The Brown & White

Lehigh's graduate students, professors and faculty gathered this week for the opening of the new Graduate Student Center located at 217 W. Packer Ave., between Birkel Avenue and Boyer Street.

The Graduate Student Center houses 13 graduate students and includes a full kitchen, dining room, party room, conference room, lounge and two administrative offices that were previously located in Christmas-Saucon Hall.

"I have lived on campus my entire time of being at Lehigh, so I was excited and eager to take this opportunity and live off campus, yet still be close and accessible to my classes," said resident Jessica Stuart, an alumnus from last year now getting a graduate degree in political science.

The Graduate Student Center, located in the building that formerly held the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and most recently housing for transfer students, was renovated through the spring and summer and finished in August for the beginning of the school year.

The two-story house has central air conditioning and heating in each room, and wireless Internet in the lounge.

The house is fully furnished and has all the amenities of a residential dorm on campus.

"The Graduate Center is really important and is a really beautiful space for graduate students," Kathleen Hutnik, director of Graduate Student Life at Lehigh, said.

This center is a space for residential housing, graduate events and other activities, like a weekly coffee hour called "Tuesdays at 10," regular graduate LGBTQA meetings, wellness programs from the Counseling Center and support groups for international students. "There are a lot of different graduate student events here. There is always interaction, and I feel like there is always something going on," Stewart said. "This is a really fun place to live, and everyone is laid back."

Career Services is also using the Graduate Student Center for activities, including resume writing workshops for graduate students.

The Community Fellows program intends to use the center for study sessions as well.

The Graduate Student Senate also holds its executive board meetings at the house.

Graduate students expressed a need for a designated central gathering area, and the administration took that request into consideration.

"In part of the strategic plan for the enhancement of research and graduate plan, the university paid attention to and valued the graduate students by creating this center," Hutnik said.

The center not only provides housing for graduate students but it also provides a culturally diverse environment.

"I am very happy living here," said Cagri Latifoglu, a graduate student pursuing a doctoral degree in industrial engineering.

"It is a great place to socialize, and residents are diverse and come from different backgrounds," he said.

"The center has a really nice mix of diverse people, and we get together in the evenings and talk and share," said Ovidiu Dan, who moved here from Amsterdam three weeks ago to begin his graduate studies in computer science.

The center is also appealing as a residence option because of its safety. Even though it is located on the outskirts of the Asa Packer Campus, the house has a swipe card entry system similar to those of all residential facilities on campus. During the day the center is open, but during designated hours at night the door-lock system takes effect.

"I feel more secure and safe living here knowing that you have to use a swipe to get in at night," Stuart said. "There is still a safety element, even off campus."

The Graduate Student Center is located on the west side of campus, but it is in a prime location for graduate students. It is close to classes, labs and on-campus facilities, but also makes shops, restaurants and other businesses on the South Side accessible.

"There is a premium on campus for space, and this center can provide an additional possibility for graduate students," Hutnik said.

"I got really lucky and heard about the center through word-of-mouth," Stuart said.

"I originally asked about living in Saucon Village and residential services gave me this new option, and I am so happy I took it," she said.

The Graduate Student Center is open to all members of the campus community.