the Academic Tradition: Clemson U.

    

 

 From a family perspective, the one thing that we stressed with our eldest son was getting to know his people (the Numerican Nation):

Not as they presented themselves, but as they actually were.

 

Basically he went to Clemson with a dual purpose in mind; to get an education (received a degree in mathematics), and to develop a keener awareness of his roots (hooked up with the SIGMAs while he was there, as well as 2nd cousins Stanley and Temeka).

 

 

We toyed with the idea of sending our youngest to the Citadel; however, he was having no parts of it.  

   

Their institutionalized behavioral patterns were more than he could stand.

  [ Plus the Citadel didn't have a strong tradition of admitting females; and Clint didn't find the prospect of four years without them, even remotely, attractive. When one of their admissions reps told him that he had to come in with "the right attitude and for the right reasons": that was all he needed to hear.] 

 Missylou (Courtney) expressed an interest in going to the University at Clemson, however given the size and location of the campus, her mother and I discouraged her (even tho her big brother was there).

Instead we applauded her decision to attend the University of North Florida, which was a much smaller campus located near a federal natural wildlife reserve in north Florida:

The smaller campus afforded greater personal safety, and security, as it was less accessible to the public in general

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 [The University of South Carolina was automatically eliminated as an academic choice due to it's location (Columbia, S.C.); and, proximity to the state capitol building, which still flew the Confederate Flag.]