GRADUATE: CITADEL, WOMEN DON'T MIX

Anthony Charles Zoffuto Jr., a spring graduate of The Citadel, says the military college is right to preclude women from its 151-year all-male tradition.

The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. has come under fire for refusing to admit a woman, Shannon Faulkner, to its corps of cadets.

Zoffuto, of Cape Girardeau, said many cadets resent Faulkner and the attention her quest to enter The Citadel has generated.

"We ate Faulkner for breakfast every morning and it had a very foul taste," he said. "I think she should look for her educational opportunities elsewhere."

Developments in the Faulkner saga have continued for more than a year.

Just last week, a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that she must continue as a daytime civilian student at The Citadel while the court considers the school's appeal to keep her out of the corps. The judges said they would schedule arguments for December.

Before the ruling, the path had been cleared for Faulkner to enroll Monday in The Citadel's corps of cadets and have her long, brown hair shaved off.

"I might feel differently if I actually thought she was doing this to accomplish something in her life," Zoffuto said. "She is just trying to make a statement."

And, as he sees it, she lied on her application.

The Citadel accepted Faulkner last year after she asked a high school guidance counselor to delete references to gender on her transcript. Her application was rejected after the college learned she was a woman and she sued.

Breaking the all-male tradition, Zoffuto said, would dilute the effectiveness of The Citadel's program.

"I have nothing against women. Women can be great leaders," he said. "But I had a unique opportunity at education."

The cadets develop a bond he likens to a fraternity, only stronger. The presence of women in the corps would make the opportunity impossible, he said.

"You bring into the whole equation a double standard," he said. For example, Faulkner balked at the idea of shaving her head. "But they shave our heads."

On the first day Faulkner attended classes as a civilian student last fall, cadets were curious. "We were jumping up and down trying to get a look at her," he said.

But the cadet's code of discipline took over. "The cadets have been gentlemen to her," he said. "I only heard of one incident. She spoke up in class and some of the cadets hissed at her."

Last year's freshmen resent her attendance, Zoffuto said, because their class was the first to be tarnished by the presence of a woman.

Zoffuto graduated with a degree in secondary education, but he plans to pursue a career in psychology. He will attend the university at Knoxville, Tenn.

The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute are the only all-male, state-supported military schools in the nation. VMI's all-male policy also is being challenged by the Justice Department. Zoffuto's younger brother attends Virginia Military Institute.