Hello! I have been looking at Lehigh to potentially add to my college list but I’m a little concerned about the safety of the campus and Bethlehem. Is it a safe campus? Also, how is Bethlehem in terms of safety and just things to do?
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The school should offer a Cleary report. Here’s some info.
You might also find a student…if you visit campus just stop kids and ask. Or admission can set up a person to talk to.
2nd attach page 38
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Avoid the fraternity parties.
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Coming from a freshman girl that just completed my first semester:
Lehigh isn’t as safe as I was led to believe, but isn’t necessarily dangerous the way city schools are. The frats are pretty dangerous for girls. Most weekends I hear rumors of rape, sexual assault, spiking, etc. There are frats known to add xanax/adderall to the alcohol provided. There is a large party culture and coke is surprisingly common (at least by my standards! haha)
The area of Bethlehem is fine during the day but nicknamed “sketchlehem” by Lehigh’s (somewhat sheltered) student body. I wouldn’t venture off campus at night. My friends have been followed walking home from parties alone on campus.
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Wow! The president made an attempt to clean up the widely publicized problem with frat parties a few years ago. Some fraternities were suspended even in the face of alumni complaints. Sounds like he was unsuccessful and that it’s the same old, same old.
Are you planning to return?
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I’m oblivious to cocaine - i just i’m just too much a goody goody. My daughter tells me it’s commonplace at her school too and she goes to a 2nd tier public. I wonder how prevalent it is out there at many schools? The stuff about drugging drinks - you read about it but it boggles the mind that supposed good, smart kids can and will do this.
My son doesn’t party - he was in the engineering frat and dropped out as it was mostly partying - but never mentioned drugs, just excessive drinking.
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Revisiting this thread a few months later- yes I am going to return, however I did seriously consider transferring along with many of my friends. I joined a club that is very close knit as opposed to greek life and have been able to attend parties that are much safer. I have attended very few frat parties since fall semester. There are options for people who desire a social scene without greek life but you will have to look beyond lehigh after dark programs and be willing to ignore the “social hierarchy” greek life creates on this campus. Hope this helps!
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Congratulations on moving your life forward.
I am late to this discussion, but, for the benefit of others, this post is very spot on.
I know two kids who are good friends of one of mine who went to Lehigh - one very Greek and the other not so much. My kid also seriously considered Lehigh, and visited the campus twice.
Everything the poster said is very much what I have heard from them.
The area of Bethlehem, once one steps off the campus, it gets sketchy very fast. It is a good school with a number of very strong department. But, it really has issues with fraternities that seem to be stuck in the 1980-90 mentality (and this is coming from a former rah-rah fraternity member in his 50s) and safety issues that the school doesn’t like to talk about.
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