ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 17, 1996 TAG: 9612170053
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, S.C.
SOURCE: Associated Press
A second cadet was suspended Monday and five others have been relieved of their commands at The Citadel, where two women claim fellow cadets harassed them and set their clothes on fire.
A sophomore male was suspended Saturday and a junior cadet was suspended Monday, both for alleged direct involvement in the harassment of Kim Messer and Jeanie Mentavlos, two of the four female cadets at the formerly all-male state military school.
The college did not release the names of the suspended cadets, or the five others in Echo Company who have been relieved of command duties because the incident happened under their watch.
The State Law Enforcement Division said Monday it finished interviews into the hazing. The FBI, summoned because of possible civil rights violations, completed its interviews Saturday. Officials said it could be a month before any results are released.
The two women had been excused from some physical training because both suffered pelvic stress fractures from excessive marching. Both are living off campus and freed of military duties for legal reasons during finals week.
``They did not feel safe going back to Echo Company without a detailed explanation of what had been done to correct the problem,'' said Paul Gibson, a lawyer hired by their families.
The families suggested Messer and Mentavlos be allowed to continue military activities and sleep in the infirmary at the state military college.
But college spokesman Terry Leedom said the infirmary does not have room for two women and that because of the women's concerns, they should live off campus, not participate in drills, and wear civilian clothes to classes.
Gibson said keeping them out of uniform and away from training is unfair.
``I feel they are being punished for the bad deeds of others,'' he said.
Leedom said every effort has been made to ensure the barracks are safe.
``We have two other female cadets who have had no problem at all'' and remain with their companies, he said.
Messer's father said Sunday his daughter is thinking about quitting the college after an upperclassman shoved her with a rifle, hit her and set her clothes on fire.
``She is a tough woman, but she is being terrorized,'' Harvey Messer, a retired Army master sergeant told The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer.
College officials said a male cadet also was targeted in the fire incident, and that they had not heard anything about the rifles or hitting of the women cadets.
But Messer said his daughter and Mentavlos have been subjected to abuse since entering the college last August, and that the abuse intensified after they were excused from some drills because of the stress fractures.
Female admissions came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a similar policy at Virginia Military Institute was unconstitutional.
The first woman cadet at The Citadel, Shannon Faulkner, joined the corps in August 1995 but dropped out after less than a week.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 linesby CNB