ENWR Final Project

The podcast discusses the history of UVA's lawn and its significance as a gathering place for students. It explores how convocation ceremonies have evolved to become more inclusive and diverse over the years. The transcription also highlights the less joyous history of the lawn's construction, which involved enslaved laborers who were often overlooked and mistreated. The University has made attempts to remember and honor these laborers, including the construction of a memorial. The lawn is also important for its role in student traditions, which bring students together and foster a sense of unity. Good morning, listeners, and welcome back to our History of UVA podcast. Today we will be discussing the history of UVA's lawn, the university's unifying gathering place in the center of Browns. My name is Nathan Kim. I'm Sasha Geisinger. I'm Jack Davis. And I'm Kim Johansen. Throughout our short few months at UVA, we've seen how the lawn is one of the most important and common places of gathering for students. People use the lawn as a nice study spot in between classes, as a soccer field, and even as a place to nap. Pretty much all of the above. Overall, the lawn plays an essential role in fostering the many different communities throughout UVA. Our first formal introduction to the lawn came at this past August convocation ceremony, which is just one of the two times in which our entire class comes together at the same time and the same place, thus making the fact that it's held on the lawn just as significant as the event itself. UVA's convocation ceremony is an iconic event that has been a tradition for countless first-year classes. It's the entryway for the newest university students to really evolve socially, academically, and emotionally. Each speech given is intended to spark hope in the students' futures and to congratulate the students for being accepted into such an esteemed university. The tradition, which dates back to the earliest years of the university, has seen many changes because of how society has evolved to become significantly more inclusive. Originally a ceremony for only the white men enrolled in the university, early convocation ceremonies were filled with hints of racial and economic superiority compared to other colleges. While recent ceremonies now encourage diversity, highlighting the value and differences in gender, race, and socioeconomic status, older convocation ceremonies were not this inclusive. These changes we've seen in convocation ceremonies affect the rhetoric composed by the lawn. For example, in 2023, the dominant narrative portrayed by the lawn is that of inclusivity and tolerance. At this year's convocation ceremony, Jim Ryan encouraged students to stand up and say hello to whoever they were next to to reinforce that no matter our differences, we are all a family. His speech encouraged students to appreciate each other's differences without any judgment, encouraging students to be curious and not judgmental. The dominant narrative was much different in 1949 when Rector Baron F. Black gave a convocation address to the newest incoming class. As mentioned earlier, at this time in history, UVA was an all-white, all-boys school, and most attendees were really wealthy. It didn't encourage any sort of tolerance for other demographics, only encouraging unity and respect between the upper-class white male students at the university. While our university is still definitely very elitist, the way in which we are elitist has changed drastically. Rector Black emphasized the even degrading other student bodies for their lack of sophistication. Black made fun of their Just this fact changes the meaning of the law completely. It was still a place of gathering for students, but did not encourage and accept any sort of diversity. Our law now is the same law on which students and assumed faculty put down other schools for not being The mention of a is completely overshadowed by the fact that people not of the right ethnicity and gender can't even be enrolled in the school. Their individualism was not permissible by the standards of UVA. While UVA is definitely still elitist now, Convocation addresses focus on how it's because UVA is an esteemed institution that doesn't confine students to standing barriers of dress or appearance. Everyone is allowed to express themselves in whichever way they want, cultivating more individuality at UVA than ever before, thus reinforcing the law's role as a place of unity for UVA students of all backgrounds and ethnicities. While the history of Convocation ceremonies themselves aren't materially represented on grounds throughout the year, the progression of this history is reflected in each new student body introduced to UVA. So pretty much, each ceremony strays further and further from most of the ideal stress addressed to the class of 1953. So as society changes to become more tolerant of difference, so has UVA, thus resulting in more progressive student bodies each year. The lawn is and always was a launch pad for first years to discover themselves and their passions. The difference is that this opportunity is now offered to more than just upper white class males. While the lawn has become a symbol of unity and hope for the future for first year students, the underlying history of its construction is less joyous. Jefferson first envisioned the University of Virginia, then called the Center College as a, quote, academical village, a place for education that fostered interaction among professors and students. In Jefferson's initial drawings of the university structure, the lawn was at its center, with professors' houses, the pavilions surrounding it, and student dormitories in between the pavilions. The rotunda sitting at the top of the lawn was the university's library. This centralized and unified approach to education was reflected in the structure as professors and students alike coexisted in the space, with the lawn uniting them in the middle. However, in all these picture-perfect descriptions of the academical village, the enslaved laborers that physically constructed Jefferson's vision and made their reality are rarely mentioned. The enslaved laborers lived in the basements underneath the professors' pavilion houses, out of sight and out of mind. They had separate backdoor entrances to prevent interaction with students and professors. Construction of the university by enslaved laborers began in July of 1817. In October of that same year, the Board of Visitors authorized the hiring of laborers for the construction of the university. This action was summed up in just one sentence in the Board of Visitors' minutes from October 7th. Resolved that the proctor be authorized to hire laborers for leaving their grounds and performing necessary services for the works or other purposes. Appearing at the end like an afterthought. This could show that at this time, slave labor was thought of as standard and guaranteed. Specific slave laborers included cleaning and leveling the land, handling timber, making bricks, and transporting quarried stone. In an article by Encyclopedia Virginia, it is shown that, quote, in 1825, 15 slaves manufactured between 800,000 and 900,000 bricks to be used in the construction of the Rotunda, end quote. During their working hours, many enslaved laborers were confined to work yards just behind the student dormitories and professors' pavilions. Today, these yards are the pavilion gardens. Spaces that many students know for their natural beauty and tranquility. In Jefferson's time, though, they were overcrowded, noisy, and smelly. The serpentine walls surrounding them were much taller than they are today. Their eight-foot height concealing enslaved laborers from view and their curved shade muffling the ruckus of the laborers and animals from students' ears. The experience of the slave laborers was clearly undesirable and inhumane. Some would say that Jefferson feared they would attempt to escape. Jefferson's initial vision for the academical village was for it to be left open at the bottom of the lawn. However, few know that in 1896, Old Capitol Hall was built to block off enslaved laborers' view of free black settlements that had just been developing past the south lawn area. In the 1830s, a note said this would discourage them from being influenced by ideas of a free life. This area was often referred to as Canada, a reference to the free black people living there. The university has made various attempts at remembrance of the horrors endured by enslaved laborers here at UVA, but their true effectiveness has been debated. In 2007, a small plaque was implemented in the pathway area underneath the rotunda, which is an arguably inadequate memorial due to its small size and out-of-the-way location, as well as due to its language, which minimizes the plight of enslaved laborers at UVA, both by downscaling the number of slaves who truly worked here, and by saying that they, quote, helped to realize Thomas Jefferson's design, end quote, with a shockingly calm language considering the level of work laborers carried out and the disrespect they endured. In 2020, the university completed the construction of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, a much larger-scale attempt at remembrance. The memorial sits just between the rotunda and the corner, an area heavy with foot traffic, putting it in a location where it's frequently viewed by students. Its shape forms a circle made of stone that is the same diameter as the rotunda, and etched on its walls are marks for every recorded enslaved laborer to work on the lawn and UVA grounds as a whole. This memorial is credited as being a much more concrete form of recognition of enslaved laborers' struggles here at UVA, although many question its true effectiveness and whether it was an act of performative remembrance. As we move forward to reconsider the other depths of the lawn's identity, we carry the knowledge that the lawn has slavery at its core, never forgetting the struggle of these involuntary workers to build UVA's focal point that we know and love today. On this land that was once tailored by enslaved laborers, student traditions have blossomed for decades. Another important aspect to note of the lawn's identity is the student traditions it brings along with it. Acting as a unifier, traditions bring students of all cultures and beliefs onto a common ground where they can relate to one another. This tradition has the ability to simultaneously unite and relate students of vastly different lives. A big example of a tradition at UVA is how everyone faces the rotunda during convocation and faces away during graduation. It's symbolic of the challenges that lie ahead during convocation and the challenges they have overcome during graduation. Something unusual about UVA is that the students are expected to maintain and uphold the school's tradition. Dean Woody emphasizes that students must learn to uphold themselves accountable for their own standards and actions. The students do an excellent job of this, such as with the honor system and, funnily enough, streaking the lawn. Traditions can also serve as a way to honor the past. The lighting of the lawn is an annual tradition that initially started to honor the victims of 9-11 and has grown into a larger celebration of the UVA community during the holiday season. During the event, various student groups perform before the community enjoys a light show. Each year has a theme, and the rotunda is decorated with lights complementary to this theme. Many gather here to listen to music and enjoy some free food. As shown, the lawn is one of UVA's focal points for student life and activities. Where else to end our time here than to spend our last moments as students on the lawn? As mentioned earlier, the lawn is an important aspect of UVA. It's covered in tradition, history, and memories. What other way to end off a student's four years at graduation than to finish where it all began at convocation? During this age-old ceremony, there are tons of speakers. The range of speakers is far and wide, and there's always a commencement address that a speaker conducts. Over time, these speeches have changed with their messages. We'll be looking into two speeches, one from Lady Bird Johnson in 1973 and Carla Williams in 2023. To start off with a similarity, both Williams and Johnson include stories to help build a message for their speech. They both weave in anecdotes to illustrate their points, giving a personal touch that resonates with the audience. Johnson uses the feelings of being a, quote, mother, grandmother, and mother-in-law to express her feelings for the graduating class, while Williams tells a story about a gentleman from Georgia born in 1888, emphasizing his qualities of faith, humility, perseverance, resilience, work ethic, internal motivation, integrity, and empathy. Encouragement and advice are threaded throughout the speeches. Williams highlights the role of teamwork and lifting others in achieving individual and collective excellence. She encourages the graduates to pursue excellence and not just success, using the achievements of the UVA women's swimming and diving team as an example. Passing off of what Jack said, Johnson speaks on the challenges that are on the way and how the class must overcome them. The use of encouragement is different in these two speeches as Williams is more community-centered, while Johnson's is far more patriotic. The content and themes of the speeches vary significantly. Carla Williams's speech heavily incorporates sports analogies, emphasizing qualities like determination, belief in oneself, and empathy. On the other hand, the first speech focuses on the unique characteristics of the graduating class, societal concerns, and the importance of individual and collective introspection. Although the speeches both are during graduation, the time these were spoken played a large factor on the tone. Johnson's speech has a more formal and reflective tone, discussing societal changes and generational characteristics. In contrast, Carla Williams's speech is more dynamic and uses sports-related metaphors to convey life lessons. As Nathan said earlier, the speeches are both during graduation. However, this does not mean that they are the same. Both speeches reflect the time and era they were given. Comparing the two speeches really shows how much things have changed, and how much the culture of graduation on the line has shifted over time. While things have changed over time, the idea of coming together and celebrating our achievements on the lawn has not changed. Both speeches recognize the accomplishments of the class and support the message of striving for a stronger community, all in the same unifying location of UVA's lawn. As a whole, UVA's lawn is a place that was born from a violent history, but has blossomed into a place where we as UVA students honor the past and move forward to the future with the activities and traditions that we have implemented in this space. As we create new histories on the lawn every day, we remember and honor its origin. Each of these aspects of the lawn have grown to be more inclusive of different ethnicities, socioeconomic groups, and races. HR contrasts the lawn in the early years of the university. Overall, the lawn has become and will remain a staple of UVA for its role in unifying students of all backgrounds.