Du Bois offers residents the opportunity to take part in either or both of our two house-wide signature programs. There are no specific rooms or wings attached to these two programs; students may live on any floor or wing in Du Bois. While there are no special requirements, other than interest, students who express interest are expected to work with the directors of the two programs to help plan activities and events, and to participate  in such activities on a regular basis, as well.                 

Du Bois FIT is a program that seeks to promote physical and mental well-being by covering a gamut of health related issues: mental health, fitness and exercise, sleep, nutrition, etc. Participants take advantage of Du Bois’ two fully-equipped workout rooms, one for cardio-vascular exercise, the other for improving muscles, strength, and toning. In addition, speakers are brought in from the Office of Alcohol and Drug Initiatives, Student Health Services, and Counseling and Psychological Services, as well as other Penn partners, to present and engage on a variety of health related issues such as, the effects of drugs and alcohol consumption, STD’s and safe-sex practices, how to cook nutritional meals on a limited budget, and coping with stress.

Goals: The goal of this program is to promote an understanding and awareness of overall heathy living through fun and informative methods such as Zumba lessons, rock-climbing, bicycling, DART presentations, cooking classes, in-house competitions, and presentations. Participants should be able to facilitate discussions among each other about best practices in health and to know which Penn resources are available to them. They should also be able to hold themselves accountable for healthy living styles and to recognize poor practices in themselves and others.