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The University released its decisions on Lawn rooms for the 2021-2022 school year Feb. 12. Forty-seven students have been offered Lawn rooms, while the seven remaining rooms are reserved for specific awards and organizations. Demographic data provided by Dean of Students Allen Groves shows an increase in the number of students of color offered Lawn rooms — from only 32 percent of offers last year to nearly 60 percent this year.
Lawn room decisions are made by the Lawn Selection Committee — a 60 person group made up of all students — which is chaired by Moriah Hendrick, senior resident of the Lawn and fourth-year College student. As chair of the committee, Hendrick does not vote — instead, she works to ensure that members feel supported and aren’t overwhelmed while reading applications.
In an email statement to The Cavalier Daily, Hendrick said that the Lawn Selection Committee looks for achievement, impact and sincerity in applicants.
“Each year, we look for students who have exemplified selfless service to the University and the Charlottesville community,” Hendrick said. “There are far more qualified applicants each year than there are rooms on the Lawn, so we do our best to select a representative and engaged group — one that reflects the needs, interest and involvements of the greater University community.”
Consistent with a downward trend in applications the past few years, Lawn room applications decreased this year to 189 — down from 221 during last year’s application cycle. Of the 47 offers made, 25 were to women and 22 were to men, meaning the acceptance rate was 24.9 percent.
This year saw an increase in the diversity of students offered Lawn rooms. 32 white students were offered Lawn rooms last year — 68 percent of applicants — while this year 19 offers went to white students, comprising 40 percent of total offers.
While last year only five Black students were offered Lawn rooms, this year 10 offers went to African American or African American+ students — making up 22 percent of total offers. Ten, or 21 percent of total offers, went to Asian or APA+ students, while last year only eight Asian American students were offered Lawn rooms. Five offers went to Latinx or Latinx+ students — the same number as last year — making up 10 percent of total offers.
Most offers — 33, or 70 percent — went to students in the College. Engineering and Commerce were the next most popular schools, with three offers each. Batten, Education and Nursing students all received two offers each.
The top major among students offered a Lawn room was Global Studies, with five total students. The next most popular major was Philosophy, Policy and Law with four offers, followed by Commerce, Computer Science and Media Studies with three offers each. The mean GPA of students offered a Lawn room was 3.713.
“This has been a very difficult year, and as a result, this pool of Lawn room recipients is one that has remained creatively and proactively committed to their various communities and involvements even in the face of unprecedented adverse circumstances,” Hendrick said. “The committee worked hard to select this group, and we're excited to see what they bring to the Lawn and the greater University community next year.”
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