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No Place For A Girl?

Kim Messer and Jeanie Mentavlos were excited when they showed up at the Citadel last August. They were among the first four women to join the cadet corps at the military college in Charleston, South Carolina.

Messer knew that the Citadel had fought a long battle in court to keep women out. She knew that a young woman who had enrolled there once before dropped out immediately. Still, she insisted, "I want the rigor of the Citadel as much as any guy wants it."

Last week Messer and Mentavlos announced they would not return to the Citadel this semester. Both were angry about the way they had been treated. While older cadets often give new ones a very hard time--they call it hazing--Messer said the abuse they suffered was "criminal" and "disgusting." They claim that male cadets set their clothes on fire, put cleanser in their mouths and forced them to drink tea until they threw up.

In response, Citadel officials have suspended one cadet and charged three others. Police and the FBI are also investigating the incidents.

Last week Citadel president General Clifton Poole spoke to the 1,800 cadets. His message: "The quickest way out of this college is to behave in an inappropriate manner toward one of the female cadets."

Next: A Cold Snap Zaps The U.S.