As Penn State continues to take the activity out of the Exercise and Sports Activities requirement, it leaves us to wonder why the university wastes students' time on these classes at all.

Just two years ago, students had to take three credits of ESACT and one credit of general health studies to graduate. Now, the health requirement is gone and students can substitute these health classes for their three ESACT credits. Schreyer scholars now also have the option of receiving 1.5 ESACT credits by participating in an intramural activity.

Undoubtedly, the university is realizing the high demand that its graduation requirements places on the ESACT department. Students must fight their way into ESACTs they may not even have an interest in just to satisfy a requirement the university stubbornly keeps, although the resources to support it are lacking.

Furthermore, allowing select students to to substitute non-ESACT electives for their ESACT credits if they participate in intramural sports screams "What's the point?" for the "mandatory" ESACT credits for other students.

Opting out of ESACTs for playing in an IM tournament for a matter of hours just further degrades the ESACT requirement. It is also unfair for non-honors students who must trudge to ESACT classes they may not even be interested in. A more fair and logical approach would be to extend this privilege to everyone, as most students have extra electives they want to take but don't have the time for.

Maybe Penn State should just face the facts. Scrap the ESACT requirement.

It is so watered down and easy to circumvent now that the material benefits of it are virtually non-existent anyway. It is just a thorn in the side of those who are just taking it to get to their diploma.

Eliminating the ESACT requirement would obviously save the school money, but it would also unclog the popular classes that students actually want to take.

If the university will not lower or eliminate the ESACT requirement, then it should not be so quick to brush off the plan proposed by Academic Assembly and USG President-elect Justin Zartman.

Getting ESACT credits for attending fitness classes, as the proposal would allow, is a much more legitimate alternative than anything the university has come up with.

It would reward students who take the initiative to exercise on their own. It would also require more time — about 30 to 35 hours — than what is involved in IM sports, the way the university currently lets Schreyer scholars opt out of ESACTs.

Filling the ESACT requirement is a concern for the vast majority of students on campus.

Instead of bending the requirements for select populations who already have greater access to ESACT classes, the university should make the process more fair for the whole student body. At the very least, the administration should seriously consider the plan proposed by USG.