Ever wonder how the Lawn Application Process works?
Watch this video to find out who’s reading your application, what’s on it, when it comes out, when it’s due, which rooms aren’t even up for grabs, and so much more!
Produced by Phineas Alexander
Starring Emily Graffeo
Footage: courtesy of UVA Today, Kim Shady, Morgan Mccabe, Cre8tive, Kenneth Burchfiel
Music: courtesy of BenSound
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The rates for the 2018-2019 school year are $6,880 – $7,030 for the year, depending on the size of your assigned room.
‘Residents on the Lawn must be full-time undergraduate degree applicants in their final year of undergraduate study at the University. Students enrolled in the joint College of Arts and Sciences/Curry School Master of Teaching program may apply for residency for either their 4th or 5th year, but not both
Numbers vary from year to year, but the Lawn Selection Committee typically receives 250-300 applications for 47 rooms. The 7 remaining rooms are assigned through alternative selection processes.
The Lawn Selection Committee is composed of 60 Fourth Year students, none of whom are permitted to be Lawn applicants themselves. Only students serve on the Selection Committee.
There are 30 ex-officio student members of the Lawn Selection Committee who represent a diversity of experiences and perspectives at U.Va., including: representatives from each of the seven academic schools offering undergraduate degrees; the Senior Resident of the Lawn (non-voting member); the President of Student Council; the Chair of the Honor Committee; the Chair of the University Judiciary Committee; representatives from the Asian jLeaders Council, the Asian Student Union, the Black Student Alliance, the Black Presidents Council, the Global Student Council, the Jewish Leadership Council, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Inter-Sorority Council, the Latino Student Alliance, the Middle Eastern Leadership Council, the Multicultural Greek Council, the Muslim Students Association, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Native American Student Union, the Queer Student Union, the Student Athlete Advisory Council, the Fourth Year Trustees, a transfer student representative; and a United for Undergraduate Socioeconomic Diversity representative.
The remaining 30 committee members are selected by a random process. A small group of Fourth Year students will receive an email request to serve on the Lawn Selection Committee, and the first 35 to accept this responsibility will receive training to read and rank applications. The first 30 to respond will serve on the committee, with the remaining 5 readers in reserve in the event that another committee member cannot fulfill his or her obligation and requires a replacement.
There are 4 endowed rooms and 4 reserved rooms. These rooms have their own separate selection processes and their selections are approved by the University Dean of Students or a specific selection committee drawn for that purpose.
Room 1 West is the John K. Crispell Memorial Room, which is assigned to an outstanding pre-health student selected by a separate committee. This resident of Room 1 is chosen from the Lawn applicants who accept offers from the Selection Committee; no additional application is required.
Room 7 West is traditionally assigned to a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society from those members who applied to live on the Lawn, and is approved by the University Dean of Students from the nomination forwarded by the Society.
Room 15 West is the Gus Blagden Memorial Room, or the “Good Guy” Room, and requires letters of nomination to a separate committee describing the candidate’s service and impact at the University. The candidate does not need to be an applicant in the regular Lawn selection process.
Room 17 West is assigned to a student nominated by the Trigon Engineering Society from those Trigon members who applied to live on the Lawn, and is approved by the University Dean of Students from the nomination forwarded by the Society.
Room 26 East is reserved for the Senior Resident of the Lawn, who is selected by the Office of the Dean of Students/Housing & Residence Life unit.
Room 37 West is assigned to a student selected by the Honor Committee and is traditionally the Chair of the Honor Committee.
Room 46 East is assigned to a student nominated by Kappa Sigma fraternity from those Kappa Sigma members who applied to live on the Lawn, and is approved by the University Dean of Students from the nomination forwarded by the Society.
Room 47 West Range is the sole Range room occupied by an undergraduate student. It is assigned to a student nominated by Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity from those Pika members who applied to live on the Lawn, and is approved by the University Dean of Students from the nomination forwarded by the Society.
SCRIPT
The lawn, the lively heart of the UVA Community. Each year 54 students are selected from over 300 applicants to live on this unesco world heritage site. But who is choosing who gets to lives on the lawn? Is this process fair? The answer is more complicated than you might think…
Introduction to the Lawn:
OC: The Lawn. The historic centerpiece of UVA. 54 rooms, occupied by fourth year students who’ve made a significant contribution to the University. But the question on the minds of the students and tourists who walk by these rooms every day- how are the 54 students chosen out of a class of 4,000?
We’re going to tell you everything you could possibly want to know about how to became a “lawnie.”
Application
OC: In typical UVA FAShION, the first step to becoming a lawnie is to fill out an application. The application is released in mid november and due in early January each year.
VO: Prospective lawnies are required to write four short essays where they describe their most significant extracurricular activities, discuss the impact they’ve made in the University and Charlottesville communities, summarize their academic paths and detail the ways they would uphold their responsibilities of living on the Lawn. The application also asks for your GPA and gives you a chance to briefly explain it. Historically the lawn receives between 250-300 applicants for the 54 rooms.
OC: The Lawns selection committee is made of 60 students members none śeThank you of which are able to apply to live on the lawn. These 60 students read and rank every single lawn application. Thirty of these members are randomly selected fourth years who are not currently in the process of applying to the lawn. The other 30 are student representatives put forward by select organizations who are also not in the process of applying to the lawn. Here is a list of every organization that gets a say in the lawnie application process.
Each of these selected students undergo a comprehensive training on how to read, sort and rate applications.
Endowed Rooms
OC: Of the 54 rooms, There are only 47 up for grabs to the public. The other 8 are endowed or reserved rooms. These rooms have their own separate selection processes. Their selections are approved by the University Dean of Students or a specific selection committee drawn for that purpose.
Room 1 West is the Pre health Room, which is assigned to an outstanding pre-health student
Room 7 West is traditionally assigned to a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, or Jeff Soc
Room 46 East is assigned to a student nominated by Kappa Sigma fraternity
Room 47 West Range is the sole Range room occupied by an undergraduate student. It is assigned to a student nominated by Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity
Room 17 West is assigned to a student nominated by the Trigon Engineering Society.
Room 26 East is reserved for the Senior Resident of the Lawn, and Room 37 West is assigned to a student selected by the Honor Committee and is traditionally the Chair of the Honor Committee.
Room 15 West i the Gus Blagden Memorial Room, better known as the “Good Guy” Room, and requires letters of nomination to a separate committee describing the candidate’s service and impact at the University. Interestingly, The candidate does not need to be an applicant in the regular Lawn selection process any student can nominate a candidate.
Life on the Lawn : Lawn FAQ’s
OC: Lawn rooms sit on the more expensive side of housing at UVA. ….the rates for the 2018-2019 school year are $6,880 – $7,030 for the year, depending on the size of your assigned room. Rooms come with a Loft bed and a day bed below and well as a fireplace and built in closet. What they do not come with is a bathroom. Those are located intermittently behind the lawn.
Despite its prized status today, the lawn hasn’t always been a coveted place to live. Due to the lack of amenities, in the early 20th century rooms in the oldest UVA housing would lie unoccupied…Students would apply to live here like they would to any other on-grounds housing.
VO: But in the late 1960’s, UVA Director of Housing Chester Titus upgraded the amenities in the room, including turning doubles into singles and replacing fireplaces, which stimulated demand for the rooms. To control the demand, Tiitus decided to form committees to pick the residents. He wanted the lawn to be filled with good people, who participated in student life and made a contribution to UVA not solely academic.
