Andee's Spill The Beans
Spill The Beans is one of several third spaces for students at Clemson to frequent.
The feeling of running into someone you know while out and about: you either love or hate it.
Having a “third place” outside of work and school can help reduce feelings of isolation and help nurture connections within your community. This is a place where you can bump into people and catch up. This community is especially important for freshmen, new transfer students and those who may have an established third place back home, but don’t have one at Clemson quite yet.
According to an article by the University of Chicago’s English Language Institute, third places are “the places outside of the home (the first place) and the workplace (the second place) where people go to converse with others and connect with their community. In this casual and social environment, no one is obligated to be there and cost should not prevent people from attending. It is a place where we can interact with members of our community and even turn strangers into friends.
At a third place, you might go to hang out with your friends, you might run into acquaintances by chance, or you might meet people you have never encountered before. It is a meeting ground to build relationships with others outside of home or work.”
Other than a few coffee shops, expensive boutiques and chain restaurants, options for activities in Clemson are limited. What good is shiny new housing when there is nothing to do?
We’re paying city prices, yet we seem to have no city activities.
To compare Clemson and other college towns with similar enrollment sizes: Clemson University (27,000 students), Auburn University (31,000) and the University of Mississippi (22,000). Clemson has about 35 restaurants, Auburn has around 100 and Ole Miss has about 70.
There is a contrast between the other universities and Clemson’s options, especially on campus, for those without a car. An expansion — or at least an addition to Clemson — is a necessary but nearly impossible option.
Some dearly missed establishments in the Clemson community include movie theaters, bowling alleys, bookstores and record stores. Adding a few of these businesses would significantly increase both students’ and residents’ quality of life. Roller skating rinks, rock climbing facilities, skate parks and arcades are also popular among the general population, and would likely be favored by students. Combined with the abovementioned establishments, Clemson might start feeling a bit more like a college town.
Despite the lack of establishments to make into your “third place” around Clemson, some cool places are walkable from campus. Places like All In Coffee Shop and Spill the Beans, perfect for studying, chatting and the like, are great if you can find a spot to sit. Other than the few bars and restaurants in Clemson, there are some outdoor options like Bowman Field and the campus amphitheater, but these often tend to be very populated.
This “small town” culture may be what drives people to enroll at Clemson, but various places can become crowded very quickly. This isn’t necessarily shocking, considering there are 27,000 students expected to share these few spaces.
Creating connections with the people around us is a part of our lives that can become lost at times. This lost sense of community can arise when there is a lack of third places to visit and activities to do, especially for those far away from home.
Sophie St. James is a junior English major from Central, South Carolina. Sophie can be reached at [email protected].