Character and the Carolinian Creed

Often, people ask what students think about the Carolinian Creed. Many wonder whether students feel like the Creed has impacted them while attending USC. These are essays written, by USC students, responding to the following statement:

Jennifer Arp
Major: Finance
Class of 2000

One experience immediately comes to mind when I consider character development and the Carolinian Creed. That one experience is the death of my grandfather. Pop was not a Carolinian and he had no idea what the Creed was. The ideals expressed by the Creed were the ideals he lived daily as an honest human being. Integrity, respect, open-mindedness, concern, and support were always in practice. The Creed puts Pop’s character into words. I was very close to my grandfather. The Creed means a lot to me because it reminds me of him. Every time I see the Creed, I am reminded of how I want to be like the person he was.

Because the Carolinian Creed means so much to me, I strive to live the ideals expressed by it. I want my character to reflect the Creed. I want to make my grandfather and the Carolina community proud.

Michelle King
Major: Biology
Class of 2000

As president of a sorority I attend a retreat known as the Greek Leadership Retreat immediately before entering office. Here the acting leaders in the Greek Community come together to discuss issues pertinent to their positions and roles as leaders. Discussions and workshops were centered on the weaknesses, strengths and opportunities available to us as members of the larger Carolina Community. Throughout history the ideals of Greek organizations have been to set examples and act as respectable individuals. The media has taken a few terrible examples and demeaned this image of the Greek community at large. We, as a community and group of leaders, decided at this retreat to strive to raise our standards back to these ideals we were all founded upon. These ideals included academic excellence, moral integrity, leadership and service. Many of these ideals are also expressed in the Carolinian Creed. In reflection not only did we strive to encourage the ideals of our founders but we also pursued the ideals of predecessors at USC as described in our Carolinian Creed. As a leader, I feel that my actions and encouragement have been and continue to be respectable. Through this profound position, I can only hope to have influenced the life of one fellow individual through these experiences and following actions.

Regina Parker
Major: Political Science
Class of 2000

Many experiences at USC have shaped my development of character. They have molded me into a woman of integrity, high moral standards, and respect and dignity for myself and for others. The incident, however, that has most shaped my overall character as it relates to the Carolinian Creed occurred during my first semester as a Resident Advisor. I will never forget when one of my residents told me "Whether or not you’re aware of it, you’ve been like a big sister to me. You’ve taught my how to look at the positives in life, and especially in myself. I would have never made it through without you...." I’m eternally grateful for that experience- not only having the opportunity to affect another, but to be affected. That day means so much to me, and because of that resident, I’m ceaselessly inspired to touch the lives of others every chance that I get.

Katherine Stewart
Major: Public Relations
Class of 2000

Growing up, I always heard the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would want to be treated. Concern and well being of others is sewn into each aspect of the Carolinian Creed and is what we, as members of this community, strive to emulate. As I have matured during these years, I have truly learned that one of the most valuable and life-changing experiences are those in which I helped someone else, possibly making their life better. One experience I have been involved with is Dance Marathon, which raises money for sick children. While this organization has helped me decide upon a career path, it has also shown me that giving of myself to help someone else is what gives me a sense of purpose in life. I have also realized that my name does not have to be in lights, nor does the rest of the world have to know when I have done something for someone else, whether it be pay a compliment or do a favor, in order for this act to be one that makes an impact both upon me or that person. Helping others and treating them how I would like to be treated is what makes me who I am as a member of the Carolina Community.

Emily Streyer
Major: Interdisciplinary Studies
Class of 2000

The Gamecock attempts to uphold the Carolinian Creed, but, like most publications, the ideas of the fourth tenet are held especially dear, particularly for those involved with a paper’s most distinctive section, its editorial page. Bigotry, the intolerance of anything different, is the dirtiest word for an honest paper, for the editorial page is a forum (and sometimes battlefield) of ideas. This expression of ideas is how we learn from differences in people, ideas, and opinions, as the Creed commands. Writing for The Gamecock, whether an editorial speaking for the paper or a column speaking for myself, I’ve learned how essential truth is to meaningful ideas – and how multi-faceted – and how tricky to distill sometimes. (I do not claim we capture the truth each time – but we never knowingly print a falsehood). The pursuit of truth is the most rewarding part of journalism, for truth is the best defense against bigotry.

Melissa Fletcher
Major: Public Relations
Class of 2000

During the 2000 Student Government elections, I was the campaign manager for Corey Ford, the new Student Body Vice President-Elect. After he asked me to run his campaign, I worked selflessly for two months in order to get him elected. It seemed like everything else in my life was put on hold as I spent around four hours each night calling organization presidents to set up speaking times. I also had to organize a campaign staff, help Corey create his platform, design posters, stickers, and literature and have them printed, coordinate hanging up 500 posters all over campus, order balloons, rent a golf cart and speak to organizations on his behalf. Over the two and a half weeks of campaigning, we spoke to 35 organizations and made a difference on campus. With four candidates in the race, Corey received more than 54% of the vote, which is an incredible victory.

This experience helped shape my understanding of "demonstrating my concern for others, their feelings, and their need for conditions which support their work and development." I received no tangible benefit from being Corey’s campaign manager. By helping him achieve his dreams, however, my reward is priceless.

Meegan Green
Major: Chemical Engineering
Class of 2001

The one experience that has shaped the development of my character as it relates to the Carolinian Creed would be my experience with student orientation. I was selected as a Student Orientation Leader for the 1998-1999 term my freshman year here at Carolina. This experience allowed me to show incoming and prospective students the Creed at work. The Creed states that as a Carolina student "I will demonstrate concern for others, their feelings and, their need for conditions which support their work and development", which embodies what an orientation leader should be. My duty as an orientation leader was to educate students about the campus and allow the opportunity to see what productive and creative students that the University is fostering. This experience really allowed me the chance to show others what a great place the University is, and how the Creed helps to make it better.

Danielle Davis
Major: Biology/Spanish
Class of 2001

With the wave of Latino immigration into the United States, the need for Spanish-speaking and culturally attuned individuals has developed almost overnight. Last summer, I had the opportunity to sharpen my skills in these areas and help the Latino population through my work with Student Action with Farmworkers. The summer was truly a life-changing experience as I tried to dismember stereotypes and "learn from differences in …ideas and opinions" of this population. South Carolina is not equipped to handle the needs of the thousands of Spanish-speaking farmworkers who migrate through our state each year. As a farmworker rights advocate, health fair organizer, and health outreach worker, I was able to make an impact on the lives of many individuals who otherwise might not have received care. Through my continued work with English as a Second Language classes, I am still learning from these beautiful and hard-working people.

Tracy Bonds
Major: Advertising
Class of 2001

This past fall, I had the opportunity to serve as a University 101 peer leader with one of my favorite professors. This experience gave me the chance to show the students the true meaning of Carolina pride in every class. I learned that I was a role model to them, and that what I did and said, greatly impacted the freshmen in my class. Spending such a large amount of time with these students allowed sharing my experiences with them, and also gave me the opportunity to teach them the importance of getting along with those different from them. In my class, I did many exercises on the Carolinian Creed, and realized that the simplified definition of the Creed is compassion. I feel that I showed them compassion through words and personal examples. I taught the importance of practicing integrity, respecting others and showing compassion for everyone. The experience I gained through peer leading was simply one more opportunity to give back to the University.

Emily LeMaster
Major: Marketing/Finance
Minor: German
Class of 2000

I try my best to be very well respected, responsible, dedicated, involved, and fun all at the same time. Recently, I was faced with the task that allowed me to reaffirm this mission. My challenge was to choose a group of students to support me in my role as SG Elections Commissioner. This task required that I be completely unbiased, and to compile the most representative and fair-minded group of individuals possible. The group that I recruited was extremely diverse in age, race, interests, and background. I learned more from working with this group of eight people than in any other experience since I have attended USC. This position gave me the opportunity to respect others, be respected by others, to teach others, and to learn from others. This experience had a very strong impact on my character and on my role as a leader.