History

In Fall 2022, ECAR at Clemson became a new Creative Inquiry group. We listened to community priorities and partnered with our local resettlement agency, Lutheran Services Carolinas (LSC). We were also hard at work on new collaborations, volunteering with resettled neighbors, and expanding our organization's presence. Our student members completed direct service through childcare, gardening, English sessions, planning cultural events, and more. They also completed research and presented at several conferences and seminars. 

In April 2023, Clemson University proudly became the first ECAR chapter in South Carolina, joining the growing number of public research universities to join our cause.  Additionally, based on the CI efforts thus far, we won a 10K grant from ECAR-Guilford to support our work with refugees in 2023-2024. We hosted guest speakers like Natakallam and also hosted an official ECAR training event on integrating refugees through higher education initiatives. 

The ECAR Student Organization was formed in 2025 to expand our mission. It offers an extracurricular way for Clemson University students to get involved through volunteering, cultural, and educational events. You can learn how to get involved with our student organization here.

In Spring 2026, students in the Creative Inquiry transformed interviews conducted with the families that centered on food, family, and community into a cookbook, Every Place at the Table. This cookbook was shared with our refugee families, students, faculty, and ECAR at Clemson's network of support. 

Currently: We are working to record the life stories of the families we work with. You can read more about this ongoing oral history project here.