Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: FRIDAY, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9506020109 SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: Associated Press DATELINE: CHARLESTON, S.C. LENGTH: Medium
In a plan filed in federal court, The Citadel also proposed that Faulkner's door have a lock and only upperclassmen in her chain of command give her orders. The guard would be posted at the infirmary just as guards are posted at the barracks from 6 a.m. to midnight to control access, the school said.
Her lawyer, Val Vojdik immediately objected, saying Faulkner should be allowed to live in the barracks. She said the proposal to protect Faulkner from sexual harassment was not detailed enough.
``The barracks lifestyle is the heart of the corps of cadets program,'' Vojdik said. ``To put her in the infirmary sends a very derogatory message about the presence of women. You're saying `You're akin to a virus, so we'll put you in the infirmary.'''
A federal judge has ruled The Citadel's all-male policy unconstitutional. However, the 20-year-old rising junior, who has been taking classes at the school under court order, was not allowed to become a cadet while the school appealed.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last month that The Citadel has until August to come up with a suitable alternative leadership training program for women or it must admit her.
There was widespread publicity last year when the college proposed shaving Faulkner's head like those of other first-year cadets. The new plan says simply that her hair should be off the collar, off the face and not interfere with cadet headgear.
The change ``really has to do with having an extra year to think about it,'' Citadel lawyer Dawes Cooke said. A shaved head promotes uniformity, he said. But, ``as time goes by we realized she would not be uniform even with the haircut.''
There was no answer at Faulkner's home in Powdersville nor at her Charleston apartment.
Vojdik said lawyers will argue at a hearing next week that Faulkner should live in the barracks. She also said the school's plan that says ``sexual harassment is prohibited at The Citadel'' and that it will be enforced through the disciplinary system is not enough.
``We heard testimony [at trial] that cadets used, on a regular basis, degrading terms for women as a means of discipline. The Citadel leadership should explicitly announce that type of conduct and those types of terms are not permitted,'' Vojdik said.
As an alternative to admitting Faulkner, the state is proposing a $10 million women's program at Converse College, a private women's school in Spartanburg. U.S. District Judge C. Weston Houck has set a June 12 deadline for submitting the details of that plan.
State officials said Thursday that it should be ready in the next several days.
by CNB