Citadel cadets disciplined
A total of 14 cadets have been disciplined after a group of students at the Citadel military college in South Carolina posed in photographs wearing Ku Klux Klan-style pillowcases on their heads.
College president retired Air Force Lt. General John Rosa announced the decision Monday.
‘The investigation found that the cadets did not intend to be offensive. However, I am disappointed some recognized how it could be construed as such but didn’t stop it,’ Rosa wrote in a statement.
According to the statement, the photos were taken during a holiday event in the room of an upper class student on December 7, 2015.
The seven first-year students in the pictures claimed they were trying to dress up as ‘ghosts of Christmas past’ from Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel A Christmas Carol.
A number of the students claimed they did not know the costumes were offensive, according to the statement.
Of the 14 cadets who were disciplined, a number were dismissed, while some were suspended and others will receive on-campus punishment, the Associated Press reported.
A spokesperson for the Citadel declined to specify how many students received each of the three different punishments.
‘I’m not answering any follow-up questions right now,’ Citadel spokesperson Kim Keelor told Daily Mail Online.
Keelor would not specify what ‘on-campus punishment’ means, but said it involves ‘campus tours.’
A press conference regarding the incident will be held later on Monday, Keelor said.
