To the Editor:

I am writing in response to the recent letters concerning Monroe Scholars and housing options. As an entering Monroe Scholar two years ago, I chose not to live in Monroe. I had visited campus for an overnight and decided that I did not care for the isolated nature of the residence hall in comparison to the rest of the freshman class. Although honored to be designated as a Monroe Scholar, I didn't see any advantages of living with other Monroes as a freshman.

As a freshman in Botetourt, I felt a sense of belonging on many different levels. With only 23 girls on my hall, and about 80 people in my entire building, I felt an unmatched sense of community, friendship and energy. The close proximity of the majority of the freshman class, the daily dinners at the Caf, the energetic Residence Assistant staff and the opportunity to be an officer on that year's Hall Council of the Year, makes me confident that for me, Botetourt was a better choice.

I beg to differ that Monroe contains a "magic" that can not be experienced in other freshman residence halls. Just like Caro, my closest friends remain the people I met freshman year in Fauquier and the people I have met the past two years as an RA in Botetourt. No one can argue with that. But as a fellow RA, I felt it was in bad form for the letter's author to compare his own freshman experience to that of his RA hall. Obviously, living on the hall as a resident will be a totally different experience than being the upperclassman figure.

Freshman year will change you, and you will make some of the best friends of your life no matter where you live. This campus is saturated with intelligence, creativity and free thinking. Monroe Hall cannot claim to possess a monopoly. Everyone who attends the College is in a way a "like-minded scholar." Whether in the halls of Hunt, Barrett, Botetourt, Monroe, Yates or Talieferro, I believe each freshman experience will contain the "stimulating conversations," "camaraderie" and "bonds of lasting friendship" that the author states may be "lacking" in other freshman halls.

In addition, I believe that the Monroe Scholar program encompasses a lot more than just housing, but for some reason the housing issue is what causes the most controversy. Live in Monroe or don't live in Monroe. It may be a good choice for some and not for others. But keep in mind that the Monroe label was given to you for things you did in high school. Don't stop now that you're here.

Utilize the leadership abilities and academic potential that the admissions office noticed in you. Participate in the lunch seminars offered by the Charles Center. Support the Monroe tutoring program. Don't take the whole deal for granted, but take advantage of the opportunities. Get involved and leave the College a little better for your time here. I don't give any weight to the label "Monroe" in and of itself. For me, it's what I'm doing here and now to benefit the campus that counts.

The goal of the Monroe Scholar Program is to attract the most talented students to the College. But it shouldn't stop at the desk of the admissions office. Another one of the program's goals is to increase the level of intellectual curiosity on campus as a whole.

For this reason, I believe that perhaps it would make more sense to integrate, rather than separate Monroe Scholars from the start to maximize the overall visibility and general benefits of the program. Perhaps the perceived benefits of living in Monroe Hall should be reevaluated with the goals of the program in mind.

-- Eileen Kiley,
Class of '02