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This, That, and the Other...
On a recent Friday morning, a line of bathing-suit clad students stood beside a campus swimming pool, waiting to jump in. They had come to persuade the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill they were worthy of a college degree — which they were not, in UNC's eyes, until they could swim 50 yards and tread water for five minutes.
This was the last swim test day at one of the last remaining colleges to require it.
A half-century ago, passing a swim test was a common requirement on college campuses. In an era before health clubs, yoga and aerobics, swimming was both a popular exercise option and a skill colleges believed men and women should master — both for their own safety and for social reasons.
But swimming has lost its prominent place in campus physical education as the finishing school element has faded and other fitness options have multiplied.
To read the May 7 Associated Press story in its entirety, visit www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/07/AR2006050700503.html.
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