Higher education in South Carolina

[sonofaque86]

My brother just got accepted to Clemson for computer engineering but due to that racist party he just said he'll go to USC with me. tsk tsk

[GvilleSC]

My brother just got accepted to Clemson for computer engineering but due to that racist party he just said he'll go to USC with me. tsk tsk

That's a shame.

[Spartan]

My brother just got accepted to Clemson for computer engineering but due to that racist party he just said he'll go to USC with me. tsk tsk

Its a good time to be in that field, especially with the College of Engineering & IT expanding.

I'm glad to see giving and SAT scores are up too! With that on top of the Innovista plans, our promising football team, top ranked baseball team, and other successful atheletics, its a great time to be at Carolina! Go Cocks!

[krazeeboi]

My brother just got accepted to Clemson for computer engineering but due to that racist party he just said he'll go to USC with me. tsk tsk

While I don't condone what happened at Clemson, I really think your brother should consider the bigger picture here. Also, USC isn't immune to such actions; remember the racist comments made by some members of Greek organizations concerning the Omegas having a house built at Greek Village?

There's no way I'd let an off-campus event with a relatively small amount of people involved (who at least apologized and appeared to be genuinely sorry about the incident--unlike what happened at USC) be the sole factor for me choosing a college to go to, especially considering Clemson's reputation for engineering. Tell your brother to give this some serious, deep thought and to take everything into considering when making this very important decision.

[CorgiMatt]

For one or two areas of engineering, USC is the better choice. I have no ideas which area(s).

[knightrider162]

For one or two areas of engineering, USC is the better choice. I have no ideas which area(s).

I would assume that would be on the medical side...

[Greenville]

My brother just got accepted to Clemson for computer engineering but due to that racist party he just said he'll go to USC with me. tsk tsk

If the Clemson party that was blown way out of proportion caused him to change his mind about Clemson, then I'm shocked that neither the ESPN Gameday Confederate flag incident or the Borat movie had a similar effect on his opinion of USC.

[Greenville]

I agree. I have yet to hear a convincing arguement for Clemson's actions here. I understand what they did, but I don't agree with it- especially since he got accepted at North Carolina, which generally has higher standards than Clemson. There is no point in shooting yourself in the foot... its not like the football team will hold it back from the 'top 20' status.

Dwight Jones was not accepted to North Carolina - he was signed by them. There is a huge difference. Unless he gets his really low SAT score up, he isn't likely to get in at UNC either. What he might be looking at is a year at a prep school, and if he does well enough there, he will hopefully be able to play football at UNC. The difference is that UNC is obviously willing to take that risk, and Clemson is not.

A lot of Clemson people so upset about this ordeal are unaware that Clemson's review board is NCAA mandated - Clemson didn't just create it to make things complicated. In fact, it's been in place for about 5 years now. Every school has such a board in one form or another. The controversy should be in regard to the board's ruling, and not that the board exists.

President Barker, who has been heavily criticized by Clemson football fans these last few days, does not sit on the board or have a vote. He did appoint members to the board, however. As with any other board, Clemson gives the football coaches a certain number of exceptions to use on borderline applicants. It is this way at most schools. Coaches are also allowed to appeal decisions, and the board is required to reconsider the player's file. Because this rejection of the two athletes came so late in the game (the day before recruits signed their paperwork), I have to wonder if Bowden & Co. already used their allotted number of borderline players. Or perhaps there was something else in the players' records that caused some concern. We don't know, and we never will since their records are not public information.

The other thing I know about the board at Clemson is that it meets regularly. It has even had improptu meetings in the past when a decision needs to be made even faster. I have heard that the holdup with these two athletes was due to the fact that the coaches did not turn in paperwork until the last minute. If that is true, it explains things a lot more (and regardless, it's a much better explanation than many fans have - and that is that the review board hates sports and wants to see the football team fail).

I do not understand why all of this happened the way it did, but President Barker has done enough for Clemson that I am willing to give him and the review board the benefit of the doubt. Obviously some communication problems are going on, and perhaps some changes are in order. But I am not willing to sacrifice Clemson's academics just for the football team's sake.

Oh yeah, and lost in all of this is the fact that Clemson had a top 15 recuiting class this year. And, 4 or 5 assistants have turned down "better" jobs with other college or pro teams (many with promises of a six-figure increase in salary) to stay at Clemson. So this review board must not be hindering the football team as some "fans" would have us believe.

Edited February 11, 2007 by Greenville

[krazeeboi]

^I still haven't see the Borat movie so I forget what that was all about, but the Gameday Confederate flag-waving thing was really nothing in comparison. Some have even said that it was actually a Clemson student that was waving the flag. It's obvious that that isn't something that happens at USC games on a regular basis. However, the incident I mentioned about the Omegas (Omega Psi Phi fraternity, a Black fraternity) having a house built at Greek Village and the racist comments made about it by those already residing in the village is definitely a comparable incident.

[knightrider162]

Personally as an African-American student at Clemson, I really do not see what the big deal about the party nor do I understand the NAACP's brash actions. I feel that this whole "joking about another race" scenario goes both ways, why do you think that most white people stay away from HBCUs. There are far bigger issues such as why is this stereotype even in the minds of these people. I for one am tired of constant finger pointing and ready for the NAACP to actually look at the3 culture that is causing these things. I have personally encountered more racism in high school than I have at Clemson, I just dont see why someone could look at an isolated incident and say that it represents the whole university. The media had a field day with this one and you cant really know what the racial climate is here being here.. making choices of an oversensationalized story is just not the best route.

[Spartan]

^I still haven't see the Borat movie so I forget what that was all about, but the Gameday Confederate flag-waving thing was really nothing in comparison. Some have even said that it was actually a Clemson student that was waving the flag. It's obvious that that isn't something that happens at USC games on a regular basis. However, the incident I mentioned about the Omegas (Omega Psi Phi fraternity, a Black fraternity) having a house built at Greek Village and the racist comments made about it by those already residing in the village is definitely a comparable incident.

I finally saw Borat, and the comments were certainly bad, but they were obviously drunk at the time. It sounded more derogatory to woman than anything. Also, given the context of the entirety of that movie, it wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. A totally overblown issue, just because it happened in South Carolina. Its very similar to the Clemson incident in that respect. Obviously there are still racial issues to work out of this state, and the media loves to point out anything we do wrong, even if the same thing happened in other states, and with other schools.

As someone who has attended both schools, I can tell you there is no difference between the general attitudes of the people I meet at either place other than their perspective on Clemson and Carolina. If there is some attitude at USC that is undesirable, then it easily exists at Clemson, or any other school in this state too for that matter and vice-versa. Remember, we're all South Carolinians and the actions of any place reflects on all of us.

[monsoon]

Is there any reason to keep this thread open? It's really nothing but the ongoing pissing contest between Clemson and USC? I can't imagine that anyone not interested in those schools would have any reason to read this topic.

[whitehourseview]

Is there any reason to keep this thread open? It's really nothing but the ongoing pissing contest between Clemson and USC? I can't imagine that anyone not interested in those schools would have any reason to read this topic.

I think a thread on South Carolina's higher ed. institutions would be fine. But as it is you are correct, the thread might as well be called Clemson v USC.

It would be nice to read of events at CoC, The Citadel, PC, Newberry, Winthrop, Furman, Wofford, etc...

[Spartan]

It would be nice, but we just don't have enought people to represent those places since USC anc Clemson are the major public universities in this state. Krazee keeps us up on Winthrop, and Furman, CofC, and USC Upstate get some representation from time to time here... but thats really about it.

Perhaps this thread has gotten way off track. I think that issues surrounding these schools are going to come up since they are so vital to this state so we may as well have a place to contain the discussion. I'm open to suggestions on ways to improve it, and keep discussion from turning into a Clemson vs Carolina debate (which we all know will never end).

[CorgiMatt]

USC's PhD program in the department of exercise science is ranked #1 in the nation by Academic Analytics. The organization's other top-ten rankings for USC are: marine biology and biological oceanography at #6, clinical psychology at #8, physical oceanography at #8, and nuclear engineering at #10.

http://uscnews.sc.edu/HLTH068.html

[SimCity]

As a teacher in training at Woodland High School and a graduate student at The Citadel, I for one, am thankful that schools such as Clemson and The Citadel have decided to be more selective in their choices of student athletes. Students, rather in high school or college need to realize that academic skill is more important than athletic skill. There is no need to be a "dumb jock" that has a hard time writing a proper sentence in English or who struggles to read a sentence. These students need to be held accountable and a school's academic image should not have to suffer just to improve their field advantage. I commend Clemson's decision to elevate their national academic prestige but it certainly won't happen if they continue to just accept someone based on their playing abilities alone. America seems to be experiencing the same dumbing down of our culture that took place in ancient Rome and we all know how that ended. Even worse is that this seems to be on an accelerated pace when it comes to our minority populations, mainly African Americans and Hispanics. As an African American I'm sure this has a huge connection with why there are so many more of our males in prison than in college. So I say improve the academic standards, celebrate academic achievement and intellectual ability instead of celebrating the lack of it and lowbrow culture, and good riddance to those who won't even make the attempt.

Edited March 3, 2007 by SimCity

[krazeeboi]

As an African American I'm sure this has a huge connection with why there are so many more of our males in prison than in college.

A little off-topic, but this statement is very misleading. There are actually many more college-age Black males in college than in prison. When including the entire Black male population, it's very important to make that distinction.

At any rate, I agree with what you're saying overall. This is much more of a cultural problem than one dealing with our schools per se. We live in an age of instant superstardom, which includes the fields of sports.

[Spartan]

USC has achieved another #1 ranking. This time Academic Analytics ranked the doctoral program in exercise science at No. 1 in kinesiology and exercise science among research universities. Its in the Arnold School of Public Health.

The Daily Gamecock

[krazeeboi]

USC has achieved another #1 ranking. This time Academic Analytics ranked the doctoral program in exercise science at No. 1 in kinesiology and exercise science among research universities. Its in the Arnold School of Public Health.

The Daily Gamecock

Post #90.

[Spartan]

Oh well. It was news to me!

[GvilleSC]

Clemson

[krazeeboi]

With USC and Clemson having such strong business programs, you've got to wonder the state isn't doing as well as it could be in terms of the overall business climate.

[GvilleSC]

With USC and Clemson having such strong business programs, you've got to wonder the state isn't doing as well as it could be in terms of the overall business climate.

It's definitely improving, though. As it improves, we'll keep more of these business school grads in state. At that point I think the business climate in SC will explode.

[goodbye]

The addition of Clemson University's Renaissance Center to downtown Greenville is sure to have a very positive impact. It "will bring entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership education activities to Greenville in a central, historic location

[krazeeboi]

It's definitely improving, though. As it improves, we'll keep more of these business school grads in state. At that point I think the business climate in SC will explode.

I sure hope so; I'm more optimistic than not.