Malcolm Stewart, a third-year Batten student and Third-Year Council President, has been named Senior Resident of the Lawn for the upcoming academic year. Stewart was chosen for the position Tuesday, over a week after regular Lawn room acceptances were released.
“The position of Senior Resident to the Lawn means to me means a unique opportunity to affect the University community in a really positive way,” Stewart said. “I definitely feel like the Senior Resident position on the Lawn is given a lot of potential and opportunity for power in developing what that year’s Lawn community will look like.”
The Lawn community isn’t limited to students living in Lawn rooms, but includes students living on the Range, Pavilion residents and the larger University and Charlottesville community. Stewart said he looks forward to more fully incorporating those people into life on the Lawn and helping the larger community to feel at home there.
“This is a shared space between all of us and finding ways to bring that community together more often and for more reasons is something that I would love to see happen at U.Va.,” Stewart said.
Living on the Lawn is considered both a highly competitive process and a great honor. Stewart will be leading a community of 46 other distinguished fourth-years next semester.
“Especially on the Lawn, managing a group of high-functioning and incredibly involved students takes an ambitious and deliberate leadership approach,” current Senior Resident of the Lawn and fourth-year College student DeAnza Cook said in an email to The Cavalier Daily. “It's a tremendously rewarding experience. However, it takes great patience and planning to earn respect and build rapport with the Lawn residents, Pavilion residents and other University administrators invested in the Lawn community.”
According to Stewart, his role in class council has played an important role in helping him prepare for the new position.
“The role and function of class councils is simply programming for their class and doing it in a way that really addresses the needs of the community based on … what kind of issues are coming up for students,” Stewart said. “From my perspective in class council, it’s given me the opportunity to focus on how to see a need and fill that need through some sort of program initiative, and I think that fits really well into the role of senior resident, because a lot of what we do is program events.”
Diane D’Costa, a third-year Batten student and Third-Year Council vice president, has served alongside Stewart on class council for the past two years. She said he will thrive in the position due to his abilities to connect with people and provide resources.
“Malcolm’s just a really dedicated person who knows so much about the University and its resources,” D’Costa said. “I think that his ability to form really great relationships with not only students but also with all kinds of faculty and administrators and bridging that gap in order to build up the community is probably what stood out for Malcolm.”
After being a resident advisor for the past two years, Stewart says he has grown in his experience with Housing and Residence Life, and sees the position of Senior Resident of the Lawn as the best way to be more involved with the community and have a greater impact.
“Malcolm understands and cherishes the history of the Lawn and I am confident that he will work wholeheartedly to further the mission of molding Mr. Jefferson's historic Academical Village into a vibrant and inclusive residential community that treasures the University's 21st century vision of diversity and excellence,” Cook said.
Correction: The article previously misstated that Malcolm Stewart is a third-year College student. He is a third-year Batten student.
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