Clemson student body president reflects on historic term

Clemson University student body president Ashley McCollum, a senior from Spartanburg, S.C., is the first Black woman elected to the position.

Ashley McCollum enrolled at Clemson University as a freshman in 2020 at the start of a global pandemic.

Classes were virtual, campus was quiet, and the future was grim. However, McCollum was determined to gain the best experience possible and as many memories as the 1,400-acre campus could store. Little did she know, she would make history along the way.

McCollum is the first Black woman student body president in the school’s 135-year history.

“I didn’t expect to win because I’m an African American at a predominantly white institution,” the Spartanburg, S.C., native said. “My first question was, ‘how do you represent people that look like you and the ones that don’t.’”
It was a question that answered itself along the way.

“I really tuned into Greek life, affinity groups, the LGBTQIA + community, out of state students, first generation college students to have meetings with representatives every other week to ask how to meet their needs,” McCollum said.

It proved successful, not only for constituents but the candidates themselves. McCollum’s counterpart, Clark Reboul, is a white man whom she credits for being open to discussions about race and its impact on the campus experience.

“We’ve had multiple conversations about how he can continue to think forward, it's not about you holding a [protest] sign but about you understanding my reality,” McCollum said. “And he was always on board with that and willing to listen.”

The pair won with 77% of the vote showing that Clemson, founded by Confederate War veteran Thomas Green Clemson as an all-white and all-male college, was ready for a change. Clemson, which didn’t admit its first Black student, former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, until 1963, is still coming to grips with its racist troubled past by remove Ku Klux Klan associate Ben Tillman’s name from a campus building in 2015.

Despite the disdain faced by Black students, many have soared as leaders locally and on campus. McCollum is the fourth Black student body president. The first was elected in 1974; the most recent was elected in 2022.

“I had the honor of being followed by Ashley as student body president at Clemson University, and she’s been phenomenal,” former student body President Malik Balogun said. “She leads with a heartfelt intention to connect and serve, truly embodying what it means to be a servant leader. Her dedication and love for people and her causes have made a lasting impact on our community inspiring other leaders to follow in her footsteps.”

Recently, Clemson students elected the next duo of student body leaders, which includes a Black man who was encouraged by McCollum’s tenure.

“It is remarkable the legacy she is leaving and inspiring future leaders to be present and lead with kindness,” her peer Daniella Lopez said.

McCollum is best known for the inclusive environment she’s created on campus. A biological sciences major and American Sign Language minor, she goes above and beyond to communicate directly with students.

“Ashley’s leadership can be described as, ‘a voice that speaks to all.’ Her approach, whether to students or faculty, when speaking was the same, where her words filled with warmth, made an ally wherever she was,” student Antonio Rodgers said. “It is monumental, because she was able to really home in on the problems of the students; not just the problems of one group.”

Said McCollum: “If you put your mind to it, it can be done but lean on the people around you. I had tons of people supporting me through this role and what a path of opportunity this was to inspire the people that come behind me in diversity on campus. I had a great village backing me and supporting me.”

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