Dear Clemson Family,
First, I want to say thank you. Thank you for the incredible outpouring of love, kindness, and support you continue to show one another, to our entire Clemson Family, and to our neighbors across the region and into areas even more devastated by Hurricane Helene, such as in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.
Our teams at Clemson have continued to work almost around the clock to ensure the safety and operability of each of our campuses. Faculty, staff and students have been volunteering at Littlejohn Coliseum, the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex and the Hendrix Student Center since Sunday and have already served well over 1,000 individuals from our communities. Our ROTC cadets have been participating in debris and cleanup efforts at various homes in the community as well as at the South Carolina Botanical Gardens. And our Emergency Operations Center has been working on the main campus and across the Upstate to get people the resources they need, such as handing out Meals Ready-to-Eat (MREs) to hundreds of individuals. These are just a few examples of our Tigers going above and beyond to help one another. As we move forward, we will continue to determine the areas of greatest need and how we can best address and support those needs. A list of many of our available resources can be found here. Please access and utilize these services, as they are there to help as many people as possible.
To our alumni, friends and family, many of you are asking how you can best help. To most directly support our Clemson students, faculty, and staff, the emergency relief funds allow us to assist with individual needs as they arise. We have received a large number of requests from our Tigers who need emergency relief that we are currently trying to meet. To most directly support our local communities, the United Way Campaign, which lasts through October 11, will address our community needs. Additionally, several student organizations have collaborated on a donation drive, collecting items through October 9 at the Hendrix Loading Dock to benefit Clemson Community Care. All supplies will be used to meet the needs of our Tigers.
I am proud of our Clemson Family for helping one another and for working together during such a difficult time. You continue to demonstrate what it means to be a Clemson Tiger, and you are the ones who make Clemson so special. Please take care of yourselves in the days and weeks ahead, show kindness to those around you, and, as always, Go Tigers.
Jim Clements
President