[ghaff]

They don't want to do it. But it's a life skill for safety and other reasons. So it seems reasonable for a university to at least push them in that direction. No one's forcing them to become an expert swimmer but I have zero problem with making at least a token push in that direction. (And mountain hikes are fine too--Dartmouth has freshman trips for example.)

I have zero issue with forcing prospective astrophysics students outside of their comfort zone.

ADDED: There are also phys ed requirements and humanities distribution requirements. If these are such issues, I have no doubt there are plenty of other schools that don't impose them.