Women like Mace have seen more obvious changes for women at The Citadel in the last 25 years. One of the initial obstacles to recruiting women was the hair standard. At matriculation, women were required to get a pixie-style haircut, which they could then grow into a bob, but the hair could not touch the collar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she described an age-old internal debate that most freshmen experience over whether to leave or stay, Laura Hewston, \u201907, shared that her hair played a small part in her decision not to leave The Citadel. \u201cI somehow had this realization that, you know what? I\u2019m going to do this. I\u2019m going to finish this out, I\u2019m going to do it,\u201d said Hewston. \u201cAnd another thing was, I don\u2019t think anyone would have understood my haircut. And then if I had to explain to people why I cut my hair like this, I\u2019d have to say that I quit, and I\u2019m not a quitter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2018, the hair standard changed to match that of the Department of Defense. Female cadets are no longer required to have their hair cut. They can wear it short, medium length but not touching the collar, or they can choose to keep it long. Long hair must be worn in a bun while in uniform, except when wearing the camouflage uniform, when it may be worn in a single braid or a braided ponytail. Today, women are also allowed to have modest manicures and wear jewelry, and upper-class women are authorized to wear conservative makeup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the evolution in grooming standards is a plus for the young women who enter Lesesne Gate, the attraction of The Citadel for them is the same as it is for men\u2014they are looking for a challenging academic and military environment that they won\u2019t get at a traditional college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Mace noted in her remarks, the women who choose The Citadel are choosing a path of discipline and leadership that was cut by many others over the last quarter century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want to take a brief moment this morning and talk to the female cadets who are graduating today, years ago, I made history as one. When you cross this stage, it might feel like a quick walk. But it\u2019s not. It\u2019s a long path that took over 150 years to forge. You\u2019ll be following in the footsteps of thousands of men and 800 women who came before you,\u201d said Mace. \u201cAnd as the saying goes, \u2018With great power comes great responsibility.\u2019 So when you get to where you\u2019re going, turn around and help the next woman behind you find her way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mace looked out from the podium, perhaps thinking of her own commencement in 1999, stage. The Citadel has undoubtedly changed in many ways in the last 25 years, yet it has held fast in the ways that are important. The concepts of honor, duty and respect remain the bedrock of a Citadel education. That was the case in 1842 and in 1999, and it remains the same today for men and women alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2024 On May 4, 2024, Representative Nancy Mace stood behind the podium in McAlister Field House in academic regalia as the commencement speaker for The Citadel Corps of Cadets Class of 2024, a proud reflection of the cadet who made history when she walked across the stage in 1999. Seated directly in front of her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":694,"featured_media":427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2024-special-edition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/207\/20240504_SCCC_Graduation_0436-1024x683.jpg\")
(Ed Wray\/The Citadel)<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"