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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Judge Rules Female Must Be Housed, Trained Like Other Cadets At The Citadel

Associated Press

Shannon Faulkner must be allowed to live in the barracks and train like other cadets if she becomes the first woman admitted to The Citadel’s corps, a judge ruled Wednesday.

“It’s part of cadet life. To deprive her of that would deprive her of equality of treatment,” U.S. District Judge C. Weston Houck said.

The judge ruled that Faulkner, who sued the school over its all-male admission policy, should live in the barracks with her fellow cadets but have her own room and bath.

And she should receive the same confrontational training, with shouting and swift discipline, that the men get, the judge said.

Last year, Houck ordered Faulkner into the all-male corps after ruling that the school’s ban on women is unconstitutional. The ruling had been put on hold while the school appealed.

In April, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said she must be admitted in August unless South Carolina develops a similar women’s leadership program. The state filed a proposed program with the court on Monday.

The Citadel, which has been fighting Faulkner’s admission to the corps, had proposed that she live in the infirmary and receive less-stringent training to reduce the possibility of sexual harassment.

To cut down on the potential for sexual harassment and abuse, the judge said Faulkner should be disciplined only by the upperclass officers she reports to.

The Citadel has a week to show how it will house her in the barracks. Houck also wants a more detailed policy on prohibiting sexual harassment.