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Join the Club! Gibbs Hall, a close community of only 130 students, is a themed community called The Clubhouse. Focusing on sports, fitness, and wellness, the Gibbs Hall staff, Hall Council, and students provide many opportunities for our small community to really get to know each other!
 Gibbs at a Glance
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Three floors of residents
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Co-ed by wing (men and women on the same floor, but on opposite wings of the building
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One of the three buildings that borders the Lower Quad courtyard
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Rec lounge on the first floor
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24-hour quiet study lounges on the second and third floors
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Large backyard with two full-size basketball courts and a volleyball court
Community
Now in its fourth year, the Clubhouse theme continues to grow in popularity. This year, three-fourths of our residents requested the Clubhouse as a first or second choice. The Clubhouse theme focuses on sports and exercise and our residents’ involvement shows it! Gibbians are involved in lots of activities both on campus and in the Durham community:
- Intramural soccer, broomball, basketball, field hockey, softball- we have a team for almost every sport and last year we won the campus-wide Cat’s Cup for our involvement in intramurals!
- Volunteering with the Oyster River Youth Association coaching soccer, refereeing flag football, teaching skating and hockey classes
- Crew Team
- Men’s and Women’s Rugby
- Club hockey
- Track team
- Lacrosse team
Gibbs also has a great backyard. When the weather is nice (and even sometimes when it’s not!) you can find Gibbians outside playing Frisbee, football, basketball, lacrosse, volleyball, and waffle ball.
But we’re not just jocks!
In addition to the many sports activities Gibbians are involved in, the staff also plans and promotes a ton of programs that relate to Residential Life’s mission areas of Citizenship, Academic Engagement, Diversity Engagement, and Healthy Living.
 Our programs cover a wide range of issues, from making healthy choices at the dining halls, to learning how to be a strong ally to the LGBTQ community, to time management and study skills. We’ve had debates on whether or not violence is a necessary aspect of sports, discussions on how the media affects body image, discussions on how religion and spirituality affect our lives, and presentations from SHARPP about safe sex, consent, and alcohol. Gibbians are naturally inquisitive and love coming to programs in the hall. Our program attendance this year has been unbelievable!
Academics
Gibbians take their academics seriously. There are always students studying in our three lounges, and last semester’s grades reflect their commitment: 25% of  Gibbians achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher! On this year’s survey, most students said that hall staff has emphasized the importance of productive study habits, the importance of not cheating on coursework, the importance of connecting with professors, and the importance of attending class. We do this through bulletin boards, newsletter articles, programs, and conversations about academics. Staff can also be seen handing out Gibbs Community Bucks as a reward for students who are studying. At the end of the semester, these bucks can be used to enter raffles to win great prizes. We know that Gibbians’ first priority is doing well academically and we’re committed to promoting an environment that makes achieving that goal possible.
Diversity
In Gibbs, we celebrate diversity of all kinds. There is NO TOLERANCE for hate, harassment, or discrimination based on (but not limited to) a person’s race, sex, age religion, color, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, physical or mental ability, or political orientation. We believe that every Gibbian has the right to feel safe and free from  oppression in his/her home. Each Gibbian also shares responsibility for creating a community that is safe and inclusive. The staff works hard to create a space where Gibbians will consider the impact of their speech, confront one another’s inappropriate behavior, and report biased or discriminatory behavior to their RA or Hall Director. On this year’s survey, 92% of our students said that hall staff has emphasized the importance of challenging discriminatory or harassing behavior. This semester we’ll continue to work on this area of our mission through programs, bulletin boards, newsletter articles, and individual conversations.
Healthy Living
This is a new mission area for Residential Life, but the Gibbs staff jumped right in during fall semester! We planned a de-Stress Fest, programs on healthy eating and positive body image, and a program on making responsible choices around alcohol. Since The Clubhouse theme already emphasizes wellness, this new theme will is a natural fit for Gibbians!
Gibbs Traditions
Apple Fest: Every September a group of Gibbians goes apple picking at a local farm. Then we cook A LOT of apple crisp, slice apples to dip in caramel, bob for apples, and play the game Apples to Apples. This event gets more fun every year!
Floor Wars: This annual event happens in late October/early November. This year’s events included a costume contest, a How Well Do You Know Your RA game, Jeopardy, a Lip Sync Contest, and the Duct Tape Challenge. After a tough competition, the first floor was declared the winner of floor wars!
Quad Wars: This annual event happens in the spring. For one week, Gibbians work together to compete with the other two buildings in the Lower Quad (Hunter and Engelhardt). The winning hall gets to keep the Golden Q in their trophy case for a year. For the past two years Gibbs came in first place, and we plan to keep the Golden Q this year, too!
Relay for Life: Each year Gibbs forms a team and raises money for the American Cancer Society.
Thanksgiving dinner: Free for anyone with a meal plan, the dining hall caters a dinner with all the fixings! This is our chance to come together right before everyone leaves for Thanksgiving break.
Partnership with ORYA: Gibbs Hall has made a commitment to provide volunteer services to the Oyster River Youth Association (ORYA). The ORYA is a volunteer-based non-profit organization that provides inclusive, fair, diverse, and developmentally appropriate recreational programs to the youth of Durham, Lee, and Madbury.
The ORYA works to meet the changing needs of children and families for sports and recreational activities by acquiring and maintaining facilities, promoting volunteerism and seeking collaborative and strategic partnerships. Gibbs Hall is proud to be one of those partners! Gibbs residents help out by coaching teams, refereeing, cleaning & maintaining facilities. Yearly, residents participate in the Annual Jackson's Landing Clean-Up and the Gibbs/ORYA Field Day. We're proud to affiliate with a great group and help bring quality athletic program to the town of Durham.
Want to know more about what it’s like to live in Gibbs? Check out our slideshow!
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