Lehigh officially kicked off the 2021-2022 academic year, welcoming more than 1,500 first-year students to campus for the first time last week with numerous orientation events, including the annual Rally.
Throughout the week, first-year students arrived outside Iacocca Hall on the Mountaintop Campus for a drive-through check-in before heading to their dorms on the Asa Packer Campus.
Orientation activities were held Thursday through Sunday and included a variety of events, such as orientation meetings, Lehigh 5x10 symposiums and Faux Friday, where students can explore restaurants and shops in South Bethlehem with activities on the Greenway. Two of the weekend’s biggest events, both held on the Clayton University Center lawn, were Friday night’s “Do it for the ‘Gram!” presented by Lehigh After Dark and Saturday night’s annual Rally, which recognized the Classes of 2024 and 2025.
The three-hour “Do it for the ‘Gram!” event featured a stunt jump and human bowling, among other activities. This year’s Rally was extra special for a number of reasons. Not only did the Rally officially welcome the Class of 2024, which had a virtual adoption last year because of the pandemic, but the hour-long ceremony also marked the first time in the long-standing tradition that a woman alum represented a class at the ceremony.
Lehigh’s first-ever coed class, the Class of 1975, adopted the incoming Class of 2025 as Karen Stuckey ’75 presented Ethan Riester ’25 with both the Class of 2025 flag and a silver cup given to her class 50 years earlier by the Class of 1925.
For coverage of the Rally click here, and for move-in visit here.