The Committee to Pave the Lawn — gasp as you will — is a real thing.
Fortunately, there is no need to worry — the committee does not have real intentions of paving over Thomas Jefferson’s Lawn. Rather, the organization has a mission to get people to question tradition, status quos and cliches.
Restarted by fourth-year College student Jerry Chen, the Committee to Pave the Lawn was originally a club back in the ‘80s that satirically attempted to get people to stop walking across the Lawn and keep to the brick paths. Chen’s modern incarnation is no less controversial and has drawn skepticism from some members of the University community.
“The main motivation [for] starting it came after StudCo gave me crap for it,” he said. “We apply for funding each semester — we get zero dollars.”
The committee’s Redundancy Chair of Redundancy Karsten Coates, a second-year College student, said the group’s purpose is to challenge tradition and unquestioned norms.
“From its very conception, our University has been traditionally untraditional, and in keeping with that tradition, we are going to break it,” Coates said. “We are an avenue for students to get rid of pompous air and antiquated traditions.”
Pave the Lawn provides a platform for open dialogue about controversial topics and humorous conversation, as demonstrated by the lack of seriousnessness they took to answering our questions.
“We want people to come together and talk about things like hazing, racism and peeing in showers,” Chen said. “And abolishing StudCo — I don’t like those guys.”
The committee knows its very name incites anger in some students and, in fact, revels in its absurdity.
“At a networking convention, I told an alumna about Pave the Lawn and they were immediately offended and walked away,” Coates said. “That is Pave the Lawn doing what it’s supposed to.“
In addition to its humorous aspects, the committee serves as vehicle for social and philanthropic change, Chen said. “If we like something, we want to [be able to] just do it and not have to go through Madison House,” he said.
They are currently organizing an event to provide brunch for families who lived in the Ronald McDonald House, but now live on Grounds in former first-year dorm Courtenay.
“We are trying to pave the Lawn with love, charity and kindness,” Coates said. “But mainly asphalt — 80 percent asphalt.”
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