New College House unveiled its crest during Spring 2017. The Traditions Commission, led by residents Morgan Thweatt, Nyazia Bey, Jerome Cohen, and RAGA staff members Elaida Dimwamwa, Kevin Chen, Tyler Hallmark, and Haley Morin, facilitated a multi-stage process for engaging the house community in creating the crest. They collaborated with Chris Bogs, Marketing Coordinator for College Houses & Academic Services to host a design workshop for residents, created design criteria, and collected submissions from residents. The Traditions Commission hosted a gallery-style event in January 2017 where all house residents were invited to vote for the design.

Resident Jad Blaik designed the winning crest; his creation was selected by popular vote out of 11 submissions.

Jad’s design represents our college house as a global village. The hands holding the earth stand for our diverse community. Coupled with the image of the tree, the crest shows our commitment to sustainability. The phoenix, our house mascot, is also represented in the crest. The design also features the house colors, blue and white, and our motto, “Semper ad meliora (Always onward to better things)” is proudly displayed on a banner at the bottom border.

The crest continues to represent the ideals of the house community through its renaming to Lauder College House in 2019. During the naming ceremony, the crest was featured on the banner that was unveiled revealing the name, as well as on commemorative t-shirts, mugs, and cookies given to attendees.