Experience Magazine

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SPRING 2016 SPRING 2016 8 9
UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE
Bookstore lines during the first week
of classes are a familiar sight on college
campuses everywhere. Although this can
sometimes seem like a tedious task, the
Clemson Bookstore has always tried to
make the process as quick and easy
as possible.
During the initial years of Clemson College,
the institution attempted to handle the
sale of textbooks on its own. However, by
1900, a contract with the New York firm
of Hines and Noble was established in
order to get the books. Since the company
was in need of a local bookseller in the
Clemson community, Pickens McCollum
(former owner and pharmacist of a local
drugstore) decided to step forward and
assume the responsibility. This relationship
lasted well into the 1950s.
By this time, the college figured that it
could now handle textbook sales, so the
University Bookstore was then housed in
the Edgar A. Brown Student Union below
Harcombe Dining Hall, where it stayed
until the Hendrix Student Center opened
on March 27, 2000. This became the
home of the present University Bookstore,
which developed a partnership with
Barnes & Noble®. The bookstore currently
neighbors the East Side Food Court and
McKissick Theatre.
DOUTHIT HILLS PROJECT
The land at the entrance to campus, running
alongside S.C. Highway 93 and behind the
Clemson House was used in the past for family
housing and most recently for employee and
student residential parking. However, this site is
transforming into something the University has
needed for quite some time now, especially with
the growing numbers of incoming students — a
mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented area that will
target upperclassmen and Bridge to Clemson
students from Tri-County Technical College.
The Bridge to Clemson program is a
partnership with neighboring Tri-County
Technical College (TCTC). First-year students
in this program start their coursework at TCTC
in the fall semester. Students in the Bridge
program are currently accommodated by TCTC
in off-campus living arrangements. The Douthit
Hills project will provide future Bridge students
a chance for an even smoother transition into
Clemson’s campus. Robin McFall, director of
Bridge to Clemson and Transfer Academic
The project’s cutting edge and modern features
will reinforce the University’s efforts to further
innovation and development on campus.
Douthit Hills will be anchored by a central
hub, which will include a 450-seat dining hall,
Barnes & Noble® Bookstore, Starbucks ®, a
convenience store, a satellite student fitness
center and a full-service, sit-down restaurant,
which are sure to showcase the activity of
student life in a new park-like, on-campus
setting. Seven residential buildings in the
housing portion of the project will add almost
1,700 beds to on-campus housing, a much-
needed addition to accommodate demand.
The project site is broken into three zones:
west zone, central zone and east zone. Five-
and six-story residence halls will be constructed
in the west zone and will contain 870 beds
for upperclassmen. These buildings will be
comprised of two- and four-bedroom apartment-
style housing units, situated the closest to the
University’s main campus. The central zone
will be thought of as the main hub of Douthit
Hills, serving as a nucleus for engagement and
entertainment. The east zone will boast another
set of four-story buildings, housing 780 beds in
traditional-style double occupancy for a select
group of first-year students in the Bridge to
Clemson program.
The completion of Douthit Hills will provide a
more fluid transition for Bridge students, while
actively incorporating them into the campus
climate earlier than they would have been in
the past. As of the fall 2014 semester, less than
half of one percent of graduate students, 4.8
Programs said, “We are extremely excited
about the potential impact Douthit Hills will
have on Bridge students. The one statement
we consistently hear from Bridge crossers is, ‘I
wish I had gotten more involved with activities
on Clemson’s campus during my Bridge year.’
Living at Douthit Hills, Bridge students will
have much easier access to get involved. We
believe this access will help them feel they are
truly part of the Clemson Family. In addition,
since the students will be closer to Clemson
resources they will hopefully make greater use
of those, so we anticipate even higher success
rates than we currently experience.”
With sight-lines to Tillman Hall, the Douthit
Hills development will transform close to 80
acres of land at the opening of Clemson’s
campus into a vibrant, welcoming environment.
When completed, Douthit Hills will include
new student housing, a residential dining
center, a new bookstore, a new campus
recreation center and retail spaces.