Written by Abby Maurer. Media by Andrea Freeman.
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Over the past forty years, twelve Maurer’s have attended Greenville College. As with anything, being part of a legacy can be a blessing and a curse.
There are many connections throughout the school of Greenville and throughout the town of Greenville, which make it easy to meet people and connect with them on a unique level. You all of a sudden share a bond with people who knew your past family members. They all have stories to share about GC and how it has changed over the years, and you begin to appreciate the way Greenville College has changed and adapted to the times. The people who know your family members are always eager to share many stories about them, helping you better understand the person they are today.
Family members currently attending the school can take you around campus and show you the ropes. From them you can learn the best places to go in town, the most preferred rooms to request, and the best places to go for a weekend of fun. Past family members are able to spill all of their secrets on how they survived college, some of which have proven very useful.
Unfortunately, there are also cons to having a last name so common on GC’s campus. For instance, it makes it very difficult to make a name for yourself without being clumped into being “a Maurer”. People just assume that you either were forced into choosing Greenville or only chose it because your family went there. We each chose Greenville for its different opportunities, but no one assumes we had our own reasons. There are also high expectations to act a certain way and represent your family well. Furthermore, people around campus sometimes think that you get special treatment for being “a Maurer,” but we don’t really have any connections that allow us to do anything that other students can’t.
You are often believed to hold the same viewpoints as your family members, even if that isn’t necessarily true. Luckily, our family was raised with Christian values, but we were also raised by different people who have taught us different views and standpoints. We see the same for the most part, but there are also many ways in which we view the world and people differently.
