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A different kind of Lawn room

Eight of 54 Lawn rooms reserved for specific organizations

<p>While all Lawn residents must go through a selection process, the process for residents of endowed and reserved rooms differs from the standard application process.</p>

While all Lawn residents must go through a selection process, the process for residents of endowed and reserved rooms differs from the standard application process.

Of the 54 Lawn rooms at the University, eight rooms are set aside for specific organizations.

The Honor Committee, Kappa Sigma fraternity, the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society and the Trigon Engineering Society all nominate students to live in Lawn rooms specifically designated for that purpose. There are also two memorial lawn rooms — the John K. Crispell room and the the Gus Blagden room.

The Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity is the only organization which nominates an undergraduate student to live on the Range, an area which is otherwise reserved for graduate students. There is also a room reserved for the Lawn’s senior resident, a resident advisor chosen by Housing and Residence Life.

University Dean of Students Allen Groves chairs the Lawn Selection Process Organizing Committee, and has the final say about many of the selection processes for endowed and reserved lawn rooms.

“There are four rooms that are endowed, meaning that a gift was made to the University years ago to reserve them for a specific purpose,” Groves said in an email statement. “There are four rooms that are deemed to be reserved, based upon letter agreements entered into by the University many years ago.”

While all Lawn residents must go through a selection process, the process for residents of endowed and reserved rooms differs from the standard application process.

Room 1 West — the John K. Crispell room — and Room 15 West —the Gus Blagden room — are both endowed rooms which have committees who choose their residents. The Blagden room is also known as the “Good Guy Room.” According to the Blagden room selection committee, a resident of 15 West is someone who “[s]elflessly commits their time to serving the University community, maintains good moral character, … displays genuine concern and care for fellow students … [and] carries these fine qualities with the utmost humility.”

The other two endowed rooms are Room 37 West, which is traditionally given to the chair of the Honor Committee, and Room 26 East, which is given to the senior resident of the Lawn.

Room 17 West is reserved for the Trigon Engineering Society, Room 7 West is reserved for the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, Room 46 East is reserved for Kappa Sigma Fraternity and room 47 West Range is reserved for Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. The residents of these rooms are chosen from members of the relevant organizations who submit the standard application to live on the Lawn.

The University selection committee typically choose the residents of reserved rooms. However, in the event that two members of a reserving organization are accepted to live on the Lawn, the organization in question decides which member lives in the reserved room.

DeAnza Cook, current senior resident of the Lawn and College student, said there are a few features which set living in a reserved or endowed room apart, one being that the residents do not pay for the room.

“Sometimes, the room comes with additional features,” Cook said in an email statement. “For example, the Crispell room has a special bridge cabinet that was made for the endowed room resident's use.”

Groves said most of the endowed and reserved Lawn rooms were dedicated years ago and are longstanding traditions.

“The present position of the University is to create no new endowed or reserved rooms, but to honor those arrangements made in the past,” Groves said.

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