Student Affairs

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the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, among many others. We recommend you encourage
your student to attend both programs. Find out more about how to get involved on Clemson’s
campus at r by emailing
TigerQuest and Clemson Involvement
Ambassadors
TigerQuest is an online resource designed
to give students a one stop shop for
involvement opportunities. If students
want to explore involvement opportunities
outside of Tiger Prowl and TigerQuest, they
can request a consultation with student
leaders trained to share knowledge of
resources and student organizations.
After reviewing the 500+ student
organizations, if students want to create
their own student organization, they can
do so during registration periods with
CSLE in both the Fall and Spring. Students
can request these involvement or student
organization consultations by emailing
or submitting the
form found at
Fraternity and Sorority Life
Joining a fraternity or sorority can be an
excellent way for your student to become
connected while at Clemson. Clemson’s fraternity and sorority community, which comprises
about 25% of the undergraduate population, consists of 20 sororities and 28 fraternities.
This includes eight National Pan-Hellenic (NPHC) organizations, five Multicultural
Greek Council (MGC) organizations, 23 Interfraternity Council (IFC) organizations and 13
College Panhellenic (CPC) organizations. CPC holds one primary recruitment week in the
Fall semester, and IFC conducts rush in both Fall and Spring semesters. MGC and NPHC
organizations conduct membership intake by individual chapter. For more information on
fraternity and sorority life, please visit
RESIDENTIAL LIVING
Role of an RA
During the course of Orientation, students and parents will hear many abbreviations for
different things at Clemson. One of the most frequent and important ones you will hear is
“RA,” which stands for Resident Assistant. An RA is an upperclass, undergraduate student
employed by University Housing & Dining, who lives in a specific residential community. RAs
live and work in residence halls, suites and apartment areas. These student leaders play an
active role in the lives of students, beginning the day students move into on-campus housing.
Students decide to become RAs for a number of reasons. Several current RAs have articulated
the value of gaining leadership skills in the position, but the most important thing has been
the impact they are able to make for other Clemson students.
The RA position is a great way for students to find an employment position on campus that
allows them to give back and gain valuable leadership and job skills. We encourage students
to consider becoming an RA in their sophomore, junior or senior year at Clemson. The
primary role of an RA is to serve as a mentor and role model for on-campus students. RAs also
help students to navigate the college experience. This includes opportunities for students to
learn about themselves and to experience living with others. RAs support students’ academic
success, encourage life-long learning, help students connect to Clemson and provide
opportunities for students to give back at Clemson and beyond.
As an upperclass student, RAs have gone through a variety of experiences at Clemson.
RAs are provided with in-depth training that makes them valuable resources for their
residents. If a student is struggling with their transition to Clemson, or if they are having a
hard time navigating their roommate situation, their RA is available to help. RAs also play
an important role in looking out for the safety and well-being of every student. Community
desks are open from 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. every Monday-Friday. When a desk is not open, an
RA is available by cellphone to provide assistance. We strive to have residential communities
that are safe and well-maintained. Students can help their RA create a safe environment by
always carrying their keys, escorting their guests and paying close attention to safety tips on
campus. One of the most important things an RA does is develop personal relationships with
students in their residential community. These relationships allow them to connect students
to specific resources and help shape their overall Clemson experience. Students should get to
know their RA as soon as possible and begin developing a relationship with them.
Residential Experience Model
We believe important learning happens outside of the classroom and residential
environments play a role in that learning. Living on campus at Clemson University is a
transformative experience that will prepare and empower students to explore who they are,
connect meaningfully with others, engage intellectually, and lead as global citizens. We
utilize the Residential Experience Model (REM), which provides a curricular approach to the
learning students experience from living on campus. REM is aligned with the values, mission
and student experiences at Clemson and is rooted in student development and learning
theory. RAs incorporate multiple strategies of engagement with residents throughout the
year — including intentional conversations, structured events and interactive messaging —
to engage residents as individuals and connect them to a variety of resources in campus
life to promote student success.
Talking Through Roommate Conflicts
Most students would agree their first impression of college and having a roommate comes
frommovies. These movies often portray an unrealistic view of the college roommate
experience. The scenario typically looks something like this: a student immediately (usually
on move-in day) becomes best friends with their roommate, spends all of their time together,
the room is always tidy and eventually they end up in one another’s weddings. Students also
hear about college experiences from other people’s stories: someone who had a roommate
that used their things, ate their food, was very messy, etc. At this point, students anticipate
the absolute best or the absolute worst scenarios for their experience. In reality, roommate
living probably falls somewhere in between. At Orientation each year, we ask our students
how many of them have ever had roommates, and the majority share they have never had a
roommate or even had to share a bathroom. It is incredibly valuable for your student to have
realistic expectations of what this experience will be like. They most likely won’t be best
friends on the first day. Relationships take time to establish, and it is realistic to think they
may have some disagreements about things. They will most likely have very different ways
of doing things. This is absolutely normal. Living with someone can be incredibly rewarding,
and your student will be gaining more from this experience than they probably even realize.
Guide them in figuring out how to get through these areas of conflict. For more information
about living and dining on campus, visit
Things to Consider
• Encourage your student to attend on-campus events, go see a movie or eat meals with their
roommate. By setting aside time to spend with one another, they will begin to understand
each other better.
• Encourage open-mindedness in your student and their roommate relationship. They can
learn a lot from someone whose background, culture, values and interests are different
from their own.
• Advise your student to communicate expectations and avoid frustration. They should
discuss individual expectations with their roommate. It is normal for roommates to have
different expectations. Coming to a common agreement on what is expected for a living
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT:
FRATERNITY AND SORORITY
LIFE
• Talk with your student about when
is the best time for them to join a
student organization to ensure they
can balance their academic and
extracurricular responsibilities.
• Have conversations with your student
about getting connected outside of
the classroom. In particular, mention
Place Finder to them. Place Finder is
a customized involvement matching
tool they take during virtual Orientation
and can provide clarity for connecting
to campus.
• For those who join a fraternity or
sorority, if you feel a situation has
occurred that is a violation of the
Student Code of Conduct, please
fill out an online incident report on
the Office of Community and Ethical
Standards website at
• Please note: Anonymous reports may
be submitted, but the name of the
organization and a description of the
incident must be provided to begin
an investigation.
PARENT TESTIMONIAL
“My daughter encountered several
differences with her roommates her
first year. The RA was able to intervene
and help them work out a solution. RAs
go through training to prepare them to
work with a variety of problems that may
surface in residential housing. RAs try to
build community on their halls from day
one through activities, meetings
and outings.”
Cindy Parler
North Augusta, S.C.