Just because someone is bad in one subject doesn't apply to every subject.

No, but the freshman year is supposed to lay the groundwork for later classes and teach soft skills for use later.

What use does having an English major be weeded out by their ability to do stats or calculus?

I've found it rare that universities require English majors to take advanced math. However, even within that, calculus is just a different way of preparing logic proofs and statistics is commonly used and misused in developing arguments.

Also, a four year degree isn't meant to be a technical degree, but to help create a more well rounded leader. That means having more knowledge than just the subject. This is the reason why engineers have to take humanities classes.