You don’t have to wait until graduation to create a lifelong relationship with Lehigh.
Lehigh University’s Association of Student Alumni (ASA) members spend their college years creating memories that will last a lifetime. Since 2002, the ASA has worked to create positive Lehigh experiences for students on campus so that they’ll stay connected and engaged long after graduation.
The ASA believes in tradition, which is why it also partners with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to connect with the larger alumni family. Through the ASA, alumni are encouraged to create connections with current students that enrich their days during college and set the stage for their life long after.
Follow the ASAs on social media at @lehighasa and engage with current students who are a part of the ASA organization!
If you have more questions, contact us at inasa@lehigh.edu, or explore the ASA Lehigh Involvement Connection (LINC).
ASA Executive Board
Jermaine Marshall ’24
Jermaine Marshall is a member of the Class of 2024 and serves on the executive board as the president.
Marshall is from New Rochelle, New York, and is double majoring in finance and business analytics, with a minor in real estate. His favorite thing about being an ASA is the opportunity it offers to connect with the entire Lehigh community and the ability to create and instill new and old Lehigh traditions.
Meredith Purcell ’25
Meredith Purcell is a member of the Class of 2025 and serves as the vice president.
Purcell is from Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is majoring in business analytics. Her favorite thing about being an ASA is the sense of community that is established between the students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
Christopher Haines ’26
Christopher Haines is a member of the Class of 2026 and serves as the director of administration.
Haines is from Paramus, New Jersey, and is double majoring in Business Analytics and Management. His favorite thing about being an ASA is connecting with students and alumni through Lehigh traditions.
Ethan Riester ’25
Ethan Riester is a member of the Class of 2025 and serves as the director of traditions.
Riester is from Rochester, New York, and is majoring in finance with a minor in computer science. His favorite thing about being an ASA is the opportunity it provides to strengthen the community for both current students and alumni at Lehigh by organizing various traditions and events.
Nina Vecchione ’26
Nina Vecchione is a member of the Class of 2026 and serves on the executive board as the director of marketing
Vecchione is from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and is majoring in marketing. Her favorite thing about being an ASA creating fun and memorable experiences for all Lehigh students and the community!
Melissa Ciment M.S.Ed.
Melissa Ciment is the associate director for student engagement for development and alumni relations at Lehigh University.
Melissa Ciment is the associate director for student engagement for development and alumni relations at Lehigh University. Her favorite thing about being the advisor for the ASAs is the opportunity to work with talented student leaders dedicated to positively impacting the campus community at Lehigh University.
Executive Committee Chairs
Emma Flinchbaugh ’24, Senior Committee Chair
Gabriella Covino ’25, Campus Relations Committee Chair
Vrushti Patel ’26, Bed Race Committee Chair
Ruhi Tawde ’26, Sendoff Committee Chair
Our Fall Traditions
Bed Races
Bed Races 2024 will be held on Wednesday, November 15!
This is the ASA’s most well known event of the year! This tradition takes place during Spirit Week leading up to the Lehigh–Lafayette Rivalry football game in November. Teams race side by side down Packer Avenue to compete for a special prize. The beds are special racing beds designed to be safe, innovative, and fun to drive. Teams dress in costumes and bring enthusiasm to the race. In addition, hundreds of members of the Lehigh community come to watch to cheer on their friends and colleagues.
History of Bed Races
In the early days of bed racing, students constructed their beds from scratch in an effort to demonstrate their engineering prowess. The special event eventually ended, but was revived in 2007 by the Class of 2010.
In 2014, the beds were designed by the student staff and professional staff of the Design Labs, specifically to be safer than the ones used in the past. ASA plays a big role in coordinating this annual tradition!
Participation
All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to form a team. Teams are composed of 5 members. Registration for this event is sent out via a campus-wide email the first week of November. Students are encouraged to get creative by picking a team name and wearing costumes. Prizes are awarded to Best Team Theme, Second Place, and Overall Winner. All participants are required to attend a safety meeting and sign a waiver. For more information, contact inasa@lehigh.edu.
Winners
Congratulations to the winners of Bed Races 2023: Team Lehigh Ice Hockey
Ted Justicz Class of 2027
Max Toomey Class of 2027
Nikolas Cadoret Class of 2027
Nikolas Cinicola Class of 2027
Oliver Hall Class of 2027
Little Brown Box
The Little Brown Box holds over a century of Lehigh traditions. From the alma mater to fun facts, this little treasure box is a wealth of information about Lehigh — past, present, and future. ASA hosts an annual 5x10 event each fall to introduce first-year students to our beloved traditions through an interactive experience. The best part? Everyone who attends gets to take home their very own Little Brown Box!
Brown and White Friday
As a campus tradition, everyone in the campus community wears Brown and White every Friday to show school spirit. The ASAs continue to encourage the community to keep up this tradition by hosting a Brown and White Friday promotional table in a central location on campus. Stop by wearing brown and white or any Lehigh University attire for a special prize.
Find us on Friday in Spring 2024 from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on campus!
February 16 - E.W. Fairchild-Martindale Library Lobby
March 1 - E.W. Fairchild-Martindale Library
April 5 - TBD
April 19 - TBD
More Ways ASAs Are Involved
Each entering class is represented by an official class flag, which features the class's graduation year and colors. The flag is presented to the class at The Rally, held each fall as the first official gathering of an incoming class. A class will have the same colors and flag design as their “adopting class” – the class that is 50 years their senior. The tradition began in 1945 when the Class of 1899 adopted the Class of 1949. Alumni representatives return to campus to carry their class flags at The Rally. When the flags aren't in use, they decorate the hallways of the Alumni Memorial Building, with the four current undergraduate class flags displayed in the atrium.
Fun Fact: The oldest surviving original class flag is from the Class of '89 – 1889.
The ASAs help with this special event, welcoming our incoming class and helping to share campus traditions in a unique style.
Founder's Day has been a Lehigh tradition since it was first celebrated on October 9, 1879, following the death of Asa Packer that May. The annual event celebrates Asa Packer's legacy and honors the current leaders of the Lehigh community. The day is often used to dedicate buildings, install faculty, and recognize achievements. In more recent years, Founder’s Day has expanded into a weekend-long celebration, and we now call it Founder’s Weekend.
Fun Fact: Early Founder's Day festivities pitted the first-year and sophomore classes against one another in events such as football, track, tug-o-war, and rope tying.
Family Weekend is a weekend-long celebration filled with many activities for families and students to enjoy together. The ASAs can be spotted at the Brown and White BBQ unveiling the class year in the lawn of the Clayton University Center. This is a special tradition that students look forward to every year, as it becomes a popular spot for graduation pictures.
It is a part of the ASA’s responsibility to actively engage alumni in the campus community and to sustain a relationship between alumni and current students. Every year, we participate in alumni relations programs such as Dinners for 12, Giving Day, discussions with alumni affinity groups, and more! Each year the ASAs look forward to creating a bond between alumni and students in order to create a stronger Lehigh community.
ASAs who are seniors get the opportunity to be on a committee where they play an active role in supporting initiatives geared toward seniors. This committee helps host the Senior Salute event which occurs every May.