Students who are having trouble scheduling Exercise and Sport Activities courses can now opt to take a health science course.

Many people are unaware that courses other than ESACT courses can fulfill the health and physical activity requirement of general education.

Students can take courses such as Biobehavioral Health 045 (Alcohol Awareness Education), Communication Disorders 100 (Preventing Abuse, Misuse, and Disorders) and Nutrition 251 (Introductory Principles of Nutrition).

These credits can be combined with ESACT courses to fulfill the three credits of health and physical activity required for general education. This policy became effective in Summer Session 1999, said Sherry Walk, university curriculum coordinator. Students were required to take three credits of physical activity and one credit of health science before the program went into effect.

Upperclassmen who attended Penn State prior to Summer Session 1999 have the option of following the new requirements.

In order for the program to go into effect, however, students must contact their dean's office, preferably through their academic adviser and ask to switch to the new requirements for health and physical activity credits.

Students have a hard time scheduling ESACT courses because they fill up very quickly each semester.

All ESACT classes are already full for Spring Semester 2001, said Cathy Kowalske, ESACT program staff assistant. Kowalske finds that students often cannot get into ESACT classes.

"Students come in afraid about graduating in the spring. We have utilized all the resources that Penn State has given us. At this point, we aren't able to open any new sections," Kowalske said.

Students are not permitted to schedule more than one ESACT class a semester on the computer or phone.

If they need a class to graduate, they can call the ESACT office for approval, she added.

Kowalske suggests that students who need ESACT credits to graduate should check the Continuing Education schedule.

Continuing Education offers various ESACT classes including archery, golf, outdoor living skills, tai chi, karate, fly-fishing and fitness for life.

They offer about 25 to 30 ESACT classes. According to the Office of Continuing Education, the schedule varies from semester to semester.

Continuing Education's first priority is for adult learners but all students are welcome to enroll in their courses.

Classes are open to all to register until it reaches the halfway point.

Then classes are only open to adult learners who are 21 or older and only taking night classes or part-time students.

After that, classes are open to everyone again.

Traditional students have been taking advantage of Continuing Education's ESACT classes for years.

Usually these students cannot fit ESACTs into their schedule during the day or they like a specific instructor or they just like to take classes at night.

Students can take any course with the GPE, GHS or GHA code to fulfill the health and physical activity requirement.

Eventually in 2004, all of these courses will fall under a GHA code.

The university is reworking its general education program so that all general education courses will have an active learning element, Walk said.

Todd Ellis, Academic Assembly vice president, has noticed that students also have problems getting into other general education courses like English 202 (Effective Writing: Technical Writing) and other effective writing courses.

"It's not as widespread as with ESACTs but it's still another problem," Ellis said about the other general education requirement.