One of the few absolute certainties for any student at UNC — besides rushing Franklin after a basketball win over Duke or that social media becomes inundated with pictures of the Old Well in the spring — is that each student will have taken a Lifetime Fitness class, or its equivalent, by the time he or she has graduated.
According to the course’s syllabus, the purpose of LFIT is “to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to develop a lasting interest in lifetime participation and to increase the student’s level of physical fitness and knowledge of life-long health.”
Though students sometimes criticize the course for being an unnecessary part of the University’s curriculum, its inclusion is clearly well-intentioned. Furthermore, it would behoove the University — and more importantly its students — to expand the course’s curriculum to place a larger emphasis on mental health.
Given that LFIT’s stated purpose is to ensure UNC students lead healthy lives, it seems odd that mental health is not already a more prominent part of the course.
The rise in demand for mental health services on college campuses is well-documented, and LFIT presents a prime opportunity to inform students of the resources at their disposal to assuage any problems they might have.
Also, the course could serve as a tool to break down the stigmas surrounding mental health, which is arguably just as important as the act of providing mental health services.
The list of mental health disorders that can arise or become accelerated in a college environment is incredibly long and includes, but is not limited to, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder.
