SCHOOL’S POLITICALLY-CORRECT OBSESSION IS HARMING STUDENTS
Dear Editor,
I attended Clemson University in the 1960s when women students lived at Clemson House while the women’s dorm was being built. My classes often had no other women in them. Walking into the dining hall was intimidating, as there were probably fifty males for every female.
I was a shy introvert. Did I or those other first women students complain about diversity and make demands about having a “safe space” to eat? No. We were there for technical and scientific educations and Clemson was the college in South Carolina for that. My physics class had two other girls and dozens of guys in it. It was in an auditorium entered at the bottom, stage level – meaning all the guys already seated seemed to be staring at you as you found a seat.
Uncomfortable? Yes. But back then we girls sucked it up and worked to prove we deserved to be there.
My credits from Clemson all transferred after three years when I ended up in Seattle for family reasons. My bachelor of science degree with credits primarily from Clemson allowed me to pursue biomedical research at the University of Washington – and at a private Seattle biotech company.
I firmly believe that the imbalance in “diversity” at Clemson – and my personal coping mechanisms gained as a result of it – made me a stronger, more competitive person in the “real world.”
This banana event is indicative of a current Clemson administration fostering dependent children rather than encouraging personal growth learned through experiences outside the students’ normal comfort zones.
I retired back to South Carolina to be close to family and old friends. My grandson and granddaughter will both be starting college in the next 2-4 years. Hopefully, the South Carolina legislature will do something about Clemson that would encourage me to financially help them to attend the school.
The Banana Debacle does not.
Sincerely,
Pam Evans Kolb (attended Clemson 1965-1968)
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SIC SEZ
Pam: This is a wonderful letter – offering a much-needed perspective on this issue. Thank you for letting us share it with our readers.
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