User:Evilphoenix/The Citadel (military college)/Uncited

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Most Corps of Cadets graduates say they that the discipline had a profound and lasting positive effect on them.

In addition to the Corps, civilian undergraduate and graduate programs are offered through The Citadel's College of Graduate and Professional Studies. Civilian students normally do not take classes with cadets and do not live on campus.

History[edit]

The college was originally established by South Carolina's legislature in 1822 to act as a Municipal Guard for the protection of the city of Charleston and vicinity. Construction of The Citadel in Charleston, SC finished in 1829. A similar facility was built in Columbia, South Carolina known as The Arsenal.

Enrollment in The South Carolina Military Institute increased from 34 students in 1843 to 296 in 1864. The $200 tuition in 1843 increased to $1,200 in 1864. When South Carolina seceded from the Union in December 1860, Major Robert Anderson (USA) moved his garrison to Fort Sumter and requested reinforcements. On January 9, 1861, the soldiers, including Citadel cadets Haynesworth and Pickens, fired upon the supply steamer Star of the West, which was attempting to resupply federal troops garrisoned at Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor. This is generally accepted as the first overt act of the American Civil War. By legislative act of January 28, 1861, the cadets at The Arsenal in Columbia and The Citadel in Charleston were made part of the military organization of the State of South Carolina as the Battalion of State Cadets, eventually being awarded 9 battle streamers. The Arsenal and The Citadel continued to operate as military academies; however classes were often disrupted when the governor called the cadets into military service. Mounting and manning heavy guns, guard duty and escorting prisoners were among the services performed by the cadets.

On February 18, 1865, The Citadel was shut down as a college when United States troops occupied Charleston. The Citadel remained closed for 17 years between 1865 and 1882, when the academy was reopened by an act of the U.S. Congress and the South Carolina General Assembly. The original Citadel was on Marion Square in downtown Charleston. In 1922 the college moved to its present location, approximately 100 acres (0.4 km²) of marsh and high ground along the banks of the Ashley River.

The college opened the College of Graduate and Professional Studies in 1986 to expand the school's academic program, give Lowcountry residents an opportunity to continue their educations on a part-time basis, and create an additional revenue stream for the college.

Athletics[edit]

Both civilians students and cadets play on the sports teams. A member of the Southern Conference, The Citadel is a NCAA Division I school. The college's mascot is the Bulldog. Those cadets who participate in NCAA athletics are required to report a month earlier prior to their freshman year for "athletic cadre," so that they can participate in their sport practices when normal cadre starts. During the athletic cadre, the military athletes are initiated into the Corps while completing first-week experiences, such as "Hell Week".

Rankings[edit]

For the sixth straight year, The Citadel School of Engineering has ranked among the top 50 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation. In addition, the annual rankings puts The Citadel in seventh place out of 64 for master's universities in the South. In the U.S. News rankings for 2006, the college held steady at the No. 2 spot for top public universities in the South offering up to master’s degree. Last year it tied for the same position.

Student life[edit]

The heart of The Citadel is made up of its Corps of Cadets. Cadets govern and lead themselves on a daily basis and entrust cadet NCO's and officers to conduct all training and activities. This situation provides for what is called a "leadership laboratory," in that many cadets get the chance to lead numerous subordinates in a controlled environment. The Corps of Cadets is organized into a regiment of approximately 2,000 cadets. The regiment is commanded by one Cadet Colonel, who is responsible for all actions amongst the Corps. The Regimental Commander is aided by a staff of approximately 25 senior officers and NCOs, who specialize in running the various aspects of cadet life. The Corps is further divided into four battalions, each consisting of just approximately 500 people, and commanded by one Cadet Lieutenant Colonel. Each battalion consists of four or five companies of just over 100 cadets. The Cadet Company, commanded by a Cadet Captain, is the basic unit for a cadet, as cadets are assigned to it for all four years, and usually becomes an extended family during and after the time spent at The Citadel.

Knob year[edit]

The Citadel earns its reputation for giving its Corps of Cadets students a mentally and physically demanding experience and, according to Citadel supporters, is among the longest freshmen year of all senior state military colleges. The incoming cadet freshmen are fourth classmen in the cadet system and are referred to as "Knobs." These first-year cadets can be identified by their shaved heads (males only) and by the accelerated pace, nearly a jog, that they keep while walking around campus. Knob year begins with an intense indoctrination into the fourth-class system known as "Hell Week." The bracing position is an exaggerated position of attention requiring cadets to tuck in their chins while rolling their shoulders back and down, with their arms pinned to their sides and their hands closed along their trousers. While physical challenges, from pushups, situps, running, and other exercises, are a never ending part of knob year, a large portion of the challenge is mental. Freshmen are taught the art of time management, teamwork, self sacrifice, and the fact that they can survive any trial and succeed at any task put before them. Throughout the year, knobs are forced to test their mental capacity in many ways, from the classroom to numerous items requiring memorization (including their chains of command, the daily menus, school and military history, and current events), known as "knob knowledge."

Many cadets have physical training Monday and Thursday mornings before breakfast, drill practice Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11am and noon, and "Spirit Runs" after the weekly Friday afternoons parade. Weekends are the most relaxed time for cadets, but are often filled with SMI's (Saturday Morning Inspection) and other military duties, including community service. Civilian students do not take part in the inspections. Following final exams in December, most of Knob-life has become routine. Knobs are always called by their last names and are not allowed to refer to upperclassmen by first name. All upperclassmen are referred to as "Mr." or "Miss," followed by their last names. Freshmen are not allowed to speak in the first person except in a classroom settings; the proper way to describe oneself during freshman year is, "This Cadet Private." The culminating point of training is Recognition Day, which occurs a couple of days before the senior class graduates. Recognition Day is a crucible of drill and physical training. Recognition Day ends in a final "Spirit Run," a number of pushups (called a class set) that indicates the year the cadet is graduating in (105 for the class of 2005), and finally the ceremony where all the upperclassmen (sophomores, juniors, seniors) shake the hands of the knobs, call them by their first names, and welcome them into the Corps of Cadets as upperclassmen, marking the end of the Fourthclass System. It is through the process of completing knob year and earning "recognition" in which future graduates procure their greatest pride. It is also worth noting that almost no member of the Corps would want to call an end this tradition, as it is considered by many to be the most memorable and important event of their cadet career.

Academic program[edit]

For members of the Corps of Cadets, the greatest challenge of The Citadel is managing daily cadet life and its many requirements with their college academic load. The Citadel requires what some would consider a somewhat demanding academic schedule of its cadets. The cadets average 18 credit hours per semester, with some taking as many as 24. The academic course load also requires "core" classes to be taken by all cadets, including: two years of English, two years of a foreign language (except for cadets pursuing Engineering and Teacher Education degrees), one year each of two laboratory sciences, a year of history, a year of upper level mathematics, and a year of health and exercise science. Upon graduation, most cadets have earned more credits than their U.S. college peers would have after five years.

Class privileges[edit]

As opposed to traditional colleges, class privileges within the Corps of Cadets are bound by the tradition of progression; only receiving privileges as they rise in class seniority and rank. At the direction of the Regimental Commander, such privileges are normally set forth at the beginning of the second semester:

  • Freshman: Second Semester room phone and overnight leave privileges
  • Sophomores: Second Semester Quad Cutting Privilege, which allows third class cadets the right to walk across the checkerboard quadrangle in the middle of each barracks, which often is a more convenient route in the barracks.
  • Juniors: Second Semester Parade Ground privilege, which allows second class cadets the right to walk across the centrally located parade ground; this is often a more convenient route around campus. Also, the Blazer Uniform, which allows the second class the right to wear the blazer uniform on periods of leave rather than the standard leave uniform of the day.
  • Seniors: All year Television Privilege, which allows seniors to have a television in their rooms, and the Ring Privilege, which honors first class cadets with their class ring, the Band of Gold.

The Band of Gold[edit]

Seniors and alumni take special pride in their school ring. Cadets are awarded their rings during the fall of their senior, or first class, year. The occasion is highly anticipated and is an emotional event for the soon-to-be alumni. The design of the cadet ring has not changed since the early 1940s. The Citadel cadet ring is gold with no stone and contains 14 symbols, which fourth class cadets are required to memorize.

Civilian students and enlisted Marines and Sailors who attend The Citadel through the MECEP and STA-21 programs may also receive a ring during their senior year. This ring, as well as the one that graduates of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies may purchase, is differentiated from the ring worn by cadets by the addition of a stone on the face.

Honor Code[edit]

Foremost in the corps of cadet member's life is the Cadet Honor Code, which states that, "A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do." These words provide the foundation of The Citadel and exemplify the great importance of honor to both the institution and the cadets that make up its base. All cadets abide by the code and elect representatives to form the Corps' Honor Court, which holds investigations and trials for those suspected of not living by the Honor Code. The punishment for a guilty verdict is a recommendation for expulsion made by the cadets to the president of the college. The president usually concurs and the cadet is expelled and an announcement is made in the dining facility (mess hall) to the Corps.

Alumni[edit]

Alumni listing without a corresponding Wikipedia article or further citation removed from article, listed below

Military[edit]

  • Lt. Gen. John Kimmons, USA, Class of 1974. Director of Intelligence HQ US Army
  • John Fuller, Lieutenant, USMC. Died heroically in Vietnam and was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously.

Government[edit]

Sports[edit]

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