A student with special needs finds acceptance and brotherhood in the Clemson community

Clemson, South Carolina — At Clemson University in South Carolina, the ClemsonLIFE program gives students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to learn the life skills they need to live independently.

But while the program offers, junior Charlie McGee wanted to get the entire college experience, from alpha to omega. McGee told CBS News he wanted to join the fraternity to “have a great time and experience brotherhood and greater joy.”

Unfortunately, fraternity rushing is a process. There are interviews and potions, but even then there is no guarantee of acceptance. In fact, no Clemson fraternity has ever accepted a student from the ClemsonLIFE program. This was the first year that program members were able to rush into the fraternities.

Last month, when McGee learned he had received an offer from Phi Kappa Alpha, he was so excited that he ran out of his left shoe and into the loving arms of his new fraternity brothers.

“That was one of the coolest moments at Clemson, I saw it right there,” one Phi Kappa Alpha member told CBS News.

Several fraternity brothers told CBS News that initially some members doubted whether someone with Down syndrome would fit into the group. But they were willing to help McGee, but later they found out that it was McGee who actually helped them.

“The joy and light that we missed in our Chapter, that we didn’t know we were missing from the beginning, are unreal,” said one of the community members.

“He kind of broke down all the preconceived notions I had about a community man,” said another.

Other Greek life groups have reached the same conclusion. This year, ClemsonLIFE students hosted a total of six fraternities and five sororities at Clemson.

According to McGee, this will be a game changer. He believes that something magical happens when others fully accept it. And then he adds that when he’s with his fraternity brothers, “my disability doesn’t really exist.”

Man arrested after attacking Democratic Party campaign office in Arizona

Eye Opener: A Chance for Freedom for the Menendez Brothers

Trump sharply criticizes Harris, his former chief of staff, during the campaign with controversial allies