Clemson University has over 400 student led clubs and organizations. The amount of extracurriculars available on campus allows more students to engage with a club or organization they are interested in.
Around March of 2021, two Clemson students realized that there were not many resources for students who suffer with chronic illness. Peter Stein, a sophomore language and international business major, and Kolby Doemel, a sophomore biology major, are the founders and co-presidents of Tigers are Fighters. Stein and Doemel want to raise awareness for chronic diseases on campus. Stein has Crohn’s disease, and he understands the struggle of going to college with a chronic illness. Thankfully, he is mostly in remission, but it has affected his first year of college academics. Stein has struggled with anxiety, and he thought that a community, able to talk about these difficulties, would help him and future students with chronic illnesses. There are many successes for this new organization, and Peter Stein says that, “he is very thankful and can’t wait to start doing events with this organization.” Stein and Doemel want to reach out to freshmen and other students who are also facing the same challenges they encountered during their first year.
According to their mission statement, Tigers are Fighters aims to “create a space for students with disabilities & chronic illnesses, and collaborate with the Clemson community to raise awareness through public events and fun activities.”
Stein and Doemel’s motivation to organize this club started with a need for, “advocacy for students who have a chronic illness,” said Stein. They realize it is hard for students with chronic illness to not have a community for support to help them adjust to the college environment, especially during COVID-19. Stein says, “You don’t know what someone is going through so it is good to have a support team to help each other.”
Tigers are Fighters will be at Tiger Prowl, and they encourage anyone to join to be able to create a safe environment for each other. All students will also be able to register through TigerQuest as well. Stein says, “Tigers are Fighters creates a welcoming and supportive environment for any and all students, including those fighting chronic illness, to find community with peers of similar situations or healthy backgrounds.”
