This popular program resides in the buildings collectively known as Goldberg House, and is open to students in any academic program who are interested in broadcasting, publishing, journalism, filmmaking, public relations, marketing, digital media and political communication. The house maintains a weekly film program, draws upon faculty from the Annenberg School for Communication, and brings in outside speakers to offer a broad-based introduction to media and communications.

Goals: This program provides interested students with an opportunity to explore various types of media and their functions, and to think about how these media affect people’s attitudes and behavior in daily life.

To apply: Write an essay that describes your present interests and activities related to your preference, the contributions you expect to make to the residential community, and the benefits you hope to derive from community membership. Your essay should be no longer than 500 words.

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The new Music and Social Change program explores the many ways in which individuals use music in their everyday lives to develop who they are and, often subconsciously, to advance their own social and economic position. Members will investigate how music is used to construct larger social and economic networks that we call culture. Planned events include concerts, a variety of year-long community service projects in West Philadelphia, and discussions with academics across Philadelphia whose work specializes in the ties between music, social class, race, and economic mobility. The ongoing interdisciplinary debate about the value of popular, Western “classical,” and transnational music in the education and everyday lives of young people will be a focus. Members will also have the opportunity to take a Freshman Seminar which fulfills general education requirements, “Music in Urban Spaces,” taught in the Goldberg Lounge of Fisher Hassenfeld by the program director.

Requirements:This program involves significant a time commitment through the year. Each program participant can expect to volunteer a minimum of 2 hours at a West Philadelphia school, to attend weekly meetings, and, in the spring, to enroll in a required Freshman Seminar. This seminar, “Music in Urban Spaces,” is taught in the House by the program director and fulfills general education requirements.

Goals:Students who are active in the program will be powerfully inspired by the music that they hear and help to create as well as by the effects of this music on community and social identity. At the same time, they will have the opportunity to learn about the challenges of Philadelphia’s educational system and to develop personal leadership skills as they help talented West Philadelphia youth to meet those challenges.

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Policy, Politics and Social Change participants will explore topics of policy and political interest and how societal concerns get translated into policy and practice through formal and informal discussions, speakers representing diverse multi-disciplinary perspectives from within Penn and the broader community and ‘hands-on’ volunteer experiences. The challenges of policy development and implementation, particularly within the context of cyclical U.S. political elections, will be a major focus.

Program Goals: This program gives program participants the chance to learn more about the complexities of American politics, and the difficulty in translating policy into realizable solutions to social, political, and economic problems.

To apply: Write an essay that describes your present interests and activities related to your preference, the contributions you expect to make to the residential community, and the benefits you hope to derive from community membership. Your essay should be no longer than 500 words.

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This new program for freshmen will offer the opportunity for a small number of Fisher Hassenfeld residents to work closely with the House Fellow, Dr. Paul Axelsen, professor of Pharmacology in Penn's School of Medicine. With Dr. Axelsen's guidance and that of an encouraging graduate student engaged in biomedical research, members will find a mutually supportive community that share an interest in gaining laboratory experience. Members should expect to be able to identify and plan for their first laboratory experience during the summer following their freshman year. Planned activities include regular dinners, speakers, and “field” trips to laboratories in Penn’s School of Medicine.

Program Goals: This program will provide students with a basic introduction to the laboratory setting and to biomedical research opportunities available at Penn. They will also have the chance to meet with scientists in a broad range of areas and receive guidance as they plan for their summer laboratory experience.

Requirements: In addition to regular meetings and events throughout the year, students must be prepared to remain on campus during the summer after their freshman year, to work in the laboratory.

To Apply: Incoming freshmen should submit a short essay explaining any relevant background and their motivation for joining the program.

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This healthy living option is for first-year students that are willing to make a commitment to maintain a living environment free from tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Experience has shown these are lively, active communities where residents demonstrate a high level of respect for themselves and one another. Students living in substance-free communities do not have to agree to entirely abstain from the use of alcohol or tobacco, but they are not permitted to possess or use alcohol, tobacco, smokeless tobacco or other illegal substances within their room or on the floor. Students in substance-free housing further agree that, should they consume alcohol while away from their residence, they will not return to their room while under the influence of alcohol or other substances. To honor the rights of those who have selected this residence hall environment, these expectations also apply to guests visiting these floors.

There are many reasons that an individual may choose a substance-free room in a residence hall. These reasons may include personal lifestyle preferences (prefer quieter or cleaner living arrangements), religious beliefs, or other personal reasons. Regardless of the resident’s reason, substance-free is a choice that Fisher Hassenfeld supports and encourages as a way to help students living in College Houses succeed academically and socially.

Program Goals: To provide students with a community in which they can focus on their studies and on their social lives without worrying about the negative behaviors that accompany excessive consumption of alcohol and other substances.

To apply: Write an essay that describes your present interests and activities related to your preference, the contributions you expect to make to the residential community, and the benefits you hope to derive from community membership. Your essay should be no longer than 500 words.

View on the Residential Programs page