THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 14, 1995 TAG: 9504140439
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, S.C. LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
A federal appeals court cleared the way Thursday for Shannon Faulkner to become the first woman to take part in military training at The Citadel.
In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel agreed that Faulkner's exclusion from The Citadel violates her rights under the equal protection clause of the Constitution.
The court said Faulkner must be admitted in August if the state has not yet implemented a plan to accommodate all women seeking a military-style education.
The Citadel's lawyer, Dawes Cooke, said school officials have been working on an alternative plan. ``I like to think we're in good position to meet the court's requirements'' to have one in place by August, he said.
Faulkner has been attending classes at the school in Charleston under a federal judge's order but had not been allowed to take part in military training or wear a uniform while the case was being appealed.
The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute in Lexington are the only state-supported, all-male military colleges in the nation.
In the VMI case, courts have ruled that the school can set up an alternative military-style program for women at nearby Mary Baldwin College. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Faulkner
by CNB