From the President

Dear Alumni of the Jefferson Society,

My name is Michael Marrow, and I have had the pleasure of serving as President of the Society for the Fall 2018 semester. In my first semester at UVA, I had the privilege of being admitted to the Jefferson Society and I struggle to think what my life would be like without it. My semesters as a member have contributed to unparalleled personal and intellectual growth; in Jeff Soc, I have been able to learn more about the world around me and myself and be more of who I am than anywhere else. For the entirety of my time here, the Hall has been a home for me. With our new class of probationaries inducted just recently, my earnest hope is that the Hall is a home for them as well. This semester has witnessed some major changes in the Society’s structure: we have created an Outreach Chair to increase our impact in the UVA community, consolidated the Public Service Chair and Sergeant-at-Arms into one position, and done the same with the Room 7 Resident and chair of the Alumni Relations Committee, as the Room 7 Resident will now chair the committee starting in the fall of 2019. As I write this, an amendment to form an Alumni Council is also pending and is expected to pass at this week’s meeting.

In light of this progress, I am happy to report that the Society is doing well. However, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that the Hall is in need of repairs, which we lack the requisite revenue for. The president’s chair has been broken for nearly two years. Chairs throughout the Hall continue to break as the wood gives way to years of wear. Tables, cabinets, and other furniture in the Hall are in desperate need of replacement. Additionally, more funds could provide multiple new opportunities: our events would be more accessible to low-income members, our outreach to the community could be more effective if we had the budget for bigger and more frequent events, and new equipment and technologies could be incorporated in the Hall, such as a projector. These are but a few possibilities that could be within reach with your generous support. We are very grateful for our alumni, and it is always such a joy to see that so many of you live vicariously through current members on Grounds. In the coming months, we will be diligently working to forge closer relations with our alumni network, as we have much to learn from all of you, and could certainly benefit from closer ties. You have the ability to change lives here on Grounds, as I know the Society has changed mine. Thank you for your continuous support of the Society and its members, and I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season. 

HOMI,
Michael Marrow