After putting forth semesters of hard work representing students at honor trials or going that extra mile planning that philanthropy event or studying all night, 47 third-year undergraduate students were awarded Lawn rooms as recognition for their services to the University. The students were selected from a pool of roughly 250 candidates to live in one of the historic rooms. Twenty-seven are from the College, 14 are Echols Scholars, five are Jefferson Scholars and 18 have worked with Madison House. Additionally, seven are members of the University Guide Service, and two are listed as members of the Z Society, Director Of Accommodations John Evans said.
The process of selecting this wide range of residents from across the University began last fall, as the Lawn Selection Process Organizing Committee finalized members of the Selection Committee and released the application for the upcoming year.
First steps\nStudents control much of the Lawn process, but the Organizing Committee, which updates the application each year and selects the student organizations that fill 23 of 38 seats on the Selection Committee, is chaired by Dean of Students Allen Groves and includes Director of Accommodations John Evans and African-American Affairs Dean Maurice Apprey. Student representatives from each of the six undergraduate schools, as well as the University Judiciary Committee, Honor Committee and Student Council sit on the Committee.
"We review the application, determine what the application should be and review some of the time deadlines," Groves said of the Organizing Committee's role.
The Organizing Committee first met Oct. 29 to update, review and finalize the application for this year, he said. For the third consecutive year, he said, the Committee altered the application to ensure the process as a whole evolves with the University.
"One year, a new essay question was added, a couple of essay questions were modified and the space where to list one's GPA has been moved," Groves said. "Those kinds of things are discussed. It really is open to each Organizing Committee each year to decide what the application would look like. In some cases, there are subtle changes, and in some cases, material changes."
Head Resident Ben Chrisinger added that the Organization Committee this year altered the makeup of the Selection Committee, which is comprised of students selected from organizations such as the Inter-Fraternity and Inter-Sorority Councils.
"ISC and IFC representatives had a seat at the Selection Committee for years, but recently we thought the Multicultural Greek Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council should have seats since they are Greek organizations, too," Chrisinger said. "The decision was, if we are going to have some of the Greek community represented, we are going to have it all."
After finishing the application, the Organization Committee first posted it online in mid-November, providing students with two months to submit it to the Committee before the Jan. 22 deadline.
Application process\nThe 2010-11 Lawn application states that the purpose of the Lawn program is to recognize students for unselfish service to the University in addition to high achievement in their respective fields of activities and academics. It includes a statement signed by Chrisinger noting that by being Lawn resident, "you become a representative of what the University values - honor, student self-governance, and responsibility."
The application requests applicants' basic contact information, school and major, followed by questions asking for information such as, "How has your membership in our University community enriched this institution or student body?"
Shorter and longer essays, which ask questions about University involvement, contributions and academic development, also are included on the application. The Committee examines each student and each application to help choose the residents, Chrisinger said.
Seven other residences on the Lawn are reserved for members of specific organizations on Grounds. The Head Resident of the Lawn, who always lives in Lawn room East 26, is chosen through the same process as other residential staff, while the incoming Honor Committee chair lives in Lawn room West 37. Lawn room West 15, meanwhile, is the Gus Blagden or "Good Guy" Room, whose resident is nominated by the student body. Kappa Sigma fraternity also selects one student to live in the room where the organization was founded in 1869. In addition, the John K. Crispell room is reserved for an outstanding pre-medical student, and the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, Trigon Engineering Society and the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity each are granted one room for a member of their organizations.
The selection\nOnce the applications have been received, the Selection Committee then begins the review process. The Committee itself is comprised of 38 students, 15 of whom are randomly chosen fourth-year students who submit their names for the process. Chrisinger said about 70 students, which he noted was lower than usual, entered to be chosen for the Committee.
"[The process is] at least a 25-hour time commitment of reading applications in the spring," Chrisinger said. "I can understand why some people wouldn't want to do it."
The other 23 members of the Committee are filled by ex-officio representatives from various organizations, including Student Council, Fourth-Year Trustees and the Latino Student Alliance. Every member of the Selection Committee, except the Head Lawn Resident, reads and scores each application using an online system to review the applications, which are marked with an applicant's number rather than his name to preserve the anonymity and objectivity of the process. These identification numbers change from reader to reader, so committee members cannot compare what they see, Chrisinger said.
Chrisinger trains members of the Selection Committee on what to look for in the applications. He noted that readers should consider both grades and activities while scoring applications. Additionally, applicants should not view a Lawn room just as a reward for three years of being a great student, but as an opportunity to be an active member of a community.
Third-year Architecture student A.J. Artemel, a future Lawn resident, speculated why he was eventually chosen as among the select group.
"I think it is a common misconception that it is based on grades," Artemel said. "The application process being so heavily based on essays, it depends on your writing abilities."
Up for debate
Some have criticized the makeup of the Selection Committee, however, as it depends heavily on particular organizations on Grounds rather than drawing equally from all segments of the University. Students have suggested changing the Selection Committee to be composed entirely of randomly chosen individuals, allowing the body to be more representative of the University community.
Third-year College student Reginald Benbow, who was selected to live on the Lawn next year, said he favored making the Committee "all random, but giving the Committee guidelines and making people aware of commitments."
For example, he noted that it is possible that not many Engineering and Architecture students are selected because Committee members do not weigh the relative time commitments of their course loads, he said.
First-year College student Allysa Amparan said she has reservations about forming the group entirely of random students, however.
"There definitely need to be other views, administrative views and broader backgrounds, but they also need representations from different groups," Amparan said.
Chrisinger said, though, that he opposed comprising the entire Selection Committee of random students, fearing some groups of students could take advantage of the policy.
"The random process is corruptible at best," he said, adding that if one organization's full membership put their names in for the random draw, they potentially could control the selection process.
The big picture\nThe list of activities and University involvement of newly-selected Lawn residents, Evans said in an e-mail, only provides a small glimpse at the applicant pool.
"It doesn't show you how involved anyone has been in any particular organization and it doesn't let you connect it to how they used this information in what they presented in their application," Evans said.
Artemel said the students selected as a whole, he felt, represented the makeup of the student body.
"What other people categorize as the stereotypical 'Lawnie' - I don't fit into that," Artemel said. "I'm not on governing activities, but I think they try to pick a representation of the student body."
Moreover, Chrisinger dismissed the notion that the student-led Selection Committee only chooses friends for Lawn rooms, which would be unlikely because of the anonymity of the application review process.
"People say [that to live on the Lawn] you need to know someone," Chrisinger said. "If you asked the people who live there now, did you know anyone? A lot of them would say, 'I knew nothing about this place.'"
Although the process of selecting Lawn residents has changed through the years, Groves said he believes being selected has not lost any of its prestige.
"It is still a great honor," he said, "in part, because you are chosen by your peers"
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