Clemson, South Carolina — At Clemson College in South Carolina, the ClemsonLIFE program offers college students with mental disabilities an opportunity to study life expertise for unbiased dwelling.
However as a lot as this system affords, junior Charlie McGee wished the entire faculty expertise, from alpha to omega. McGee informed CBS Information he wished to affix a fraternity so as “to have a good time and expertise the brotherhood and extra pleasure.”
Sadly, speeding a fraternity is a course of. There are interviews and mixers, and even then, there is no assure of acceptance. The truth is, no Clemson fraternity had ever taken a pupil from the ClemsonLIFE program. This marked the primary yr that members of this system may rush fraternities.
Final month, when McGee discovered he had obtained a bid from Phi Kappa Alpha, he was so excited he ran out of his left shoe and into the loving arms of his new fraternity brothers.
“That was one of many coolest moments at Clemson that we had, was seeing that proper there,” one of many members of Phi Kappa Alpha informed CBS Information.
A number of fraternity brothers informed CBS Information that, at first, some members doubted an individual with Down Syndrome may slot in with the group. However they have been keen to assist McGee, solely to study later that McGee was the one really serving to them.
“The enjoyment and lightweight that we have been lacking in our chapter, that we did not know we have been lacking from the start, is unreal,” stated one fraternity member.
“He type of broke all of the preconceived notions that I considered {that a} fraternity man ought to be like,” stated one other.
Different Greek life teams have come to the identical conclusion. This yr, a complete of six fraternities and 5 sororities at Clemson welcomed college students from ClemsonLIFE.
Based on McGee, this can be a game-changer. He believes one thing magical occurs everytime you’re accepted this totally by others. After which he provides that when he is along with his fraternity brothers, “My incapacity, it would not actually exist.”
