It was with some consternation to read in The Daily Campus on Thursday [Mar. 27] about the new proposed Sports and Fitness Management and Promotion major. Although I am a huge proponent and excited about its potential development here at SMU, I was discouraged that its introduction to the community had been couched in the context of an article about easing athletic academic standards. It may have sent the wrong message, in my opinion, that somehow the purpose of the major being proposed was as a place to receive athletes who were academically challenged and unable to meet the requirements of other majors on campus. The content of the major would, of course, have a natural attraction for anyone connected with the business and pleasure of sport and fitness, but the proposed curriculum being developed would certainly not be any less rigorous than any other department on campus.

Peter B. GiffordChair, Wellness Department