I never felt a sense of ownership of the Lawn — that is, I never felt like I belonged on the Lawn — until I joined the University Guide Service at the start of last semester. Part of the reason why is that the organization maintains a space inside of Pavilion VIII furnished with tables and couches for its members to use. The room was initially intended for general student use, but members of the Guide Service colonized and decorated it years ago. For me, it has been a space to meet friends and study in between classes. No other student group holds such a space on the Lawn, a fact which contributes to what I perceive to be a general lack of inclusivity and student participation on the Lawn.
I want to pose a question to my friends in the Guide Service and the rest of my peers: Why is the Guide Service afforded a space on the Lawn that others cannot access? At our University, the allocation of space and resources indicates what our community values, and any group that receives a space on the Lawn is explicitly elevated above other groups. As a member of the Guide Service, I believe that our de facto ownership of Pavilion VIII stands at odds with our mission to make visitors feel welcome at the University. In the interest of creating an accessible Lawn, the Guide Service should lose its space in Pavilion VIII so that we can restore it to its purpose as a lounge for all students.
To be clear, I don’t mean to say that the Guide Service shouldn’t receive a space on Grounds to perform its functions as a tour-giving organization. I think the Guide Service is one of the most necessary organizations on Grounds particularly given its role in preserving the history of our University. Over the past few years, the Guide Service has made significant strides in addressing slavery at the University in its historical tours. Additionally, tour guides are often the first faces that prospective students see when they come to Charlottesville. The Guide Service should absolutely maintain a space on Grounds. But I just don’t think that space should be on the Lawn.
Earlier this semester, the Managing Board published an editorial which argued that Lawn resident selections should primarily be based on the diversity of experiences residents can provide instead of individual student achievement. Central to the editorial’s argument was the notion that the Lawn must be a space for our entire community to gather rather than an award for high-achieving students. Above all, the Managing Board argued, “no student should feel like a space so integral to our school is inaccessible.” I agree that inclusivity on the Lawn is of utmost importance, and I would expand the Managing Board’s argument to student spaces in pavilions in addition to Lawn rooms. I think the Guide Service’s presence on the Lawn makes it a less inclusive space. The reality is that the Guide Service is an organization that denies roughly 90 percent of those who try out each semester. Unfortunately it carries an image of exclusivity and elitism that sometimes overshadows its commitment to sharing our University’s history. I fear that the Guide Service’s occupation of Pavilion VIII makes the Lawn a less accessible place for this reason.
Dean of Students Allen Groves has expressed concern with the competitiveness of student groups on Grounds. “Too many young people focus on four to five organizations, when we have 700,” Groves said last semester. “There are a handful of organizations, that, because they are high profile, students believe they need to be part of if they are going to have the U.Va experience.” . It should be no surprise to Groves that so many students feel that they must join groups such as the Guide Service in order to have “the U.Va experience” since being on the Lawn is part of having this experience. Removing the Guide Service from Pavilion VIII would be a step toward ending the unhealthy student fixation on the handful of organizations that appear to dominate spaces such as the Lawn.
According to outgoing Chair of the Guide Service Claire Mueller, the room in Pavilion VIII occupied by the Guide Service does not technically belong to the organization under its agreement with Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer Patricia Lampkin. It would be easy for the administration to take the space away from the Guide Service. I hope that the administration will consider making Pavilion VIII a space that is accessible to all students and not just the Guide Service so that all students will be able to enjoy the Lawn as I have.
Nazar Aljassar is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at n.aljassar@cavalierdaily.com
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