Monday, June 15, 2009

Emeritus PE: the dawning of a BIG FAT scandal?


[NOTE: there's an update below.]

Uh-oh. Teri Sforza of the OC Reg ("OC Watchdog") seems to think she’s dug up a scandal. It's about the apparent way that Saddleback College gets money for "Emeritus" (non-credit courses for the elderly) exercise classes in Laguna Woods Village (note: if there is an issue here, it would seem to apply to Irvine Valley College as well):

Is [Saddleback] college cheating state for seniors’ fitness classes?

When Doug Goforth, retired businessman, was checking out Laguna Woods Village in 2007, one of the things that hooked him was the fully-equipped fitness center. “Residents only!” a real estate agent crowed. “Practically your own private health club!”

So imagine Goforth’s surprise after he bought his place, went to the health club on a weekday morning and was told that he couldn’t use it – unless he registered for a Saddleback College physical education class.

He looked around. Dozens of people, basically exercising on their own. It certainly didn’t look like a class.

“Enroll,” he was told. “It doesn’t cost you anything.”

Couldn’t he use his own gym without signing up for community college classes? he pressed. No; it was an insurance thing, he was told. And so Goforth enrolled....
...
What he found was no class in any traditional sense of the word. “What they really do there is, when they sign up a new student, they take blood pressure, heartbeat, show them a routine on weights and are done. This is while 35 other people are exercising,” Goforth said. “But Laguna Woods Village has its own staff there to do that already.”

He pressed on, and learned that … While the classes didn’t cost him anything directly, Saddleback College collects money from the state for each student enrolled, and that money comes from taxpayers’ pockets. ¶ There were four hour-long “classes” at the … gym, from 8 a.m. through noon, each day, from Monday through Friday. ¶ Some seniors were registered in multiple classes. …It didn’t seem right to collect state money for such an, er, exercise. And after one or two or three—or [more]—semesters, shouldn’t people know how to use the equipment already? Why would they need to re-enroll in a college class every semester?

You can imagine the rest. But do read the whole article. Anybody know about these courses? Is there really an issue here? Or is there some kind of misunderstanding?

Predictably enough, the comments that Sforza's article has thus far attracted are very angry. Waste! Fraud!--that sort of thing. It's the OC Reg, you know. No defenders. Not yet. Our PR people better get on the stick!

EMERITUS?

Yes, Emeritus. The Saddleback College website explains that the “name Emeritus refers to people ‘retired with honor.’ All seniors are welcome.”

It also explains that:

The Saddleback College Emeritus Institute was established [in 1976] as a unique educational opportunity for the pursuit and enhancement of lifelong learning for the adult population.

All of the courses are non-credit. That is, they do not satisfy requirements for a student’s transfer to a university. --Nothing surprising there.

But is Goforth correct in judging that funny business is afoot here?

UPDATE:

Sforza has asked Saddleback College for a response. Here's what was provided (with more information to come, evidently):

Since 1976 the Saddleback College Emeritus Institute has offered classes throughout south Orange County to provide life long learning opportunities to the older adult population. Many of those classes are held in Laguna Woods Village at the invitation of resident groups, including the exercise equipment classes, which are free and open to all interested senior citizens. The Emeritus Institute offers four classes in the Equipment Fitness Room Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Residents who wish to use the equipment room while classes are in session are asked to enroll due to liability requirements of the South Orange County Community College District. There is no charge to register and attend the classes. The classes were established in 1976 and are consistently very popular. During the spring semester, 1,525 students registered for at least one of the four classes.

These classes are supervised by two highly qualified kinesiology instructors who have master’s degrees in physical fitness and years of experience working with older adults. The instructors provide an individualized exercise program using a variety of equipment and provide information on health and exercise techniques. These classes are state-approved curriculum and are free to all students.

The petition you referenced was reviewed by Laguna Woods Village resident committees, including the Aquatics & Health Fitness Advisory Committee, the Continuing Education Advisory Committee, and the Community Activities Committee, which held a meeting in April 2009 and enabled residents to voice concerns and discuss pros and cons for continuing the classes. The vast majority of residents in attendance were very supportive of continuing the class and it was ultimately decided at the May meeting of the Community Activities Committee that the community wished to continue the classes.

The Emeritus Institute is pleased to continue to offer these equipment classes at the pleasure of the Laguna Woods Village Community.

Jennie McCue
Director, Public Information & Marketing
Saddleback College

The redness is my highlighting. I suppose the gist of Goforth's complaint is that these courses aren't really courses, since they amount to residents exercising by themselves, without regular and ongoing supervision or assistance, sometimes throughout the day (?) and over a period of years. The comment in red seems to be an effort to address (i.e., to refute) some of the complaint.

But is it true that some students take multiples of a course at the same time (if that is the charge)? Do they repeat such "courses" semester after semester? And are the colleges receiving money per student with every instance of a course taken in this way--as though it were a course with a level of student attainment and instructor-student interaction of the kind that is familiar for college courses?

If so, is there a problem with that? It would seem so. Surely such a scheme amounts to funny business bordering on fraud. Am I wrong? No doubt you'll let me know.

(Is anyone even out there?)

I don't see that those concerns are entirely answered by McCue's letter.

SOME PARTICULARS RE EMERITUS PE IN THE SOCCCD:

SADDLEBACK COLLEGE'S EMERITUS PE:

The summer 2009 Emeritus schedule of classes for Saddleback lists classes in philosophy, history, accounting, art, music, photography—and

Emeritus PE/Kinesiology (Fitness) — 44 classes (different kinds)
Emeritus PE/Kinesiology (Adaptive KNES) — 2 classes
Emeritus PE/Kinesiology (Aquatics) — 5 classes

One of the courses listed under "fitness" is PERSONALIZED FITNESS (KNES 2X). It is described in this way:

Supervised, individualized exercise program using a variety of exercise equipment. Includes the various principles and techniques of exercise as they relate to the older adult. Individual assessments will include review of medical history, resting and exercising heart rate, blood pressure, and body weight (formerly PE 2X).

Two instructors are listed. Each has a "Saddleback" email address.

The number of Emeritus "PE" classes offered by Saddleback for the summer: 51, by my count.

IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE EMERITUS PE:

Irvine Valley College (the other full campus of the SOCCCD district) also offers Emeritus courses, including courses in banking and finance, computer science, film, art, food, music, natural science, photography, political science, and theater.

The remaining category: "Emeritus Physical Fitness and Movement." Again, the courses are non-credit. That makes sense.

Among the Emeritus PE courses offered by IVC this summer is PHYSICAL FITNESS (PE 401), which

...presents exercise and dance techniques designed to develop and maintain balance, coordination, agility, reaction time, and cardiovascular health in older adults. Students participate in exercises focusing on strength, flexibility, aerobic power, and neuromuscular integration. A list of instructional materials will be provided at the first class session. This is an open-entry/open-exit course.

One instructor is listed. His/her contact number is an IVC address.

IVC offers a great many PE courses this summer—54 by my count:

AEROBIC CONDITIONING FOR THE MATURE ADULT (2 classes)
PHYSICAL FITNESS (23 classes)
PHYSICAL FITNESS: YOGA (10 classes)
TAI CHI (4 classes)
BEGINNING CHAIR EXERCISE (3 classes)
INTERMEDIATE CHAIR EXERCISES (1 class)
BEGINNING CHAIR AEROBICS (2 classes)
AQUATIC FITNESS TRAINING (6 classes)
MILD EXERCISE FOR FITNESS (1 class)
PHYSICAL FITNESS/BACK (2 classes)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had a similar experience...went to the health club to use a treadmill...all were empty..in fact that entire side of the gym was empty...I was told I could not use this equipment unless I was registered for a class...I replied that I would use the treadmill as a resident of Laguna Woods Village..I was told that security would be called...I replied "go ahead" and used the treadmill.

Anonymous said...

It seems that only about 300 people who signed the petition are upset, whereas way more than that in the leisure world community groups want the classes. The emeritus institute classes are invited by the community groups.

Roy Bauer said...

But won't critics argue as follows? These colleges get the full complement of state money for courses that amount to occasional direction and supervision--in the case of some students continuing for years. That's an awful lot of money for very little instruction. But virtually no one comprehends this, and those who provide the courses are making no effort to disabuse the rest of us of our ignorance. Isn't the situation verging on fraud?

Anonymous said...

we do not want the Saddleback emri. pe classes canceled. we only want to use the gym without being required to register for a class.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...