The Range Council, a body composed of elected Range residents, recently drafted a constitution outlining Range Council election procedures and the application process for living in the historic rooms located on the outskirts of the Lawn.
"The purpose of creating the constitution was to set some governing principles for future Range residents," Range Council President Christopher Colby said. "For the past several years, Range residents have undertaken a concerted effort to create a true graduate community in the heart of Grounds."
Colby said the constitution officially documents what has been done in the past in "ad-hoc fashion."
"The constitution allows future Range residents to move beyond simply the administration of the Range and towards its larger goal of encouraging a sense of community among the graduate and the undergraduate populations of the University," Colby said. "This helps the Range move closer to Mr. Jefferson's ideal for his Academical Village."
Jim Cocola, a doctoral candidate in the English department, said the constitution will help incoming Range residents to transition into the community.
"I think the constitution will make it clear to incoming residents the outlet they might have in contributing to community life," Cocola said.
In order to live on the Range, applicants must be full-time graduate students and have one year of prior attendance at the University.
A committee composed of current Range residents meets in late January in order to select residents for the following year.
"The Range selection process, as it was this past year, focused on how prospective residents can contribute to the graduate community, and to the University as a whole," Colby said. "One change that I will recommend for next year, however, will be moving the deadline for applications from January to March, so that we can attract those graduating fourth years waiting for acceptance to a U.Va. graduate school."
The Range selection process differs from that of the Lawn in that the Lawn focuses on what students have accomplished at the University, while the Range Council looks to what the students will accomplish in their future, Colby said.
Current residents of the Range said they are very supportive of the new constitution.
"You need a couple of set rules on how to run elections and to select people on the Range," said third-year Medical School student Sunil Tholpady. "We just didn't have that kind of thing like the Lawn does."
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