FORTY-SEVEN single rooms and over 200 people who want to live in them. Such is the dilemma faced by the Lawn Selection Committee every winter. I've spent the better part of the new millennium trying to find a way to free the selection of next year's Lawn residents from controversy. Know what I found? It's impossible. There will always be many more qualified applicants than there are rooms, and many applicants will be disappointed.
It might be helpful to describe the Lawn community and explain the selection process, which isn't a secret at all. This year's Lawn is composed of scholars, actors, athletes, engineers, snowboarders, architects, volunteers, dancers, Greeks, debaters, activists, teachers, babysitters and editors. I can confidently assert that they are some of the most humble, dedicated students at this University. To call the 2000-2001 Lawnies "elitist" - as some have in the past - would be a gross inaccuracy. They have contributed in so many ways, and they have continued serving the University while residing on the Lawn.
The Lawn means something a bit different to everyone. This makes the selection process difficult; some would even argue that it is inconsistent. In years past, the Lawn Selection Committee has been accused of over-representing certain organizations in their choice of residents. The thrust of this year's process is to recognize applicants for who they are, rather than what they do here. The selection committee believes that a person's level of commitment to activities can be a window to his personality, and that is why we ask for a list of activities. We also realize that a resume may not be especially revealing, so we ask applicants to explain what the Lawn represents to them in an essay.
Applications for the Lawn Selection Committee were mailed to all undergraduates who will receive degrees in May. The Lawn Selection Organizing Committee will choose 25 students from these applicants to read every Lawn application. The organizing committee consists of the Student Council President, the Honor Committee chairman, the Judiciary Committee chairman, a representative from each of the undergraduate schools, the Dean of Students, representatives from the Housing Division and myself. The student members of the organizing committee are also a part of the Lawn Selection Committee, bringing the total number of application readers to 35. Some committee members will be current Lawn residents, but most will not. The breadth of membership on the organizing committee helps ensure a diverse set of perspectives on the selection committee.
Each selection committee member picks the 47 applications that he or she feels best show unselfish service to the University and achievement in academics and activities. Applications are kept anonymous, although some people might be identified by the roles they have assumed in their activities. This identification is unavoidable, and since it is highly unlikely that all 35 committee members will recognize such a person, the possibility of bias is diffused throughout the committee.
Unlike last year, the committee plans to release the list of those selected for residence in The Cavalier Daily. As a University community, we should celebrate with those who are selected. More importantly, we should take care to thank all who apply for their service to the University. Every year, too many students feel that they've wasted their time here if they are not rewarded with a Lawn room. This is unbelievably unfortunate.
It may be said that the Lawn residents of the future are not worried about getting on the Lawn because they are too busy making the University community better for everyone. As chair of the selection process, I have a little advice for students regarding the Academical Village. For first years: Go ahead and dream about living on the Lawn. Learn about its history - for example, Katie Couric lived in my room - and its impact on the community. For second years: Follow your passions, and participate in those activities that excite you. Don't worry about whether you're in the "right" organization, because there is no such thing.
Third years (and fourth years in the Curry School): For heaven's sake, apply! As long as you have a GPA of 2.0, you are eligible. The committee wrestled with raising the GPA requirement, but we are not in this to exclude people. You lose nothing by applying, and if you're like me, you just might discover something about yourself in the process. Fourth and fifth years, I need your help. Please take a moment and apply to be on the selections committee. If you believe in the values of diversity, creativity and scholarship, you are exactly the folks I need to choose next year's Lawn. I will do my best to ensure that the process is enjoyable and enlightening.
Keep this in mind as you fill out your Lawn application or question the validity of the selection process: The 54 Lawn rooms cannot house even a fraction of the students who have enriched the University. To say that a student did or did not make a valuable contribution based on where he or she lived is ridiculous. Let's all do our best to take some of the pressure off applying to live on the Lawn.
(Don Koons is Head Resident of the Lawn.)
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