THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 6, 1996 TAG: 9608060407
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, S.C. LENGTH: 40 lines
Female cadets will live in rooms with latches, be judged by the Army's physical standards for women, and undergo the same stressful 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.''
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.
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 females.
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. There were indications a third woman would enroll, the school said. The two others indicated they plan to go elsewhere.
Women would 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.
U.S. District Judge C. Weston Houck will review the full plan in court next week. by CNB