All but four courses in UF's sport and fitness program are being snuffed out next fall, and many graduate students who teach the classes will have to find other means of paying tuition next semester.
UF's College of Health and Human Performance was forced to cut most of its recreation classes, excluding snorkeling and scuba diving courses, because of budget constraints.
Michele Dye, spokeswoman for the college, said the cuts would allow the department to fund courses needed for students to graduate, whereas sport and fitness courses are offered as electives.
Although Dye said no instructors have been "let go," graduate students who teach sports classes won't be able to renew their contracts, which currently cover the students' tuition costs.
Although Thomas Henry, a graduate student who teaches weight training and jogging courses, will graduate this spring, he said other graduate students in the program would be forced to find another way to fund their education, which would be difficult halfway through their program.
Henry said it's unclear if UF's sport and fitness program would ever return, but the outlook is bleak.
"There's not a whole lot of information out there," Henry said. "Nobody really wants to be responsible for saying something they probably shouldn't, especially if they're going to be here at UF for a while."
Despite the lack of information available, he said students might not realize the magnitude of the loss until it's too late.
"As soon as they realize it affects them, I'm hoping there will be a significant outcry," Henry said.
Darren Stuart, a UF alumnus who teaches Latin dance, said the few of his students who were aware of the cuts were upset by the news.
"No one really knows about it until they go to their schedules and realize it's not available anymore," Stuart said.
Stuart teaches two Latin dance classes at his dance studio, Salsa Caliente.
"It's not hurting me financially," he said. "It's more of the fact that I won't be able to teach the class."
The availability of a Latin dance course not only helps students stay in shape while earning class credit, but it also gives them an opportunity to learn about a different culture, Stuart said.
Henry added that sports are simply an integral part of UF's culture.
"UF has a long tradition of sports and staying active," Henry said. "Without them, I feel that UF is sacrificing its identity."
Daniel Patterson, a political science senior, said he took badminton this semester, his first and last course in the sport and fitness program.
"I would love to take more sports classes," Patterson said. "I didn't have the opportunity to take bowling. I would have loved that."
The cut sports include:
- Swimming
- Bowling
- Golf
- Softball
- Volleyball
- Tennis
- Basketball
- Raquetball
- Badminton
- Tae Kwon Do
- Pilates
- Yoga
- Conditioning
- Jogging
- Aerobics
- Tai Chi
- Fencing
- Backpacking
- Weight Training
- Latin Dance
- Sports Officiating
