Citadel to put locks on all barracks rooms - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Citadel to put locks on all barracks rooms

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Citadel will install locks on all cadet rooms by next semester, a break with tradition that stems from concerns about safety in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings.

Male cadets have no locks on their barracks doors in keeping with the school’s honor code. Female cadets can lock their doors from the inside.

Now, all cadets will get keys to lock their doors from the outside.

“This decision in no way compromises the honor system. The personal standards that a cadet does not lie, cheat or steal nor tolerate those who do remains the centerpiece of The Citadel experience,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John Rosa, president of the state military college.

The idea had been discussed before the Virginia Tech shootings. But a review after that incident shows “times have changed and society has changed” and locks are needed, Rosa said.

“My job is the safety of every student,” he added.

The Citadel’s Board of Visitors approved the change at a weekend meeting.

The college’s commandant of cadets, Greg Stone, said locks will mean “a new way of operating” but won’t change the way cadets interact.

College attorney Mark Brandenburg said the locks will help safeguard the college from legal liability. But he said it is about more than lawsuits.

“We weren’t at the standard of care we wanted to be,” he said.

Installing the locks will cost about $125,000.