Imagine the bells of Holy Infancy Church on the South Side stopped ringing. Imagine they missed their hourly cue one day, and the clang didn’t reverberate throughout the blocks of Bethlehem the days following.
You might not notice their absence at first. But I’d bet after a few days, the silence would grow. And after a while, it would become loud, weighty and almost eerie. If a set soundtrack to your life at Lehigh was erased, how long would it take you to notice? How long would it take you to miss it?
Now imagine it’s The Brown and White that goes dormant. I’d argue a similar chill would creep in, but the absence of reporters dashing across campus, stacks of print issues gathering dust and a representative voice going silent would bring an even worse aftermath.
Important stories would go untold. Unheard voices wouldn’t be amplified. Critical questions wouldn’t be asked. And many corners of the community would sit in the dark.
Rest assured, The Brown and White isn’t going anywhere any time soon. But there’s a careful care for this 130-year-old publication that makes that a guarantee. And as I say my goodbyes to this paper and to Lehigh as a whole, I want to ensure the paper is preserved for years to come.
I’ve been on the staff of the paper for all four of my years at Lehigh, and I’ve had the honor to end my time here by serving as the editor in chief throughout this semester. While this experience has instilled in me an unwavering appreciation for the paper, I’m not sure the value is as evident to the rest of the community — current students and staff, alumni, future Mountain Hawks, and beyond.
So, I urge you to take care of The Brown and White. And by that I mean, sign up to be a reporter. Say “yes” to an interview request. Pick up a paper from the stacks across campus. Take part in the conversations defining Lehigh and Bethlehem. Critique what the staff publishes. Celebrate what it accomplishes. Don’t let it fall silent or even soften in the slightest.
This paper has taught me how to listen — deeply, curiously and critically. It’s taught me how to tell stories — those of injustice and resilience, those of tradition and change, those of the quiet rhythms of Lehigh but also the hefty moments that can redefine the community.
I and the rest of the staff have clocked countless hours in Coppee Hall, chased thousands of leads and communicated with a wide population of people. And we’ve done it all in the pursuit of something bigger than ourselves.
Generations of students have paved the way for us, and I hope to hand it off to you with as much care as they showed us, because this is more than a club, a resume line or a way to fill your time. It’s a responsibility — one that’s been handed down for over a century, from one class of students to the next.
So, if you’ve ever felt unseen, unheard or unsure of your place in the communities we cover, there’s a place for you within The Brown and White. Whether you’re a writer, a designer, a photographer, an editor, a reader or simply someone who believes in the power of a college newspaper, this publication needs you.
Without eyes on the fine print and your voice between the lines, headlines would sink into obscurity, and the hum of our newsroom would fade into stillness.
Lehigh and Bethlehem aren’t slowing down. There are stories throughout these streets waiting to be told and histories unfolding in real time. And the paper needs people willing to chase and pay attention to those moments.
While this could be my last byline for The Brown and White, I know it won’t be my last contribution. Long after I’ve graduated, I’ll be taking care of it by picking up the paper — maybe from far away, maybe online — and hoping to hear the bells still ringing.
3 Comments
Hey there, I’m a local in Allentown and I was just browsing thru radio stations and I stumbled upon WLVR and B&W. Your article was really sentimental and heart-felt. I wanted to take a moment to say that it’s really sweet you contributed to an iconic of LU. Plus, I wish you all the best in life and I assume you’re graduating so congrats! Just wanted to leave a little cute comment. 🙂
The sentiment of your article felt all too familiar. As an alum, institutions such as The Brown and White are important not only to the student body but to those who are directly involved, such as yourself. Lehigh University students should be afforded the full breadth of such campus experiences that they deserve.
Sadly, the silence and darkness imagined on the campus are a reality. Imagine you had been a vital part of The Brown and White for the duration of your college experience, and one day, just before the end of your spring semester, your advisors and the University administrators informed you that the university had struck a deal with The Morning Call newspaper. From now on, The Brown and White brand and publishing will be left in the hands of The Morning Call staff, which will now decide which stories deserve to be printed and determine the future of the paper. Fear not, faithful journalism students – you could still publish your stories, but only what would fit into a small pamphlet that would be published once per month, under a name such as “The Brown and White Lite.” As a part of this fantastic agreement, The Morning Call will graciously invite a few journalism students per semester to, with their guidance, write an article or two for them.
As a passionate and involved member of The Brown and White, you would rightfully feel as though your soul had been ripped away, your hard work getting thrown into the nearest trash bin. You were kept in the dark about these negotiations between the University and The Morning Call. They had decided, on your behalf, that this was the proper thing to do. You feel as if your contributions to the paper and your successes had been wiped away by one haphazard agreement between lawyers and university leaders that had no idea what The Brown and White truly meant to you, to the students working on it, or to the next generations of students to come, imagining what could have been. Surely, these people must know what they’re doing – they must know the importance, history, and legacy of The Brown and White. The university must be deciding for the betterment of all.
However, 6 years later, you find out that The Morning Call has done little to engage with The Brown and White; they simply purchase content from outsiders that fit the demographic of students, ignoring the legacy of and refusing to publish student-created content. Most importantly, you find that the university has not received anything in return for this agreement. The bells have stopped ringing.
This is not a story about The Brown and White, luckily, but still a very real truth to Lehigh’s Student Radio Station, WLVR. Many of those at Lehigh University and Lehigh Valley Public Media organizations that had a say in the agreement are no longer around, but the current students remain without the opportunities afforded to over 50 generations of prior classmates who were involved with the then-vibrant and award-winning station. Lehigh Valley Public Media (also known as PBS 39) desperately approached many in search of a radio station, such as Muhlenberg College and WDIY (local NPR). Ultimately, they failed in their search and moved on to ask Lehigh University if it would provide them with its radio station. The agreement between Lehigh Valley Public Media and Lehigh University stripped the passionate students of any local broadcasting, demoting any broadcast to an HD Radio channel, used by a minuscule audience.
To date, Lehigh Valley Public Media has reduced its total number of staff from 80 to 44 people. They seem to be in financial turmoil. The WLVR radio license, owned by Lehigh University, has been used by them to bring in over $1.5 million in revenue over the past 6 years, according to their public financial filings. Yet, the university has seemingly received nothing in return. The university thought it would be better to deprive the years of students to come of this opportunity to participate and learn in a real radio station environment for no gain whatsoever.
The current administration needs to put its foot down and declare that enough is enough, to give the station back to the students, where it should remain for generations to come. Just like you and your deep connection to The Brown and White, I have that same emotion for the very station I was involved with from 1985 through 1989. WLVR gave me confidence in myself, allowed me to have experiences that were outside of what I learned in classes, experiences that enhanced my Lehigh experience, and translated to my future 30+ years of working for Fortune 50 corporations. There cannot be a next class that isn’t afforded these opportunities. The university should not let WLVR lie dormant – its bells need to ring, too.
The University Provost has received considerable feedback on the failures of Lehigh Valley Community Media (Ch. 39) (LVPM) to properly manage WLVR , urging the University to end the Lease Agreement they entered into 6 years ago that has failed miserably at serving the students and the community. To date, neither the University nor the Provost has addressed the issue or the feedback. Ignoring the problem is not a solution. What LVPM couldn’t do with millions of dollars and a staff of 80 people they certainly won’t be able to do now that they have burned through much of their money and reduced their bloated payroll. They have paid nothing to the University for the use of the radio signal, destroyed a listening audience built over 50 years of student dominated programming, provided very very few opportunities for students to get involved and filled the airtime predominantly with programming already available in the area on another NPR station. 6 years ago the University agreed to just give away the use of this highly undervalued asset with no discussion or input from students who brought the station to campus 77 years ago and to the community on 91.3 52 years ago. This is so wrong in so many ways. As a Lehigh alumni (1973) and a volunteer and supporter of WLVR I can’t fathom the University’s attitude that nothing is wrong and that LVPM should continue to destroy WLVR.
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