Traditions

The inaugural community of residents in New College House were actively engaged in creating memorable activities that would become the fabric of the LCH experience! 

Residents, faculty, and staff of the now-named Lauder College House look forward to continuing these traditions and initiating new ones.

 

LCH Welcome-- the staff and student leaders of LCH welcome residents and their families during Move-In Days. We encourage everyone to stop by our welcome station in the Living Room for snacks from Philly Pretzel Factory, instant photos to capture your move-in memories, and "notes from home" for encouragement during the first week of classes.

 

Ribbon Cutting/NCH Anniversary Celebration-- on September 13, 2016, President Amy Gutmann officially kicked off the NCH community by hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony in LCH's Heyman Courtyard. Each September, LCH staff will host an anniversary celebration in the courtyard to commemorate the ribbon-cutting and bring residents and house alumni together.

 

"How Did It Go?"-- House faculty members gather residents in the Living Room at the end of the first day of Fall classes and last day of Spring classes for snacks and poll questions reflecting on a day's worth and year's worth of academic life at Penn. Residents share their experiences and have a chance to learn about the successes and challenges of their peers throughout the house.

 

Global Citizenship Forum-- each Spring, Faculty Director Cam Grey hosts an afternoon of dialogue with an esteemed panel of faculty and guest experts sharing their perspectives on concepts of Global Citizenship and our continuously adapting world.

 

Courtyard Cookouts-- In addition to being our Faculty Director, Cam is also the king of everything grilling in LCH-- several times each semester, Cam grills up pizzas, veggies, burgers, and hot dogs for the LCH community-- residents come to the couryard to enjoy each other's company and delicious food!

 

HalloweeNCH-- The Traditions Commission hosts an evening of Halloween festivities for LCH residents and the families of our faculty and staff. Residents enjoy an evening of trick-or-treating and handing out candy.

 

Thanksgiving Dinner-- House Dean Trina Sokoloski opens her home to residents to enjoy an afternoon of turkey dinner with all the trimmings, American football, and good conversation. We make sure to have options for various dietary needs.

 

Winter Holiday Party-- House Council hosts festivities to help students unwind and share some holiday cheer! 

 

SpriNCH-- Traditions Commission hosts a celebration of the first day of Spring-- residents gather on the Lifted Lawn to plant seedlings in their own pots, share Rita's Water Ice, and play outdoor games like tug o' war, giant soccer, and giant Jenga.

 

LCH T-Shirt Design Contest-- Each Spring, current and future residents of LCH are invited to submit designs for the following year's house t-shirt. The designs are put to a vote during Next Fest.

 

Next Fest-- Each Spring, LCH welcomes the rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors who will call our house their home for the following academic year. The event features giveaways, meet & greet with faculty and staff, cook-out, and voting for the house t-shirt design.

 

Moving Up Day-- As the junior class celebrates officially becoming seniors during Hey Day festivities at the end of the year, LCH honors the contributions and accomplishments of the freshmen and sophomores, who also "move up" to the next class year. A brief ceremony in the Courtyard features remarks from house faculty and staff as well as student representatives from the freshman and sophomore classes. Freshmen receive an NCH hat to celebrate their year, and sophomores receive an NCH scarf.

 

Convocation Flag Bearers-- a representative from each college house carries the house flag and leads the first-year students in the Convocation procession before the first day of classes. In Lauder College House, the Flag Bearer were originally chosen from the Meliora Ambassador group-- these upperclassmen mentors help connect the new students to the LCH community.

2016: Kevin Chen

2017: Nyazia Bey

2018: Kat Chen

2019: Jacky Chan

2020: Tradition Suspended due to COVID-19 Pandemic

2021: Liza Brover

2022: Isabella Schlact

2023: