The Lawn selection committee recently determined the 185th class of students to live in Mr. Jefferson's Academical Village.
The committee received 250 applications this year for 47 rooms.
Formal decision letters were mailed Feb. 13 to those accepted, who then had until Feb. 20 to accept or decline the offer.
The Accomodations Office of the University Housing Division yesterday released the list of those who had accepted Lawn contracts.
A 35-member committee was formed earlier in the year consisting of 20 ex-officio members and 15 randomly selected members.
Each committee member read all of the submitted applications and generated a list of the 47 people he or she would like to see on the Lawn, according to Head Lawn Resident Shan Wu.
"There is a document that all committee members are given that details the purpose of the Lawn resident program," Wu said. "The committee is generally encouraged to look for a balance between extracurricular and academic activities. However, the individual criteria are up to each committee member."
Although the Lawn rooms have no air conditioning or indoor plumbing, living on the Lawn is widely regarded as a special privilege throughout the University community.
"I think it is an incredible honor," said Rebecca Menges, a third-year College student and future Lawn resident. "As a member of the University Guide Service I give tours and talk about the Lawn so it is incredible to actually live there. It is basically the best front yard in the world."
Menges said she also serves as the chair of the Student Arts Committee.
Third-year College student Kate Malay, a future Lawn resident and Inter-Sorority Council vice president for administration, said the positives of living among the University's student leaders outweigh having to walk outside in the cold to go to the bathroom.
"I can't think of any better place to experience the University," Malay said. "I am so appreciative to meet the other student leaders who never cease to amaze me, and I also can't wait to hand out candy to little kids on Halloween. I thought for so long that I didn't belong here, but now I feel like I finally have my place."
In addition to the 47 rooms that are given out by the committee, seven rooms are endowed.
These rooms include the head resident of the Lawn's room, the John Crispell room generally given to a pre-med student already accepted to the Lawn, the Gus Blagden room given to an "unsung hero" of the University, the Trigon room, the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society room, the Honor Committee room and the Kappa Sigma fraternity room, Wu said.
The selection processes for these rooms are conducted by the individual organizations to which they have been endowed and are in the process of being completed.
The present Lawn selection process has only been in place for two years.
Wu, Dean of Students Penny Rue, the next Head Lawn Resident and several others soon will meet to review the current Lawn process.
"We want to make sure that it is a fair process for everybody," Wu said.
Accepted Lawn Residents for 2004-2005
Melody E. Akhavan
Spencer R. Allen
Stephen N. Ander
David Bowman
Samuel H Brody
Matthew B. Bulloch
Courtney D. Cherry
William Chichester, Iii
Andrea L. Craine
Breanna M. Digiammarino
Jessica C. Ellis
Laura L. Fairneny
Jennifer L. Furstenau
Bryce Wesley Galen
Adam R. Gustafson
Benjamin Hicks
Reena Hijazi
Aaron M. Kurman
Joseph D. Lemire
Daisy Lundy
Katherine A. Malay
Andrew M. Mccormick
Erin Mcdermott
Rebecca E. Menges
Allison S. Mui
Jose Victor Nable
Kassia J. Omohundro
Kimberly E Osagie
Sarah Page
Robert Petersen
Alicia C. Pettit
Andrew P. Pratt
Jonathan Robbins
Margaret E. Samra
Addison L. Sears-Collins
Vrinda Shah
Taylor A. Sharp
Katherine E. Shea
Elizabeth C. Shoffner
Jennifer A Silvers
Nathaniel L. Smith
Nicholas Staubach
Jeffrey M Tebbs
Markus Weisner
Christopher E. Wilson
Sally Wood
Melissa Zweigel
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