This article is a little lengthy and has nothing to do with a card creation. This is about an injustice to the USC (University of South Carolina) Gateway students.
These USC Gateway students are TOTALLY being left out for consideration for living on campus for next year.
The USC committee members say the USC Gateway students don't qualify for consideration because they consider these students "transfer students". These students "live" on campus at The Roost. They are assigned USC ID's, USC Carolina Cards, USC accounts, USC email, USC P.O. Box, and even mailed bills from USC, but they are "NOT" to be considered USC students???
Read my letter....then I ask you....do you know anyone at University of South Carolina who will stand up and speak for those great students who kept "their end of the bargain????
Dear Dr. ___,(I left her name out to be nice)
A decision made by a USC Housing committee dealing with housing for next year is appalling and unprofessional. Mitchell, my youngest, is in the Gateway Program at USC. He lives at "The Roost", a dorm on the USC campus, but takes his classes at Midland being transported using USC shuttles. The USC Gateway Program is in first year and is modeled after Clemson, College of Charleston, and Furman programs. These students were told they were "a USC student in every way" (a quote by several key college leaders and speakers at orientation in front of over 300 parents and students at the Darla School of Business auditorium) and they would be entitled to anything that any other rising USC sophomore would receive. Wouldn't that be for the same, equal opportunity to be in the pool for campus residency? This committee has declared that the "USC Gateway students" transfer students and none would be allowed to live on campus.
They were "sold" this program and it came with restrictions; they wouldn't be in the lottery/pool for certain sporting events or allowed to hold an office of any kind during this freshman year. Okay...they accepted the terms. They were given requirements that must be met to be considered for the Sophomore class at USC.....2.5 GPA and 30 hours at Midland. Each student "signed" an agreement, and no where on there did it state that they would also be excluded from the pool to have an equal opportunity to live on campus for next year.
Mitchell's has A's and a B's, not too bad considering he is "Pre-Pharmacy" and taking two sciences together each semester. He's even tutoring students in Chemistry and Calculus at night in his dorm. Many of these students are maintaining their grade requirements. They have worked hard to "meet USC requirements" only for USC to break "their" promise. They feel betrayed! If you could had heard the "Sale's Speech" for this program and now USC is adding a semicolon to their sentence to get out of promises made. What's fair?....put these Gateway students "into the equation", like every other on-campus freshman, the opportunity to live on campus next year.
No, it is not written on paper; it was spoken on phones, in a introduction letter, and in an assembly for students and parents "right" on campus in the auditorium of the Darla Moore School of Business on orientation day.
This is the birth (1st year) of the program for USC, a copy of Clemson,etc as I have already mentioned. USC will not get good reviews for what they have done. USC feels students will "settle" for the program "anyway they can get it" next year. My son and other students didn't go into the program to just "settle" for whatever rules USC wants to change whenever during the course of the year. Remember, they were told they were "USC students in every way"!!
The decision to leave these Gateway students "out of the equation" in regards to NO CONSIDERATION for a chance for living on campus next year is APPALLING, unprofessional, a travesty and certainly sets a "bad example".
I'm not a gifted writer and perhaps have not clearly stated and expressed the concerns and disappointments of many of the Gateway students and parents, but I'm more than willing to speak to anyone who is willing to give me an audience. This situation needs to be addressed. We are talking about 80 - 100 students or less.
No, the students didn't speak to authorities; they called home to moms and dads very upset.
University of South Carolina, these students kept their side of the bargain....you have not. Again, your actions appalling and disheartening! Step up to the plate, make it right, make it fair. Making it fair is all these students are asking.
Problem: USC is closing 3 girls' dorms for renovations and will lack about 500 beds. (Perhaps USC should enroll 500 students less for the freshman class......take care of the people/students in your house that are there now!) This is the 4th year (that I know of) where housing has been an issue and now they can use The USC Gateway students as a way of skirting around a never ending problem they face each year.
