This petition is for College of Charleston & MUSC alumni, current students, and future generations of cougars and medical students.

The bill recently presented by Rep Leon Stavrinakis and Rep Jim Merrill proposes a merger of the College of Charleston and the Medical University of South Carolina. From the surface, this idea sounds like it could have a lot of positives, and has been supported by many, such as S.C. Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt:

"Business recruitment and expansion in the Charleston region is one of the many keys to continued economic growth here in South Carolina. One of the challenges we face right now is how to better align the needs of the business community with our talent pool. Any proposal to create a full-scale, comprehensive research university in this region clearly makes sense for businesses in Charleston and across South Carolina."

But wait..... Where in that statement do you see the word "Students" or "Education"?

Whether you are a South Carolina native or not: We all chose CofC (and maybe even MUSC) for similar resons:

1) A private/small school feel for a public school price.
2) Small class sizes that allow for a more hands-on and individual focused education environment. 
3) A well-rounded Liberal Arts education that no other public universities in South Carolina offer.
4) Opportunities for undergraduate positions that in larger schools would only be offered to graduates.
5) The beautiful historical campus that consists of the oldest classroom to still be used in America today.

While there are many other reasons we all love CofC, the above are all things that would be subject to change if the current bill on the table is passed.

1) If the merger passed, our "private school feel" would be no longer. We would be "A Clemson on the coast". Our numbers would likely grow, and our small "George Street" campus would have more students crowding onto our beloved brick sidewalks than ever before. 

2) Our 1:25 professor to student ratio would be no more. Many of our "general education" courses would be forced to expand class sizes. We would lose the chance to have intimate class discussions and our professors would have too many students to be able to get to know them individually.

3) Our "Liberal Arts" curriculum would become business, science, and research focused. Some may argue with this, but half of the beauty of our school is that each and every department have relatively an equal number of students. We have 62 degree programs and 73 minors. At any given point, you can walk through campus and find a Theatre major, a Biology major, a History major, and a Business major all in the same place interacting with one another. That is what makes Charleston so unique. We get the chance to focus in the discipline of choice, but also take classes that we may have no interest in, with people we have nothing in common with, and the result is well-rounded students. This is another reason employers value the College of Charleston degree because alumni of this institution have proven themselves not only masters of their field, but also have a diverse library of knowledge in many other things. If the merge passes in its current state, our school will draw double if not triple the amount of those three disciplines (Business, Science and Research), and frankly, it seems that is where a lot of the funding for our institution will go. This bill may be beneficial for students in those fields, but what about the rest of us? The City of Charleston is known as the "All American City" because it truly has a little bit for everyone. The city has a flourishing art scene, with galleries and theatres popping up almost weekly. We are a hub for many large events and businesses (large and small), hospitality and tourism is booming, and the historical preservation and history opportunities speak for themselves. THE CITY OF CHARLESTON IS A LIBERAL ARTS CITY. Why should the College of Charleston be turned into a university that focuses on the primarily sciences? The CITY of Charleston needs our students, our alumni, and the generations to come to continue our growth in all of these areas.

4) The College of Charleston's graduate school numbers are no where near as high as the other state schools in South Carolina. To those supporting this bill, this is part of the problem. I see both sides, and I am not against something that helps our graduate school grow. HOWEVER, take into consideration that because of our lack of graduate students, many undergraduates are getting opportunities to step into roles that theoretically they may not be completely prepared for, but the challenge almost always creates a stronger student and unique candidate when applying to future endeavors (some of this is actually research based).

Last but certainly not least: 
5) THE NAME. "The College of Charleston", "CofC", "The College of Knowledge", "Charleston Cougars", "THE College", The 13th oldest higher education institution in the United States. 

Okay... This is really the thing about this bill that stabs past and present cougars alike right in our CofC-loving hearts. This school is historical. By attending CofC, we are a part of Charleston's unique history. We still inhibit a building that our founders built that has stood through the civil war, integration, women's suffrage. The College of Charleston is a part of history. In 1837, we became the first municipal college in the United States, meaning we were the first to take a stand and create our own internal leaders, rules, regulations in order to do what was best for our institution. So why are we, the members of the College of Charleston community, stopping? Administrators, Faulty, Students, and Alumni need to come together to take a stand for what we feel is best for our beloved institution now and for years to come.

To quote CofC professor, Christopher Day, in his recent editorial in the Post & Courier:
"This is, quite frankly, an absurd name." "...it cynically renders bare any reassurances that the College of Charleston's core identity will not be damaged as it takes on the new moving parts of a research university. Changing it to the "Charleston University George Street Campus" destroys an idea. It dismantles the distinct historical identity of an old institution that is so well captured by its beautiful, elegant name, which is also so fitting for our beautiful, elegant city." "...The new name takes away all of this and replaces it with a robotic corporate label more suitable for some distant Microsoft outpost in a former British colony of the Third World. Will the bookstore on Calhoun Street start stocking its shelves with sweatshirts and coffee mugs that say "CUGSC"? "

In closing, I ask that all who love our historical and unique "CofC " sign this petition to let our representatives know that WE ARE the "College of Charleston". We are history and the future. We are a unique set of students, educators, and SC citizens who value everything this institution has stood, and will continue to stand for.

While we may not stop this merge from taking place, there is still time for our representatives to take these things into consideration and MAKE CHANGES TO THE BILL to preserve the little things that really aren't so little to us.

Thank you.

 **Please NOTE: This is an opinion piece written by a current College of Charleston student based on the information about the bill that I have access to. If you have more information FOR or AGAINST the merger that may affect the CofC community's opinion, feel free to comment below or contact me.**