Bowling class gets academic

Bowling class might have once been a place where students could kick back and strike out. But course changes, sparing no academic expense, are taking the bumper guards out of the greasy lanes.\nWith a new textbook, midterm and final exam, the changes in IU's bowling class might be making it tougher, but are also making it better, said Bowling Instructor Coordinator John Bower. Bower, who is also the Indiana Memorial Union recreational center manager, redesigned the class to better reflect the academic integrity of its parent department, the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.\n"The biggest difference is there's more structure," Bower said. "Now you are going to learn the same thing no matter what section you take."\nBower said the biggest difference was the introduction of a textbook for the first time. Students are required to buy Janis H. Martin's "Skills, Drills & Strategies for Bowling," which costs about $16 new. Bower said the book was added to benefit the students.\n"It really helps," he said. "Without the book, you have to really rely on your ability to take notes. It helps the students get through the course on their own, so they don't have to rely just on the instructor."\nSenior Michael Hall is taking the class for the first time this semester and said he wished he didn't have to pay extra for a book.\n"The fee for buying it is a little much," he said. "We're already paying an extra fee for the lanes and shoes."\nBower said he presented the new class to his students as though it had always been taught in the same way. He said students generally didn't have any problem, because they didn't know it had changed.\nBut Bob Kessler, coordinator of the physical activity instruction program, received one complaint from a student enrolled in the class. The student, he said, wanted an "easy A" and thought he or she didn't have to work. That mentality, Kessler said, won't last since HPER is trying to instill better academic standards in its physical activity courses.\n"As we're starting to find, I really believe all classes, including physical activity courses, should have the same academic rigor that any other University class would," he said. "They are all credit-hour courses that apply toward graduation. Many physical activity classes are becoming part of a curriculum for many minors and majors."\nKessler said bowling is just one part of that and the more than 250 sections of physical activity classes will ultimately follow similar academic guidelines.\n"There is a process to really standardize every class that exists," Kessler said. "We have a variety of areas with martial arts, dance courses, aquatic courses and in the future these will all become standardized to meet these expectations."\nSophomore Addison Rogers was not thrilled with the textbook, but thought the class was still appealing. \n"I have an easy schedule anyway, so it shouldn't really matter," Rogers said. "But it's been cool so far, so we'll see how it goes"