"FOR SALE" signs adorn the doors of many Lawn rooms protesting the prospect of Robert Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs, living in a pavilion. The residents of these Lawn rooms are concerned that his interest in pavilion residency and stellar fundraising efforts allowed him to "purchase" a pavilion by cutting a line of equally qualified candidates. The question is, don't student Lawn residents also "buy" a spot to live on the Lawn?
In applying for a Lawn room, students construct a marketable résumé to bolster their chances for selection. They tout involvement in the Honor Committee, Student Council, University Guide Service, the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, philanthropy, with the list going on and on. While certainly there are people who participate in these organizations or in philanthropies for noble reasons, others use their involvement as currency with which to "purchase" Lawn rooms. Looking at the history of the Lawn, it's more than likely that aspiring Lawnies have such egocentric intentions.
"I came in 1958, and they had just renovated the Lawn and made double-decker beds because they needed dorm space," recounts Chester Titus, former Director of University Housing. "They treated it just as regular dorm space, and I just didn't think that made sense." Not only was it treated like "regular dorm space" but earning a room "was not particularly competitive" with "no particular criteria to get in" according to former Lawn resident and Secretary to the Board of Visitors Alexander Gilliam. Concerned by this, Titus made living on the Lawn an honor within a year of his arrival.
Titus remembers how the application process for living on the Lawn suddenly "became very competitive." Interest in the Lawn grew tremendously. And unlike before, there were obvious criteria students needed to gain a spot on the Lawn. Students became more involved with organizations not only because they were devoted to improving the community but also because it also paid the price of admission.
Despite such selfish motivations, current students express disappointment in the University's interest in choosing Sweeney particularly since his pavilion would function as a giant fundraising venue. Lawnies, however, also use the Lawn for their own purposes, whether to serve as icing on their résumé or to ratify their status as a part of University elite.
Having a Lawn room pads Lawnie résumés and adds a glossy finish to their graduate school applications. To many students, the bestowal of a Lawn room represents one of the highest University honors. And obviously, such a distinction could impress a law school admissions panel. Of course, there are some people who "use their Lawn rooms for positive purposes," says Head Lawn Resident Thomas Holman. "For the most part
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