The Citadel Changes Policies To Accommodate Female Cadets

Female cadets will live in rooms with latches, be judged by the Army’s physical standards for women, and undergo the same first-year training as the men, The Citadel said Monday.

Historically, anyone could walk into any room unannounced. Now, they will have to knock. These and other changes were spelled out Monday in The Citadel’s plan for admitting women.

The policy, to be reviewed by the federal courts, also says female sophomores, juniors and seniors “may wear conservative lipstick and clear fingernail polish,” but freshmen may not while in uniform.

And while towels were sufficient in the days when the school was all-male, all cadets must now wear robes if not otherwise clothed when going to bathrooms.

At least three women are expected to become Citadel cadets on Aug. 24, the first to do so since the state-supported military college dropped its ban on female cadets following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the similar all-male policy at Virginia Military Institute was unconstitutional.

In an acknowledgment that the school can do more to provide a supportive environment for women, the plan also calls for the state Human Resources Office and other experts to provide sexual harassment training for cadet leaders, and suggests a female staff member be added to the commandant’s office to provide a role model for female cadets.

Shannon Faulkner became the first female cadet last year - under a federal court order - but she dropped out in less than a week.

Five women have been accepted since then, including Kim Messer of Clover and Nancy Mace of Goose Creek, who have paid their room deposits and plan to attend. There were indications a third woman would come as well, the school said. The two others indicated they plan to attend school elsewhere.

The 21-page plan for admitting women, adopted by the school’s governing board, calls for women to be housed in rooms near a women’s bathroom in a dormitory-style barracks that also has men’s rooms. It will cost about $5,000 to modify an existing bathroom for the first women, the school said.