Freshman Christy Cothern of Greenwood relaxes
in her new dorm room in Carnegie Hall, along with
her new room key and Pilot, the student handbook.

Erskine Welcomes Second Largest Freshman Class in the Past Five Years

Erskine College welcomed 141 freshmen to campus today, its second largest freshmen class in the past five years, and their parents, family, and friends, all taking part in the mass morning move into the freshman dormitories.

"This is just a great day every year, as we welcome the newest members of the Erskine Family to campus," said Erskine Admissions Director Jeff Craft, who, with his staff, has spent the past year or more recruiting the students.

"We’re not just gaining new students as members of the Erskine Family, we’re also gaining their parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, and uncles," Craft said. "That’s what Erskine’s all about — family."

New Erskine parent John Moore of Columbia, whose family connections with Erskine span generations, is a current trustee and former Board Chairman. His youngest daughter Jenny is an entering freshman.

"Jenny is a fifth generation Erskine student and is rooming with another fifth generation Erskine student," Moore said. "We are thrilled to have her here."

He added with a laugh, "I have business that brings me to Due West, so I look forward to having lunch and supper with her. I’m looking forward to having her buy me a meal at Lou and Perry’s (a popular Erskine student hangout)."

Melissa and Scott Flemming of Spartanburg were moving their son Rick, a fourth generation Erskine student, into the dorm. "We will miss him, but we're excited for him too," Melissa said. "We feel very relieved he has chosen Erskine, having been through the Erskine experience ourselves. He has heard about Erskine all his life but he made up his own mind."

The Class of 2004 at Erskine consists of students from 13 states, with more than 70 percent from South Carolina. Other states represented include California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

"These students have excelled academically, as evidenced by their SAT or ACT scores and their classroom grades," Craft said. "The SAT average of this class will rise this year to around 1106. This is up six points from last year.

"Unlike some schools, that’s counting all of our new freshmen," Craft said. "We’re very proud of that. We don’t build a class around an SAT average, however. What we try to do at Erskine is recruit young men and women who will represent and strive for quality in all aspects — academically, socially, and spiritually."

Craft said the class has also excelled outside the classroom, with almost all indicating active participation in their Student Government or some other high school activity.

"This is a service-oriented group of young men and women who have impressed me greatly with the community service, missions, and church activities they have been involved with during their high school years," Craft said.

Erskine Dean of Students Robyn Agnew was assisting students and families at Carnegie Dormitory for freshmen women.

"We're excited because a lot of work has been done here," Agnew said. "The bathrooms have been renovated, new laundry rooms were added, and there is new furniture," she said.

Erskine Vice President for Student Services Monty Wooley was at Grier Hall for freshmen men, helping his son Robert move in.

"This seems like a really good class," Wooley said. "I have been meeting them today on an individual basis, and I look forward to seeing them as a group later in the day."

Agnew said the orientation process that began Tuesday afternoon is "an intensive, five-day process that will help the students make the transition from high school to college."

It also allows time for the students to familiarize themselves with the campus and its people before the upperclassmen arrive this weekend and classes begin on Monday.

More than 90 upperclassmen are already on campus, arriving early to help the freshmen move in. Members of the Student Christian Association and Student Life Assistants helped carry personal belongings from cars into the dorm rooms.

Erskine President Dr. John Carson visited Carnegie to see the Erskine students in action.

"It's so obvious how much our students enjoy interacting with each other and with the new students," Carson said. "It is a tangible expression of the Erskine mission, Christian commitment and excellence in learning. You don't really have to put a lot of words with that. Just watch."

Freshman Kristy Cothern of Greenwood agreed with Carson. "The people have been really friendly and nice," she said. "It's going to be an adjustment, but I'm looking forward to meeting new friends and to new experiences."

Freshman Stephen Buckman of Swannanoa, N.C. was just glad to have some help.

"We were the first to arrive this morning and it was quick," he said. "I backed my car in and it was like a conveyor belt. They unloaded everything for us."

Craft said he is glad the new students are now officially part of the Erskine student body.

"We’re proud of the numbers that our new students will bring to our campus, but we are even more proud of the quality in so many ways that these young men and women will bring to our classrooms, our residence halls, our athletic fields, and our entire campus and community."