Editor’s Note: Since publication, The Tiger has learned that there will be no modifications to our office space for at least a couple of years, most likely not before 2026. The space adjustment is part of a larger plan to renovate the entire Hendrix Student Center. The Tiger has also learned that the space we will eventually lose will not be reallocated to Military and Veteran Engagement and that it will most likely be used as administrative office space or shared student meeting space. This information was presented to The Tiger in a follow-up meeting after publication with Dr. George Smith, senior associate vice president for student affairs. 

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Earlier this month, The Tiger learned that Clemson University is taking away over one-fourth of our office space in the Hendrix Student Center. Not only are we discouraged by this decision, but we feel personally disrespected that the University made this decision without speaking to any of The Tiger’s leadership or staff.

After several months of hearing rumblings about a potential space reduction, The Tiger was officially notified by our adviser two weeks ago of an impending change in the coming months. With the change, The Tiger is set to lose a section of our main office space, as well as a closet that serves as our podcast recording studio. Of our current 1,289 square feet of space, roughly 394 square feet will be taken away to make space for Clemson Military & Veteran Engagement.

While we support Clemson Military & Veteran Engagement, the space in the main office that the University is taking away is vital for our staff, as it currently serves as the news, sports and copy desks, as well as a photo office.

As of this week, it is unclear when we will lose part of our space, but we expect to lose it sometime during next semester.

We were not aware of these changes because the University informed us we would be losing space. Instead, we became aware because our adviser told us to prepare to have a wall built in the middle of our office.

To have a decision as critical as this one not be discussed in any capacity with The Tiger’s staff or leadership is a disgrace to the University’s commitment to its students. After all, it’s in the name. The Hendrix Student Center is meant to be used primarily by students.

Over the past few years, University representatives have occasionally stopped by our office without notice. These visits, more often than not, were during normal working hours when most of The Tiger’s staff was in class or studying. We use our office primarily after normal working hours when those same representatives are off the clock.

If these representatives had come for our weekly Tuesday meetings and production nights, they would have realized that every square inch of office space is used. They would have realized we added 20 new senior staff members this semester and are already tight on space. They would have realized, with 55 active members, that our newsroom is full of bright, caring and passionate students who need our space to chase their career goals and, in some cases, their dreams.

Taking away space from us, especially without any sort of discussion, threatens our ability to function as an organization.

The Tiger was first relocated to Hendrix in 2000 when the building opened and has since been housed in the third floor’s Tiger Media suite, which is specifically designed for our needs. In 2019, The Tiger, along with the other four Tiger Media organizations, was placed in Clemson’s communication department under the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences.

At that time, then-chair of Clemson’s communication department, Joseph Mazer, said that “student media organizations are an integral part” of successful schools and that the Tiger Media suite “will work as a big selling point for students interested in the communication program and related majors.”

The Tiger is an award-winning student newspaper, winning first place in general excellence in the South Carolina Press Association’s awards for the collegiate division. Like some of our previous awards through the years, the CBSHS boasted our accomplishment on its Instagram.

It’s maddening to see the CBSHS, which played a significant role in taking away our space, conveniently use The Tiger as an asset to the University’s reputation, only to turn its back on us and take away the space where we do the work to win those awards.

Our fellow Tiger Media members, The Pendulum and The Chronicle, were recently removed from the Tiger Media suite, and WSBF is losing nearly half of its allocated space.

Space on campus is in high demand, and we understand that there are hundreds of organizations that would like to have a permanent space on campus, especially as the University plans to replace the current Student Union with green space, a decision we disapproved of last semester.

We also recognize that the University is growing and that Tiger Media is not the only group affected by the lack of space our school is facing. There are many other clubs that are being relocated or facing space reductions, such as numerous club sports and student government. We are grateful for the space the University has allocated to us for the past 23 years and hope we can continue to operate as the lone newspaper that primarily covers the Clemson area.

But if the University is willing to take away a portion of our office, what is to stop it from taking away our entire space?

We ask that when Clemson looks at space on campus, it starts looking at the people who use that square footage instead of just the number of square feet.

This editorial is the collective opinion of The Tiger’s leadership. All leadership staffers vote on the topic and stance, then assign a writer to pen the editorial. We discuss issues relevant to the Clemson student body and broader topics related to the University.