Come Home to ‘Your Spot’ on Campus!

Tracy Hagert Sutka ’82 P’17

There is probably no tradition as beloved among Lafayette alumni as Reunion weekend—OK, maybe the Lafayette–Lehigh game. This June, Reunion will be held on campus with an expanded schedule in order to include multiple class years.

Since the members of the classes ending in 0, 1, 5, and 6 were not able to be on campus for their reunions in 2020 and 2021, those classes will join with the classes ending in 2 and 7 for a unique multi-class experience. Plans are already underway for meals, activities, and housing. By the time you receive this issue of Lafayette magazine, the registration process will have been opened. When is your class’s reunion? Check out reunion.lafayette.edu as well as your class news in the pages that follow.

In this column, I have discussed the many ways our loyal alumni have engaged with and served our alma mater. Reunions are the frosting on the cake of alumni engagement experiences. For many alumni, Reunion weekends are the only time we return to campus and reconnect with classmates. This year we will have the added fun of catching up with friends from other class years. My ’82 classmates and I will be celebrating our 40th reunion along with our “older” friends from the classes of ’80 and ’81. It will be great to catch up with everyone!

If you are a Reunion “regular” (I fall into this category) or a sporadic attendee, this is the year, after so many cancellations, to return to the place that brought us all together however many years ago. Let’s meet in our favorite spots (the Quad, March Field, CHT) just to hang out and to celebrate that we’ve made it this far. Wear your favorite throwback Lafayette gear to walk in the parade around College Hill. Take a campus tour to check out Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center, the new McCartney Street dorms, Trolley Stop Diner, and new College Store. Check out the refurbished Portlock Black Cultural Center and all of our athletic facilities.

If you would like to take part in the event planning for your class’s activities, it’s not too late to contact the class leaders listed in your Class Notes. Do you have any suggestions about what you have enjoyed at previous reunions? Could you help your class’s reunion committee reach out to classmates? A little peer pressure goes a long way in nudging your friends to attend. 

President Nicole Farmer Hurd chose “My Spot Is Here” as the theme of her inauguration last October. We all had our special spots on campus where we hung out with our friends (I was a fan of Kirby Library), and even though some no longer exist (I’m thinking of Pops and the snack bar in Marquis), College Hill in Easton is still “our spot.” I hope to see many of you this June at your spot.

With Pard Pride,

Tracy Hagert Sutka ’82 P’17
President
alumpres@lafayette.edu