West Virginia University is hosting a variety of fitness and health-related activities, as well as an internationally-known author who has written about mental illness, during National Collegiate Health and Wellness Week, March 5-9.

Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of the critically-acclaimed book,Lincolns Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness,will speak at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in the Mountainlair Ballrooms as part of the Festival of ideas lecture series that focusing on Lincoln as its theme.

Shenks book, the result of seven years of research, describes the story of Lincolns lifelong battle with depression, how he managed it and how it came to fuel his work.

It was named one of the best books of 2005 by The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlanta-Journal Constitution and has won awards from the Abraham Lincoln Institute, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and the National Mental Health Association.

Shenks presentation is free and open to the public; however, seating is limited to a first-come, first served basis.

The WVU Student Recreation Center is also hosting swing dancing, massage, a triathlonand the largest Zumba class ever offered at WVU during Wellness Week. Free health screenings are also planned.

Students, faculty, staff and all those eligible for Rec Center membership may participate.

Events kick off Monday with the Wellness Week Information and Service Fair in the Centers Free Zone.

This year the Rec Center is partnering with the Student Health Advisory Board to add several new information tables and services, including cholesterol and glucose screenings.

The Zumba class�€scheduled in the three-court gym at 6 p.m. Wednesday�€is a popular fitness program inspired by Latin dance. It combines high energy music from all over the world with easy to do dance steps in a cardiovascular workout that burns calories while toning the entire body.

The triathlon will take place inside the Rec Center beginning at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Participants will swim 450 yards (nine laps down and back) in the pool, bike four miles on stationary bicycles and run two miles on the indoor track.

The male and female winners will each receive a $100 prize package that will include WVU gear and gift certificates.

The week wraps up Friday with a free day at the Rec Center, during which time WVU employees and their families can utilize the facility free of charge with a valid employee ID from 6 a.m. to midnight. Also on Friday, the Rec Center will haveKids

Climbat the climbing wall from 4-9 p.m. for children ages 5 and up. The cost is $5.

The Rec Centers programs and activities are part of WVU s Wellness and Nutrition Initiative established by WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. to get students, faculty, staff and the community more physically active and aware of campus wellness options.

* SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

*Monday, March 5

4-7 p.m.�€Wellness Week Information/Service Fair, free zone

1-7 p.m.�€Blood drive, four-court gym, court number three

6-9 p.m.�€Discover Scuba, lap pool

Tuesday, March 6

3:30-5 p.m.�€Acupuncture, meeting room

4 p.m.�€Wellness Week Modified Triathlon

6-8 p.m.�€Free Chair Massage, upper weight and fitness room

7:50-11 p.m.�€Swing Dance Instruction, multipurpose room A

Wednesday, March 7

6-7 p.m.�€Zumba Class, three-court gym

6-8 p.m.�€Free Chair Massage, lower weight and fitness room

Thursday, March 8

6-8 p.m.�€Free Chair Massage, free zone

7:30 p.m.�€Joshua Wolf Shenk,Lincolns Meloncholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness,Mountainlair Ballrooms

8:30-10:30 p.m.�€Kayak Roll Sessions, lap pool

Friday, March 9

6 a.m.-midnight�€Free Day at the Rec

4-9 p.m.�€Kids Climb, climbing wall

For more information about Shenks presentation, contact Kristie Stewart-Gale at 304-293-8221 or visithttp://www.events.wvu.edu/foi/index.shtml. For more information about Rec Center activities, contact Sherri Restauri at 304-293-5055.