UF students can keep jumping, jogging and judo kicking next semester, but it might not count for class credit.
In light of recent budget cuts, UF will offer fewer sections of sports and fitness classes to allocate more money to courses that are mandatory for degree tracks.
Steve Dorman, dean of UF's College of Health and Human Performance, said the course downsizing was proposed about a year ago to make the college more efficient, and the recent budget cuts made the idea more appealing.
UF plans to cut about ,34 million campuswide from its budget this year, UF President Bernie Machen announced at a June meeting of UF's Board of Trustees.
Dorman said classes like aerobics, jogging and swimming, which are mostly electives, use funds that could be channeled toward more popular courses, like anatomy and physiology.
It's most important to provide enough resources for students to take classes that are required for their degrees, he said.
He added that several UF degrees require the same classes in the college, and they fill up quickly.
"Every semester, we're packed out in those classes," he said. "If we offer more of those, students could progress quicker."
He said for now, only the number of sections would be reduced, but the college will look into cutting those classes altogether.
No new classes will be added.
"It just makes sense," he said. "As a student, you should want that."
He said many students welcome more sections of degree-track courses, but he has heard some complaints.
"Anytime you make a decision there are people on both sides of the spectrum," he said.
Dorman said UF's student recreation centers offer some of the activities the college is cutting, such as group fitness or intramural sports.
Classes at the recreation centers on campus are paid for by students' Activity & Service fees, which are included in their tuition costs.
Students don't lose anything with the cuts, he said, except credits.
"There's aerobics on campus. There are pools on campus," he said. "It's not like we're the only venue that would provide for students."
