Lehigh Legends

Why does Chandler-Ullmann have so many chimneys? Why is it such a confusing building? Why did the third floor of Williams really blow up? I – and I alone – have cracked the mysterious mystery of the Lehigh Dragon. Well, I guess that’s it. It was a dragon. What else do you want to know? It had blue feathers. Yeah, dragons have feathers – they’re birds. But due to the shape of its throat, it could only speak German. So Frederich Hans Chandler-Ullmann trained it to cook the food for Jackson Monroe Rathbone, owner of the first Füd Wagun. Everything was overdone and dry. Lawrence Harold Cort opted for a more conventional oven. Eventually, the dragon died. Thus, Wing Wednesday was born. And now you know. And knowing is half the battle. The other half takes careful planning and execution to infiltrate the enemy base. And half of life is showing up. Moral of this story? Lehigh is what you make it. Write your own adventure because, in the end, you’ll leave this truly magical place and you don’t want it to just fade into the black reaches of your memory. So do something big, because when Lehigh gets a part of you, you’ll always have a part of Lehigh.

Andrew “The Dragon” Josephson, Class of 2013, is currently serving as the Head Gryphon of Dravo.  When he isn’t writing great advice based on Lehigh lore, he is working on his degree in Biochemistry.  Andy intends to go on to medical school and save the world.

Assistant Director Spotlight: Brandon Morris

Area: Centennials

Hometown: Dover, DE

Undergraduate institution (and major): University of Delaware (Sociology & Criminal Justice)

Graduate institution (and program): University of Delaware (Counseling in Higher Education)

Organizations I was/am involved in: Student Support Services Program, Summer Enrichment Program, & Black Student Union

Dream vacation: Island hopping in the Caribbean

Favorite food: Tacos

Favorite thing about Bethlehem: The culture and the many eateries that reflect the different cultures in the area. I can literally find a restaurant and try any food I would want living in Bethlehem.

What I do in my free time: Explore the Lehigh Valley. I like to check out the many different events and places in the Valley. So many festivals and things are always going on.

Fun fact: I host a radio show on the campus radio station.

One thing you want to tell the residents of your area:  Brandon is starting his 3^rd  year at Lehigh.  He’s the assistant director overseeing the Centennial buildings.  He lives in Palmer.  Brandon has office hours in Palmer House.  You can reach him at bdm410@lehigh.edu or (610) 758 2559.

Gryphon Spotlight: Jimmy Bowen

Jimmy is a second year Gryphon in Dravo.  He’s the Gryphon on C4 floor, and he’s awesome so go say hi!

Area: Dravo

Year and Major: Biochemistry, Junior

Hometown: Flemington, NJ

Three things that make me happy:

1. People treating each other well
2. Baby animals
3. Crepes

One thing I can’t live without: Chicken fingers

Favorite entertainment medium: (movies, music, books, etc): Music

Favorite thing about Gryphoning: Making an impact on the lives of young Lehigh students

Favorite thing about living in a residence hall: Always having people around and meeting many new people

Other organizations/activities I am involved in: Challah for Hunger, American Medical Student Association (AMSA), UP Excursions

Creating Community

Without a doubt, my favorite part of my undergraduate experience was the communal time I spent with other students.

Many undergraduates form tight-knit groups of friends with the people who live in their residence halls. They grow close to their roommates, they befriend their Gryphon, and they have great experience right in their halls. They rise up to be sophomores and live with their close friends. My experience was different.  I never developed a close connection to my first year roommate, hall mates, or Gryphon. As a freshman, during the first few weeks of my fall semester, I was panicked that I would never find people to hang out with because I wasn’t great friends with my hall mates. It was only about a month later, when I put myself out there to join the campus LGBT student group, that my whole college experience changed.

Though I was terrified about introducing myself to people, I swallowed my pride. And I was surprised to find that older, more experienced students were soon inviting me to eat and hang out with them. They were a wealth of information about academics, campus culture, and general college life, and they were more than willing to share. They encouraged me to build a thriving and fulfilling life on campus: to put myself out there and establish a mentoring relationship with a professor, to explore interests that they may not have, and to influence campus life in my own unique way. I learned just as much from this core group as I did in the classroom.
It wasn’t until I got a bit older that I realized this wasn’t the only group of students who were so willing to help.  There are many communities with different affinities, identities, and interests that are a fundamental part of the college experience, and virtually all of them work this same way: come in, fit in, be mentored, mentor others. When I got older, because I had been so lovingly guided by older students, I was eager to pay this deed forward.  I offered my help to younger students who came to SPECTRUM and the Rainbow Room, nervous at first, but who were quickly integrated into my Lehigh family. At a University like Lehigh, I truly believe there is a community for everyone, waiting, wanting to embrace new students. The vast majority of people have this experience, whether it is inside the residence hall or elsewhere on campus, such as Greek life, athletics, religious or cultural organizations, chess club, band, or through community service. I feel that for myself, this experience was as invaluable as any class, paper or internship that I completed.

 

Erin Thorn, Class of 2011, is currently studying for her Juris Doctorate at Hofstra Law School.  She is also a legal intern at ILGA World, a worldwide federation of over 900 local and national LGBTI organizations dedicated to achieving equal rights for LGBTI people and their liberation from all discrimination.