EVERY TIME I walk down the Lawn I'm subjected to the popular cause of the week. Last semester, Lawnies covered their doors with posters telling any passersby what was okay and what was not okay to think about race. Now, to oppose Bob Sweeney's possible selection for a pavilion, the Lawn is filled with "For Sale" signs that say, "Just inquire with the BOV." People have a constitutional right to say stupid things -- a right I've defended on many occasions. But University students ought to know better. As senior vice president for development and public affairs, Sweeney plays a central role in maintaining the University's competitiveness and making it a better place. Furthermore, the student body's reaction is completely overblown -- unless it's not actually the student body but a few people hijacking our voice.
The controversy surrounding Sweeney's possible selection is all about the Lawn's place in the Academical Village. Robert Carey, former dean of the Medical School and current Lawn resident, recently told The Cavalier Daily that pavilion residents "should include counseling, mentoring, and engaging in academic discussion with students and having them in the home." He specifically highlighted the value of holding classes in pavilions. But confining intellectual diversity to the classroom seems myopic. Pavilion residents have much to teach students beyond pure academics. Just take a look at who lives on the Lawn now: mostly deans and the University Provost. If the primary purpose of the Lawn community is to foster academics, then why is it filled with people whose primary job is not teaching? Because all pavilion residents interact with students.
The Lawn is fundamentally about learning and, as Mark Twain noted famously, that often has little to do with academics. Bob Sweeney is one of the University's chief fundraisers. He does the hard work building and maintaining our alumni network -- the backbone of the school. Without a well-funded endowment, the University would not be able to attract top faculty, build improvements, maintain libraries or purchase lab equipment. Clearly Sweeney plays an integral role in the University community and, as such, he has much to contribute.
Any Lawn resident interested in politics can learn from Sweeney how to develop and maintain a fundraising network. Those interested in business will certainly want to learn Sweeney's management and networking skills. Finally, Sweeney's alumni connections are a priceless asset for any graduating student looking for a job. Sweeny's desire to live on the Lawn demonstrates that he actively wants to interact with students. He recognizes that he can impart all his unique skills while engaging in University life first-hand. With all theses benefits, I am at a loss to see how the student body could seriously oppose Sweeney's selection to live on the Lawn.
This has led me to conclude that the overwhelming majority of University students are not opposed; our voice has been drowned out by a few disgruntled Lawn residents and the editorial staff of this newspaper. The posters on the Lawn are little more than a daily nuisance since they mostly raise awareness about the controversy.
But from Newcomb basement, The Cavalier Daily managing board exhorts us to rise up and "start a rebellion." That's right, students of the University unite! They seem to believe that the tree of student self-governance must be refreshed from time to time with the activism of students and alumni. But just as Thomas Jefferson was an ocean away from the bloodshed, the editors just don't get it.
The choice of pavilion residency is not up to the students; it is decided by the Board of Visitors and President Casteen in keeping with the meaning of the Lawn community, namely, learning. No one protested University Provost Gene Block's selection, despite the fact that he teaches no classes, because the student body realized how much students could learn from him and how hard he works to keep the University running. Despite a few posters and editorials, nobody is protesting Sweeney's selection either.
Josh Levy's column usually appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at jlevy@cavalierdaily.com.
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