
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 20, 1995                   TAG: 9504280005
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, S.C.                                LENGTH: Short

CITADEL GOOFS, THINKS BOY A GIRL

Any name that even suggests a female applicant seems to set off alarms these days at The Citadel, the all-male military school fighting a woman's admission.

When Kristian Zoeller applied, the school quickly sent back a rejection letter to the 16-year-old, 220-pound high school football player from Newburyport, Mass., noting that the school is for men only.

The Citadel then forwarded his name to the Justice Department, which asked if he would like to join Shannon Faulkner's lawsuit to be admitted to the school's corps of cadets. The Justice Department has intervened on her behalf.

Last week, an appeals court ruled that The Citadel had discriminated against Faulkner and ordered school officials to admit her to the corps or come up with a military-style program for women. She has been attending classes there since 1994 but had not been allowed to take part in military training or wear a uniform while the case was being appealed.

Zoeller said he called the Justice Department to straighten things out and his parents called the school to complain.

``I called a couple of lawyers at the department and told them I am a guy and I have all the right body parts,'' Zoeller said.

Citadel officials apologized, and he received his application packet last week.

Zoeller has no problem with The Citadel's all-male policy. ``It's a tradition,'' he said.

by CNB