interesting that in the unstructured
society of today, highly structured courses such as ballet
and fencing are so popular," she said. "The next specific
direction - interests might take can't be forseen far in
advance." I 7
Students' ideas are incorporated into the program by
means of an activity council, according to Petrakis,
"Each class sends a representative to the council meet
ing and In this way we get student input wldch is an
important part of our program," Pet,ihi? laid..
Development takes two years
If it. appears that nothing is being done about these
suggestions it is because the development of a new pro
gram usually takes about two years, she added.
"Ihe computer which does UNL's scheduling is set
m so that we have to schedule courses about a year in
advance," she said.
. Course offerings being considered for the near future
include advanced aerobics and dance, cycling, horseback
riding and a course in shot guns and pistols (a spin-off
existing riflery courses), according to O'Hanlon.
The three things restricting the program's growth,
according to Petrakis are lack of personnel, money and
primarily, lack of space.