Welcome to The Citadel Family Association
President and Commandant's Parent Presentation >>
From Matriculation Day forward, you are automatically a member of this support network that is only a mouse click, phone call or email away. Your son or daughter journeys down the road less traveled, the CFA is here to support you through a readily available network. Representatives at each level are parents of current upper-class cadets. This site and the CFA Facebook page are kept up to date with information provided directly from the school, making them great first-hand sources of information with just a click of a mouse.
Since its inception in 1993, The Citadel Family Association (CFA) has been dedicated to three main goals:
- To provide information to, and support for, the families of current cadets
- To provide families with a forum for discussion of common interests
- To support college initiatives.
From The Citadel Newsroom
The Citadel is celebrating its 175th anniversary. To learn more about the history of The Citadel and upcoming events, visit the 175th Anniversary page.
Parents' Weekend
The following email will be sent to parents of current cadets the weekend of Sept 16 - 17. If you don't receive this email from the Parents Program, ask your cadet to update parent email addresses with the Registrar.
We were knocked back a few days by Irma, but The Parents’ Day Weekend Website is now online! Or, go to the Parents Website and look for the gray box on the left that says “Parents’ Day Weekend 2017”.
We have made the following improvements over last year:
- One stop shopping for your Parents' Day Weekend events – going to this site allows you to purchase your meals, shirts and tote bags (offered this year due to last year’s feedback!).
- Last year’s site limited what you could order on each visit to the page. This year, the system uses a “shopping cart” feature that allows you to pay for everything at once. One note, at this time we can only process payments via ACH/Electronic Checks. When you are ready to pay, you will be directed to our payment vendor, Touchnet, who will require your bank’s routing number and your account number.
- Meals. No more trying to figure out who to speak to in order to purchase a meal in Coward Hall or the CFA Tailgate. . . .it’s all right here!
- T-Shirts: We upgraded to the next level of quality – more like a “Beefy-T” shirt. Also the logo is personalized for Parents, Grandparents, Sisters and Brothers of cadets. Finally, this will be a true collector’s item in that it includes The Citadel’s “175th” Anniversary logo.
The one item we could not include this year is the purchase of football tickets, but we have the link on Saturday’s page that will take you to Athletics’ Ticket Site.
Few things to be aware of:
- Links throughout the Daily Information Pages will take you to a page that will help you prepare to go to the ordering and payment page. We recommend printing and filling it out first so you don’t have to switch back and forth between pages.
- I know this is short fused, but we will cut off t-shirt and tote bag orders on September 25th so we can ensure they are here by the 6th. We also need to have a meal count by October 1st. What would be outstanding if everyone completed their orders by September 24th!
- Saturday lunches. Your “room and board” fees will pay for lunches purchased in Coward and Deas Hall. The CFA and CAA BBQ are privately catered events, so you will need to pay for their meals if they eat lunch with you. Please note, all have restrictions on the number we are able to serve.
We hope you have an enjoyable Parents’ Day Weekend. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send me an email.
Parents' Day Weekend Citadel Family Association BBQ Tailgate
Come join us at the best tailgating spot at the stadium for a great tasting BBQ Buffet and socializing with other parents! It's the prime spot for watching The Corps, including the Regimental Band and Pipes, march by as they head into the stadium.
Pre-purchase is required and the cost is $15 per person, including cadets. Limited to the first 500! We look forward to seeing you there!
Other Lunch Options
Coward Hall
The cadet dining facility. Cost is $14 per person. No extra cost for your cadet, but you must register him/her.
Deas Hall
This is a box lunch option. Cost is $10. No extra cost for your cadet, but you must register him/her.
Citadel Alumni Association BBQ Buffet
Located in the Holliday Alumni Center just across the street from the stadium entrance. Cost is $12 per person, including cadets. Space is limited to 250.
Bring Your Own Lunch/Tailgate
Some families choose to bring their own picnic or tailgate.
Parents' Weekend Football Tickets
Purchase your tickets through The Citadel Athletic Ticket Office website.
Parents' Day Weekend General Leave
"Will I be able to see my cadet?" is a common question. The answer is YES! The leave policy is also posted on the Parents' Day Weekend website. Leave start times can change depending on a cadet's schedule or responsibilities, so plan for delays.
Friday Night: Upperclass to 0100; Freshmen: 2400
Saturday Night: Upperclass to 0100; Freshmen: 2400 – these could be modified by the President at the football game, so come and cheer loudly!
Sunday: You can pick up your cadets as early as 0600. They must return by: Upperclassmen: 2230; Freshmen: 1800 (6PM)
Daily Schedules
Friday, October 6 - Highlights include President's address to parents, the Ring Presentation, and the Ring Walk-Through and Sword Arch Performance. These events are open to all parents and families. For parents of seniors, this page includes important times and links to information in case you didn't receive it via email or snail mail.
Saturday, October 7 - A full day of activities are planned. This is one of the few days each academic year when the barracks are open to visitors. Let's just say Saturday includes a lot of rifle and band performances. The Freshman Promotion Ceremony will also take place in the morning.
Sunday, October 8 - Sunday services and a day out with your cadet (and a few new friends?)
Cadet Photography
The photographer will be taking makeup photos on the following days:
- Thurs, Sept. 21: 1 to 4 p.m.
- Fri, Sept. 22: 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Cadets will be granted electronic access to their ePortraits, including yearbook pictures, leadership photos, company class photos and ring photos (when taken) by October 17, 2017.
Instructions to access photos:
- Log into Lesesne Gateway (portal.citadel.edu)
- Click on the Campus Life tab•
- Navigate to the Photography and PR box•
- Click on Cadet Portraits, Class Photos, Ring Photos
What you’ll find online:
- Yearbook Portraits and Company Class Photos (if cadets had pictures taken).
- Senior cadets, if they participated in the Ring Ceremony, will receive Ring Portraits, and the senior class picture
- Along with portraits, cadets will be granted a Photo Copyright Release which will allow them to legally print as many copies in whatever format they want.
Check out those cool people in the blue shirts. That's us! The CFA Blue Shirt Army. We assisted nearly 800 cadets and their families on Matriculation Day.
From the Office of Operations & Administration
Since approximately 1993, The Citadel has provided a courier service to cadets for transportation to doctor visits, pharmacies, and other such appointments. After an analysis of the cost of the service and the cost to operate the service was conducted, it was determined that there are viable alternatives to cadets available at a similar or lower cost. Options to cadets for non-emergency care are taxis, Uber, and CARTA (the local bus service). Cadets will be responsible for their own transportation needs after 15 June 2017. EMS should be used for emergency care.
To help with planning travel and visits, we've put together a few important dates. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but a few that parents are generally most interested in. It's important that cadets monitor changes that may be communicated via campus email or the training schedules. We encourage you to contact your CFA company or battalion representive or your cadet's company TAC officer (TACTICAL OFFICERS and NCOs) if you have questions or concerns. These conversations are kept private and will help you to quickly and directly find the accurate information you need to help advise your cadet.
Key Dates and Events 2017-18:
- 06 August - Cadre Reports (should confirm with their leadership)
- 12 August – Class of 2021 Reports (Matriculation Day)
- 20 August - Upperclassmen Report
- 23 August - Fall Classes Start
- 06 October - Ring Presentation and Ring Ceremony events
- 07 October - Parents Day
- 27-29 October - Homecoming Weekend
- 17 November - Fall Break begins after the last class
- 26 November - Fall Break ends - SCCC return to campus
- 1-3 December - Christmas Candlelight Service
- 13 December - Winter Furlough begins
- 7 January - Winter Furlough ends - SCCC return to campus
- 9 March - Spring Break begins after the last class
- 18 March - Spring Break ends - SCCC return to campus
- 22-25 March - Corps Day Weekend (Recognition Day)
- 4 May - The Long Gray Line Graduation Parade
- 5 May - Commencement (Summer Furlough begins)
Visiting Campus? Map and Virtual Tour
Look for visitor parking designated as V on the map.
Accommodations
The Citadel has arranged a number of discounted hotel rates in the Charleston area.