In our efforts to provide support for the your transition to campus in August, we believe clear and comprehensive communication is essential. All official communication will be sent to your Lehigh email address in June. We will keep copies of that communication on this page for you to reference if needed.
Summer 2023 Communications
We are excited that you’ll be joining us and look forward to meeting you on August 24 for Orientation! In the Office of First-Year Experience, our goal is to provide the support and resources you need to be successful in the transition.
Welcome Guide
The Welcome Guide is a helpful publication you should carefully review for everything you need to know over the summer to be prepared for August! It's important you read these pages carefully. We will update you as some of this information may change as the summer evolves. You'll receive this publication to your mailing address in the upcoming weeks.
Lehigh Student Portal
You should now have access to the Lehigh Student Portal (go.lehigh.edu/lehighportal) which is your one-stop-shop for important information. This page is just for transfer students and has been created to help you keep everything organized using the Summer Checklist. The Summer Checklist includes links to forms you must complete, important information to review, etc. and will ensure you don't miss any important deadlines over the summer.
Housing Information
Lehigh requires first and second year students to live in university housing. Housing information can be found at go.lehigh.edu/trhousing. Housing will contact you after your Lehigh email address is live to complete your preferences for housing and meal plans.
Email Reminder
Your Lehigh email is now ready for use. ALL official university communications will be sent to your Lehigh email. Be sure to check your Lehigh email account often.
Duo 2FA
Duo two-factor authentication (2FA) will be required of you to log into your Lehigh account. It provides an additional layer of protection for your computer account by verifying your identity at logon using two factors: something you know (your password), plus something you physically have (a mobile phone, for example). For more information about this service, please visit the Duo 2FA webpage.
preLUsion Registration
Jump-start your Lehigh career by signing up for a preLUsion program running from Monday, August 21 - Wednesday, August 23, 2023. You can register from the link on the Summer Checklist or directly from our website.
Questions?
For questions related to housing, please contact the Housing Services at 610-758-3500 or inhouse@lehigh.edu for additional assistance regarding housing.
For questions related to the Summer Checklist, please contact the Office of the First-Year Experience at 610-758-1300 or fye@lehigh.edu.
Please note: If you have not opened your Lehigh computing account you will not see the transfer tab on your portal. You must have opened your computing account and have your Lehigh credentials (Example: abc123). If you do not have this information, you will need to go to your Applicant Student Portal where you logged in using your personal email to open your account.
As an incoming transfer student, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the items to do on the checklist, the email coming into your inbox, and the excitement of coming to campus and starting this new adventure. Our Summer Webinar Series will introduce you to a variety of campus resources, provide support on things that will be helpful before arrival, and introduce you to campus partners and administrators who will be instrumental in your transition and success.
Summer Schedule
REGISTER HERE for any or all of the webinars this summer! *For those webinars that have passed, please see the website for recordings.*
Office of the First-Year Experience Welcome & Summer Webinar Kick-Off
Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 7:00 P.M. EDT
Completing your Housing Contract
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 8:00 P.M. EDT
Eco-Rep Leadership Program Information Session
Friday, May 19, 2023 at 7:00 P.M. EDT
It’s Roommate Selection Time
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 8:30 P.M. EDT
Academic Support for Students
Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:00 P.M. EDT
Accommodations 101: Successfully Navigating the Transition to University for Students with Disabilities
Monday, June 19, 2023 at 2:00 P.M. EDT
Tech Talk for First-Year Students and Families
Wednesday, June 21 at 7:00 P.M. EDT
Lehigh University Police Department Information and Resources
Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 6:00 P.M. EDT
Introduction to the Fraternity & Sorority Experience at Lehigh University
Wednesday, July 1, 2023 at 6:30 P.M. EDT
University Counseling & Psychological Services
Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at 11:00 A.M. EDT
Introduction & Overview of the Center for Career & Professional Development
Wednesday, August 2, 2023 at 6:15 P.M. EDT
We hope you will join us! You’ll see some additional sessions listed on the website that are more geared towards parent and family members as they continue to support you. Sessions will be recorded as appropriate and posted on our summer webinar webpage one week after each session.
Course registration can be both exciting and stressful as you transfer. We gathered some information and resources below to assist you as you move forward.
Advising
A Lehigh staff member in your advising unit will reach out to you via your Lehigh email address. They will remind you of resources available to you and offer to assist you as you explore and decide which courses you should register for. If you were not able to attend, please check out the recording of the webinar hosted last week, Academic Support for Students.
Transfer Credits
Please be sure to visit this Transfer Credit website on fysenroll.lehigh.edu. There you will find specific instructions regarding the transfer credit process including options for sending your official transcripts to Lehigh and how to see your transfer credit.
What To Do When...
Deciding which courses to take in fall? Reach out to your academic unit, check the portal and review your email for additional information.
Have questions about utilizing the registration system? Review the First-Year Enrollment website for videos on how to utilize the registration system and contact Registration & Academic Services.
Having trouble during the registration period? Use the Live Chat on the Registration & Academic Services webpage to talk with someone in the moment.
Schedule Changes
Still feeling nervous even after you’ve registered? Don’t worry! You will have the opportunity to meet with a college representative on Friday, August 25 during Orientation for any last-minute questions and course changes. Students can continue making schedule changes through the first week of the semester, so there’s plenty of time to ensure that you have an appropriate course schedule.
Disability Support Services Documentation
Students with disabilities who would like to apply for reasonable accommodations and services should begin the interactive process today to ensure that all reasonable accommodations are in place by the start of the fall semester. Students who wait to apply for accommodations until just prior to the start of the fall semester may experience delays, so it is recommended that students begin the process and submit documentation as soon as possible. To get started, students should register with Disability Support Services by completing the Disability Support Services Registration form. This form allows students to upload documentation with initial registration if they would like, but documentation can also be submitted afterwards. Next, students should submit a copy of their current disability documentation from their physician, clinician, or diagnostician.
More information about documentation guidelines can be found on the Disability Support Services website. DSS engages in an interactive process and reviews requests for reasonable accommodations on a case-by-case and class-by-class basis, so after the initial documentation evaluation is complete, DSS will reach out during the summer to schedule an appointment to discuss next steps. If you have questions about how Disability Support Services assists students or about the interactive process, please call them at 610-758-4152 for more information.
Orientation is just two months away! Don’t forget to continue to revisit the Summer Checklist on the portal for important links, surveys, and contracts.
Orientation Registration Due June 30!
Orientation is required for all incoming students and will provide you with opportunities to meet your peers, learn about campus and academic resources, and settle in at campus. Registration gives us some additional information to make your experience the best it can be. If you have not already filled out this form in the June section of your Summer Checklist, please do so as soon as possible!
Attend a Sendoff Near You!
Each year, alumni and parents across the country host student Sendoff to welcome incoming students and families to Lehigh. These informal gatherings are a chance to learn more about Lehigh, meet your fellow classmates, and get tips on campus, classes, and more from the Mountain Hawks that came before you. Find the nearest Sendoff to you and register to attend!
Campus Mail Reminder
For students living on campus, check out the following packing list for things to bring and things not to bring. We wanted to highlight that packages will not be accepted at the Mail Center until August 1. You will be able to pick up packages on the day you arrive. The mail center does not accept packages over 70 lbs. Please see the mail center webpage or call (610) 758-4193 with additional questions.
Summer Webinars
Don’t forget to register for future sessions or watch recordings of the Summer Webinar Series this summer! Sessions will introduce you to a variety of campus resources, provide support on things that will be helpful before arrival, and introduce you to campus partners and administrators who will be instrumental in your transition and success.
The Health & Wellness Center’s mission is to provide high quality, compassionate medical care, respect individual differences in a confidential environment, and give students the knowledge and ability to treat themselves for minor illnesses and injuries. Our dedicated, professional staff provides acute and ongoing care to approximately 7,000 undergraduate students and more than 2,000 graduate students.
We offer a host of services, including acute care, routine examinations, lab services and reproductive and sexual health services. To learn more , please visit our Services.
Lehigh University requires that undergraduate and graduate students be covered by adequate medical insurance or enroll in the university-sponsored plan. The Health & Wellness Center does not directly bill, nor receive payment from any insurance company. Most Health & Wellness Center services including office visits are provided at no charge. For services that do have an associated charge, students may pay cash or bill their bursar account. It is the student's responsibility to submit a claim to their health insurance company for reimbursement if applicable. Supporting documentation that may be required by insurance including receipts and encounter summaries are available on the Student Health Portal.
Students can make appointments by calling the Health & Wellness Center. New this year, students will be able to make an appointment through our online chat forum. For more information, please visit Making an Appointment.
Step by step instructions for incoming student paperwork are provided on our website. Healthcare providers must fill out and sign the paperwork sent home in the Welcome Kits. Students must complete all electronic forms in their student health portal. Students will enroll in or waive the Student Health Insurance plan. Finally, students should provide pictures of their insurance card in their student health portal.
Have additional questions? Check out the Health & Wellness Center incoming student FAQs.
Orientation
You’ll say farewell to your family after the welcome lunch at 1:30pm, because Orientation will start at 2:00 on Thursday, August 24 and will run through Sunday, August 27. It is mandatory and will be helpful for your transition to familiarize you with campus resources, make connections and get you ready for a successful year. The official schedule will be available on our website in August and you will be able to follow along and create your own schedule in the guidebook app once you’ve received your Orientation group information. Please review the schedule on page 7 of the Welcome Guide if you are looking for more details about each day.
You will learn more about the Lehigh community and begin Crafting our Communities with Care, our theme for the year. We’ll talk a lot about this during Orientation as you begin to form relationships and think about how you will play a role in the Lehigh community. We are all here to support you and hope you will also do that for yourself and uplift others.
Live the excitement from Move-In to Orientation before you arrive. Check out the OFYE youtube page to see what to expect!
Faux Friday & Reading is cLUtch!
We are also a part of the larger Bethlehem community and you’ll learn more about our home, South Bethlehem, and even hear from our mayor at your University Convocation. In the evening, you will be eating in a local restaurant (you should have selected one when you completed your Orientation Registration). You can take your food to go or pop over after your meal on the local greenway for some free ice cream and a relaxing and fun atmosphere. Don’t forget to bring a new (or gently used) copy of your favorite book from their childhood or adolescence for Reading is cLUtch! Write an inspirational message inside the front cover and we will collect these at the Greenway to share with the South Bethlehem kiddos.
Parent & Family Orientation
If you have visitors coming with you to campus, we hope they will join us! We will have a Family Welcome tent with information and refreshments outside of the Orientation Check-In at Iacocca Hall. We encourage families to stay and join us for Family Orientation that afternoon. Please see the Family Orientation Schedule for additional details. Are you arriving early? We host the same Family Orientation on Monday, August 21. The times will vary slightly. Please see the Monday Family Orientation schedule.
Summer Webinar Series
You can still register for the remainder of the Summer Webinar Series to find out more about the following topics:
- Introduction to the Fraternity & Sorority Experience at Lehigh University [Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 6:30 P.M. EDT]
- University Counseling & Psychological Services [Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at 11:00 A.M. EDT]
- Bursting the Lehigh Bubble: Getting to Know South Bethlehem, Your New Home [Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 6:30 P.M. EDT]
- Introduction & Overview of the Center for Career & Professional Development [Wednesday, August 2, 2023 at 6:15 P.M. EDT]
Connect with other Transfer Students!
We want to encourage you to connect with other transfer students even before Orientation begins. We created a Lehigh Transfers 2023 GroupMe that we hope you’ll join and utilize to connect with each other. (We will not be monitoring this summer as we want it to be a space for you all to talk to each other, so please call or email us directly if you have any questions).
Don’t forget to continue to revisit the Summer Checklist on the portal for May, June and July!
Until now, your journey may have been outlined for you. You may have taken a predetermined path to arrive here at Lehigh. But this journey is different. This journey is directed by you. The path is yours to create, a blank page full of countless possibilities. You decide who you want to be, what kind of relationships you’ll build, and how you will make an impact in the community. And we hope bLUeprint will be a tool for you in that journey.
bLUeprint is all about making the most of your experiences. Just like your faculty have syllabi and goals for your classes, bLUeprint is like that for your learning outside of the classroom. We know that so much of our learning comes from those everyday moments and experiences in college – the conversations over dinner; interacting with your hallmates; your involvement in students clubs, research, internships; and everything in between. It is so easy to run from one thing to the next - to go four years without articulating exactly how you’ve grown and in what specific ways those moments have impacted you, your identity, and your trajectory. bLUeprint is meant to encourage those moments of pause and reflection. It is meant to encourage and challenge you to think deeply about where you come from, who you are and who you want to be. This is your opportunity to create your experience.
The Five Foundations are the goals we want you to explore and question.
- Creative Curiosity encourages the exploration of new ideas and concepts. We want you to develop the skills necessary to be lifelong learners and innovative problem solvers.
- Self Concept encourages you to strengthen your self-worth by understanding your identities and values and expressing yourself authentically.
- Healthy Connections begin with taking care of yourself. It pushes you to reflect on your healthy and unhealthy connections, identify your personal needs and boundaries, and navigate relationships with empathy for yourself and others.
- Critical Consciousness is the ability to understand and analyze societal structures and systems of oppression, and to take action towards social change. We challenge you to see the ways in which systems can perpetuate inequality, injustice and oppression.
- Strategic Adaptability recognizes that we are all navigating in constantly changing environments. We want you to build skills in problem-solving, flexibility, and decision-making by learning from failures and taking risks.
We want you to DISCOVER the Five Foundations and EXPLORE what they mean to you. We want you to CONNECT your ideas and experiences, and APPLY what you learn to real world issues and situations, but you won’t have to do that alone. There are people here to help you design the best possible college and post-college experience. They are all around you - at your orientation, in the residence halls, in offices and student organizations across campus.
We’re excited to be a part of this journey with you!
Directions for Get Inclusive
You may begin taking Get Inclusive – Student Wellness Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) and Mental Well-Being courses using your Lehigh credentials. The course has a brief questionnaire and optional survey responses. Responses are confidential; Lehigh will only receive aggregated information and will never see individual answers. You can feel confident that providing truthful answers – no matter what they are – will not put you at any risk for repercussions.
To begin:
- Visit the Lehigh University Get Inclusive link: go.lehigh.edu/getinclusive
- Log on using Lehigh SSO, which will ask for your Lehigh username and password
The deadline for completing Get Inclusive is Sunday, August 27, 2023
Other Important Information:
- You will need Internet access and audio capabilities.
- To avoid technical issues, please use any major web browser (e.g., Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome) released within the previous two years.
- Allow for approximately one-hour total to complete the module.
- Should you experience problems, technical support is available through support@getinclusive.com.
Please remember that you are expected to complete this course by August 27th to receive credit for completion. Please reach out to inhaps@lehigh.edu with any other questions.
We partner with elementary and middle schools in our neighborhood and want to create a community of readers TOGETHER! We are asking all incoming students to bring with them a new (or gently used) copy of their favorite book from their childhood or adolescence. Write an inspirational message inside the front cover and we will collect these during Faux Friday to share with South Bethlehem kiddos. You should bring them to the greenway and chat with the Community Service Office about the great work they do.
What book will you bring?!?
Sponsored by the Community Service Office and the Office of First-Year Experience
It’s almost that time! We can’t wait to meet you.
Move-In
Move-In day is Thursday, August 24, unless you are signed up for an early arrival program or varsity sport. These include programs like preLUsion, Marching 97, ROTC, LUSSI, RARE, and International Student Orientation.
There will be a team of volunteers to assist you that day! Please follow these directions when you arrive to assist us with traffic flow. You’ll check-in at Iacocca Hall on the Mountaintop campus between 8am and 11:30am to receive your parking pass and Orientation materials. Please note that if you arrive right at 8:00am it may take some time to get you processed. Your patience is appreciated. You will follow color-coded directional signage down the mountain to your residence hall to pick up your keys and unload your belongings.
All student health forms and paperwork must be complete before students can move in. You can see additional instructions about this process on the Health & Wellness Center website.
Parking
Your parking pass must remain displayed in your vehicle during the move-in process. Someone must stay with your car when you arrive at your residence hall. Staff, faculty and student volunteers will assist in unloading your car. Please make sure all boxes, suitcases, bags, and other items are clearly labeled with your students’ name, building, and room number. Once your car is unloaded, you will move it to your designated campus parking garage to allow others to unload (follow the directional signage to the closest parking location).
Packing can be made a lot easier when you know what to bring and what to leave at home. Use this packing list to help you make some of those decisions and check out the housing website if you need specifics on your residence hall room.
Commuter student families are welcome to park at check-in and take a Lehigh Bus down to the Asa Packer Campus for Orientation.
MOOV Shuttles
Shuttles will be available on Asa Packer campus going from the parking garages up to the residence halls. These shuttle stops can be identified by large yellow Orientation flags. If parking is full on the Asa Packer campus, there is additional parking up at Mountaintop campus where you will check-in and shuttles that can transport you back down the mountain.
Orientation Schedule
The Orientation schedule is on our website! At check-in you will receive your orientation group number so that you can know the exact times and locations of your sessions. Orientation will begin at 2:00pm on Thursday, August 24 at the Orientation Kickoff at the Grove (the lawn between Packard Lab and the Alumni Memorial Building). You will be able to create a customized schedule on the guidebook app which will go live soon!
All students who are arriving for a pre-orientation program should check in for Orientation on Wednesday, August 23 between 6:30pm and 8:00pm to receive their Orientation materials and group information. You DO NOT have to go to Iacocca Hall on Thursday. You will receive additional information from your program coordinator.
On Sunday of Orientation, you’ll have the opportunity to continue crafting your communities at Lehigh. Attend at least one session (you can attend up to 3!) to continue learning about the support and resources that will help you along the way.
REGISTER FOR SUNDAY SESSIONS HERE
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Orientation starts Thursday, and we hope you are excited! Remember, ALL incoming students are required to participate in Orientation.
Course Site
Course Site has resources for each day of Orientation and additional resources that allow you to navigate parts of Orientation at your own pace. You can find Course Site through Connect Lehigh and use your Lehigh email and password credentials to log in. Under Administrative Courses on the left hand side of the page, you will find FYS Orientation where Orientation information, videos, and links can be found.
Title IX Requirement
You must watch the Title IX video prior to your program on Saturday. This is state-mandated along with the Break the Silence program you will attend. Throughout the video, you will be required to answer questions based on the video’s content. You must respond to all questions and watch the video in its entirety to receive credit for this requirement.
Orientation Schedule
Don’t forget we get started at 2:00pm EDT Thursday for the Orientation Kickoff at the Grove by the Welcome Lunch!! The Orientation schedule is posted on our Fall Orientation website and is available through the Guidebook app. Transfer students will follow Group 1 and your specific schedule can be found on our transfer page.
On Sunday, you’ll have the opportunity to continue crafting your communities at Lehigh. Attend at least one session (you can attend up to 3!) to continue learning about the support and resources that will help you along the way.
Guidebook
Download the guidebook app to your phone and search for the 2023 Lehigh University Orientation guide. Please continue to reference Guidebook for the most up to date schedule. You will have the option to select your specific group (which you will find out later this week!) to create a personalized Orientation schedule.
When we see you on Thursday, be sure to bring along your Orientation packet that you receive at check-in as you will utilize it throughout the weekend. You should also have your ID card on you at all times. Most buildings are controlled by swipe access, and you will need your ID card to eat at the dining halls.
Look out for an email from your Orientation Leader Wednesday evening! See you soon,
The OFYE Staff