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Office of International Affairs - Lehigh University •

Getting the ‘dream’ job: Lehigh alumna champions two roles at the United Nations

The United Nations can be enigmatic. It may seem intangible how an organization can focus so intricately on international affairs and peacebuilding. It may also seem like a “dream.”That’s how Aliya Haddon, ‘23, described her perception of the U.N. on her first trip to the headquarters in New York City as a first-year student at Lehigh.Five years later, Haddon held two different roles at the United Nations post-graduation. She was the 55th Lehigh student to apply for an internship with the U.N. a...
Office of International Affairs - Lehigh University •

Tackling antimicrobial resistance, from Lehigh showers to the World Health Organization

Swabbing the dorm showers of Lehigh University may not be the most popular way people wrap their heads around studying health, but for Rhema Hooper, ‘26, it was a tangible way to understand the impacts of microbiology in her own home.Hooper attended a documentary screening about antimicrobial resistance early in her Lehigh career and was swept away by the video and intense discussion that followed. This would change the way she went about her Lehigh education — including making her shower a pers...
The Brown and White •

Professors present on Israel-Hamas conflict

Three professors considered academic experts on topics relevant to Israel and Palestine presented and answered student questions at a “teach-in” in Linderman Library on Dec. 5.

The event, which had over 100 people in attendance, was hosted by the Berman Center for Jewish Studies, the Center for Global Islamic Studies, and the College of Arts and Sciences.

The featured speakers included history professor Nitzan Lebovic, who is also the Apter Chair of Holocaust Studies and Ethical Values at Lehi
The Brown and White •

Rally supporting Palestine draws mixed reactions

Over 200 students and community members gathered on the STEPS lawn Thursday, Nov. 9, to show their solidarity for Palestine as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues. The Student Political Action Committee and Lehigh4Palestine organized the demonstration.

The demonstration started at 1 p.m. and encouraged students to walk out of their classes.

At around 2:30 p.m., the group marched and chanted from the STEPS lawn to the flagpole in front of the University Center. Guest speaker and Palestinian-bor
The Brown and White •

Mercury found in Iacocca Hall lab

Update (Nov. 15): After a small amount of mercury was found in a room on the first floor of Iacocca Hall in the C-Wing, the risk of exposure to Mercury was deemed low, according to a HawkWatch alert sent to the campus community Wednesday, Nov. 8, by Jason Schiffer, the assistant vice president of campus safety.

He wrote all mercury that is or was present has been contained or removed according to air quality test results that tested below requirements from the Occupational Safety and Health Adm
The Brown and White •

Director of WHO discusses global public health

Werner Obermeyer jokingly started his presentation by telling a classroom full of students he hoped his presentation on health issues around the globe wouldn’t give anyone indigestion.

But physical health was only one of the many topics Obermeyer discussed when he visited Lehigh last week to speak with students and representatives from the College of Health. His presentation, titled “The Role of WHO and the Future of Global Public Health,” covered the World Health Organization’s role in the Uni
The Brown and White •

Theresa May delivers Compelling Perspectives conversation

Theresa May, a former prime minister of the United Kingdom, spoke to the Lehigh community in a nearly-full Baker Hall Oct. 24 for Lehigh’s inaugural Compelling Perspectives conversation.

Rt. Hon. Theresa May was the second female prime minister of the United Kingdom, serving from 2016 to 2019. Before that, she served as home secretary, becoming the longest-serving conservative home secretary in the past century.

Lehigh President Joseph Helble said the aim of the Compelling Perspectives series
The Brown and White •

Some students to receive free tuition by new grant

Current and incoming undergraduate Lehigh students whose families make less than $75,000 annually (with typical assets) will no longer pay tuition starting fall of 2024 because of a new grant, the Lehigh Commitment.

University President Joseph Helble, ‘82, and Provost Nathan Urban sent an email to the campus community Monday afternoon about the grant. They wrote that it expands on university-wide efforts to ensure students have access to Lehigh’s opportunities and resources so they may excel th
The Brown and White •

These voices are heard from Bethlehem to Nigeria-

When Claire Kirshenbaum, ‘24, was applying to colleges, Lehigh didn’t even appear on her radar of preferred colleges and universities.

“I was very anti-Lehigh,” Kirshenbaum said, giggling as she understood the irony of being interviewed on Lehigh’s campus.

Despite Kirshenbaum’s apathy, her mom happened upon a webinar highlighting the partnership Lehigh has with the United Nations.

When Kirshenbaum joined the Zoom, her interest was piqued. Soon after, she was drafting passionate supplemental e
The Brown and White •

Bite into the experiment at Donerds Donuts

The word “donut,” just like the word “nerd,” can signify the same thing, respectively, whether in Spanish-speaking Chile or in the English-speaking United States. Either place, the former means a puffy ring of sweetened and fried dough and the latter may be a potentially awkward yet devoted person to specific interests.

This fun fact is well known by Annabel Figueroa and Andrew Underwood, co-founders and owners of Donerds Donuts. They even combined these common words to create self-proclaimed t
The Brown and White •

Lehigh releases 2023 strategic plan

Lehigh released the 2023 Strategic Plan, “Inspiring the Future Makers.” In an email sent Tuesday to the campus community, University President Joseph Heble introduced the plan, which will guide Lehigh students, faculty and staff over the next 10 years.

About 76,000 Lehigh community members, including alumni and families, were surveyed as part of the planning process.

The process, named “Our Future, Our Lehigh,” ultimately involved 2,444 perspectives in 105 in-person or virtual engagement sessi
The Brown and White •

Antisemitic post reported to administration

A Lehigh student shared a social media post containing a hand gesture in the shape of a swastika and tagged members of Lehigh’s Jewish community, according to an email sent on Tuesday to the campus community by Ric Hall, vice president for student affairs, and Donald Outing, vice president for equity and community.

A swastika is defined by the Anti-Defamation League to be a symbol of hate, anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Hall and Outing wrote that Lehigh must serve as an example for condemni
The Brown and White •

No active shooter detected, LUPD investigates

Update (May 8): Jason Schiffer, assistant vice president of campus safety and chief of Lehigh police, said the active shooter threat incident was confirmed to be a hoax in a campus-wide email titled “Follow-up From False Active Shooter Incident.”

He said Lehigh police is working in conjunction with Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI to identify and locate the person responsible for the false reporting.

According to the email, Northampton County 911 non-emergency received a call stating ther
The Brown and White •

Edit Desk: A piece of unusual advice for grads

Hi everyone. My name is Sam, and I’m (gulp) a natural flirt.

This identity has brought with it a cloud of shame. I’ve developed an eye twitch eerily similar to a cheeky wink (Which medical and spiritual professionals found is actually just an inner flirt demon attempting to befriend my retina), and I can’t help but compliment people’s eye color.

Honestly (wink), it’s been a burden — I struggle day and night. But I’m here to tell you my recovery story and new outlook on this stigmatized, yet fu
The Brown and White •

The geographic divides of the South Side

Bethlehem city government launched an initiative known as “We Build Bethlehem” in an effort to increasingly seek out public opinions for citywide decisions.

It was imagined and created by Mayor J. William Reynolds, who was elected five months prior to the program’s inception in April 2022. It became part of a greater effort to bridge communication gaps between constituents within Bethlehem and the leaders tasked with addressing their problems.

They planned to do this for a community that is cu
The Brown and White •

Mayor Reynolds facilitates a new era for Bethlehem

City Council president Michael Colón didn’t know the name of his mayor growing up.

“Most of my upbringing, I really was not paying attention to city government much,” Colón said.

His adolescent worldview consisted mostly of his friend group, school and some national news stories every so often.

Meanwhile, his home city of Bethlehem was undergoing a revolutionary transformation from a focus on steel production to a new era welcoming multiculturalism and business development.

Leaders emerged i
The Brown and White •

Q&A with Pulitzer Prize-winner Anne Applebaum

Before Lehigh’s 2023 Kenner Lecture on Cultural Understanding, Pulitzer Prize winning historian, journalist, commentator on geo-politics and keynote speaker Anne Applebaum instigated a discussion with a select group of wide-eyed, notebook-wielding students.

The roundtable discussion, which occurred in Williams Hall’s Global Commons, centered on communications and world politics.

“The story never ends,” Anne Applebaum said about the outlook of democracy.

After the discussion, The Brown and Whi
The Brown and White •

2022 midterm election: Shapiro, Fetterman win

Update (8:30 p.m.) Eyes were on Pennsylvania, specifically the Lehigh Valley, Tuesday night as federal government positions were up for grabs in the 2022 midterm elections.

Pennsylvania proved to bleed blue, with the state’s governor seat, open U.S. Senate and the contested 7th District House seat all going to Democrats.

The Brown and White aggregated and averaged all polling result data from six nationwide news sources: Associated Press, National Public Radio, The New York Times, Fox News, CN
The Brown and White •

Lehigh construction affects Van Buren Street

The construction of the new Lehigh Business Innovation Building is affecting adjacent off-campus housing and the students living there.

Concerns from nearby residents and owners include safety, noise levels, parking convenience and renting disruptions.

Quadratus Construction Management began construction of the business building over a year ago and is now expected to finish by the end of this year.

The construction site is located between four streets: East Packer Avenue, Taylor Street, Webst
The Brown and White •

Understanding the new Strategic Plan

Thirteen years ago, Lehigh set out to expand its “intellectual footprint,” the theme of its 2009 Strategic Plan.

It involved “grand challenges” of energy, environment and infrastructure, health and globalization — in addition to emphases on research and academic success.

“Our Future, Our Lehigh” is the topic for the Strategic Plan that will be finalized by June 2023.

A Strategic Plan is what Chris Cook, the vice president of Strategic Planning and Initiatives, calls “a long-term planning tool
The Brown and White •

UPDATED: Individual who made threats to current Lehigh students is in custody

Update (Aug. 31, 11:00 p.m.): The New York City Police Department took former Lehigh student Muhamad Diop into custody Wednesday morning after an investigation involving threats Diop made to a group of current Lehigh students, according to an email sent to the campus community by Lehigh University Police Chief Jason Schiffer.

The Bethlehem Police Department filed Harassment and Terroristic Threats charges against Diop.

The campus community was made officially aware of these threats in an earli
The Brown and White •

Local air quality sensors falsely read high levels

Faulty air quality sensors gave misleading high readings of pollutants in the Bethlehem area starting at 9 p.m. on May 4.

Air quality in Bethlehem was labeled “Hazardous” by an environmental data organization that measures the air quality, known as BreezoMeter. “Hazardous” is the worst possible rating on BreezoMeter’s scale. This was a drastic change from the “Good” air quality in the same location at 3 p.m. earlier in the day.

Lehigh University Police Chief Jason Schiffer said LUPD received o
The Brown and White •

BA.2 COVID variant points to cases slowly surging

COVID-19 cases are rising again on the local, state and national levels, with many experts pointing to the BA.2 variant as a cause. According to an Associated Press article, 90 percent of COVID-19 cases in the Northeast are due to this highly transmissible variant.

Many medical experts are saying this surge will not be as intense as previous variants and will occur gradually across the country.

As of Monday, The New York Times COVID-19 tracker reports cases to be up 100 percent across Pennsylv
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