Samantha Strausser, junior, sits in tenth period aerobics, irritated that she is stuck doing pilates instead of having the study hall she was counting on to give her the time she lacked during swim season to get her homework done.

This was the situation many student athletes found themselves in due to a new system for filing physical education exemption that caused the process to take longer than in the past.

Strausser was told to attend gym until Home Access Center showed a change to study hall in the schedule. “I never know whether or not to carry PE shoes and clothes with me all day. Also, a study hall would be really helpful during season,” Strausser said.

All her gym teacher knew about the situation was that there was one person filing the exemptions. This was part of the reason. This person has other jobs besides filing gym exemptions and had a very busy week filing over 200 students schedule changes. Department Chair of PE, Health, and Athletics, Ms. Janelle Marconi, wishes for this person to remain anonymous for there were numerous complaints.

Miscommunication added to the dilemma. The deadline for lists from coaches of student athletes exempting was Friday, Aug. 23, but many coaches did not know of this new process.

Marconi believes that the system will be more beneficial in the future. “It is better for study hall room assignments and to keep track of when an exemption is over and an athlete has to return to gym class,” Marconi said.

Last year, the study hall room in the basement was overflowing because students that weren’t in sports anymore were still getting a study hall.

Strausser was uncertain how long the delay would last: “They said Monday. That didn’t happen. They said Tuesday. That didn’t happen. The guess is “sometime this week”. After a week of being in aerobics, on Friday, Aug. 30, her schedule was changed and she got the much needed time to rest and get work done.

As for next year, Strausser hopes this will not reoccur. But she can expect the same when the swim season is over. She could be back in gym right away, while she could be waiting three to four days. For winter and spring sports, Marconi believes the system will run more smoothly because coaches are aware of the new procedure and will do it in a timelier manner and not all at once.