As Lil Mama's "Shawty Get Loose" blared from the speakers, students sipped on free drinks and browsed around the "Lions' Light Bottle Shop."
At first glance, yesterday's "Block Party" -- which drew about 150 people to the Heritage Hall -- seemed like a social gathering, with music, dance performances and food.
However, the event's message of promoting a healthier lifestyle became apparent after further mingling.
The event, sponsored by Penn State's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, was held to encourage students to get proactive about their health and show that health is fun, Joseph Graves (sophomore-kinesiology) said.
Graves is the health chairman for Penn State's chapter of the NAACP, which created the "Block Party" concept.
"It's designed in a way to draw people in. Usually health fairs are dry. If you market it as a health fair then people don't really care, but as a party, people will," Graves said.
The health fair was set up to resemble an actual street block. There was a road marked onto the floor with poster board and with street signs reading, "Natural High Highway" and "Break It Down Boulevard."
In between the pseudo streets were stations focusing on different health topics. The "Lions' Light Bottle Shop" discussed alcoholism, the farmer's market elaborated on healthy eating choices and a fake club setting promoted social health.
The event was marketed "mostly towards minorities, especially African Americans," Graves said. "As a culture, African Americans are not as proactive about our health as we should be."
NAACP member Alexis Mills (freshman-human development and family studies) worked at a booth at the fair.
"This is set up like a block party, which is more relatable for minorities," Mills said.
Tina Wilson (sophomore-journalism), who attended the event, said it was more "welcoming to come into this set up than something like the career fair, which just has straight tables and information."
Denise Hinds-Zaami, the diversity advocate adviser for Penn State's NAACP chapter, worked at the spiritual health promotion booth at the "Block Party." The booth had pamphlets and information from the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on various spiritual events occurring on campus.
"The NAACP believes in a holistic approach to health: healthy relationships, spiritually healthy and physically healthy. Neglecting one aspect of health can negatively affect the rest," Hinds-Zaami said.
Wilson also noticed how the fair had a full spectrum of health-related topics.
"It's really interesting how they have an obesity station and an eating healthy station. Most places don't present both sides," Wilson said.
Graves said he feels Penn State students do not have healthy lifestyles but can change that by doing a "self evaluation on what you can do to improve your own health and by just being educated about health."
