A beautiful Fall day at The Citadel. The weather should begin to warm up in Charleston by the end of February.
Each year at this time the cadets return to The Citadel for the start of second semester, just like other colleges around the country. It is a time of year most of the cadets dread, They return to campus after a month of warm beds, long hot showers, great food and time with their family and friends. On campus they resume their regimented schedules that include early morning physical training in the cold damp weather of the low country of South Carolina.
The knobs will begin to see the Recognition Day light at the end of the tunnel. The seniors just begin to realize that their time as members of the Corps of Cadets at The Citadel is coming to a close. The junior Bond Volunteer Aspirants begin the final steps towards Cuts Day and the hope of becoming a member of the Summerall Guards. Sophomore gain a few more privileges too. High school seniors are beginning to focus on preparing to join the Corps of Cadets.
The search terms people use to find this blog tell me that many cadets (and their parents too) are doing their homework. I have no way of knowing who is using these search terms, but I imagine the break down to be something like this:
The senior cadets and their parents are searching for topics like: Citadel gifts; life for graduates after The Citadel; Citadel graduation cake.
The knobs and their families are searching for: Citadel Recognition Day schedule (it isn’t posted yet); Citadel class of 2017
What ever may have brought you to this site, Welcome! I hope you find the answer to your questions here. Remember to use the search window on this site. I try to add the links to official information on the school website. You should also go to the citadel.edu website and use the search window there.
I wish every cadet (and future cadet) and their family the best where ever they are in the process of joining the Long Gray Line.
It may only be January, but it is time to plan for graduation in May. It may even be a little late to start if you plan on renting a home for the week. Links to hotel information and other places to stay are in this previous post. It is always a good idea to call the area hotels directly and ask if they offer a special rate for Citadel families.
The schedule for the week is available on the school website under Commencement 2014. Many families come into town Wednesday or earlier and make a week of it. The seniors are out of the barracks before the other cadets so count on them staying with you. Graduates who are commissioning and/or who are Legacies should see this link for their special schedule.
As every other cadet event, the cadets have practice during the days for all the events from the commissioning ceremonies for military contract graduates, to the long grey line, legacies, and commencement. Their evenings are free.
A friend gave me a heads up about graduation week. While we all want to spend time with our soon to be graduate, it hits the seniors sometime leading up to graduation that they will no longer be able to see their buddies by walking out of their room in the barracks. They try to get as much time with their friends as possible before they spread across the globe in their various new roles.
Some families get together with others and host parties for companies. Others have small family gatherings. It is totally up to the individual families. I wrote about the little things i did graduation week to say thank you to various people on campus that I came to call friends.
If you are just getting started on your plans, a place to stay should be at the top of your list. Meal planning is next, especially if you will have a large group dining out. For help in finding facilities the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau is a great resource. The area hotels have restaurants and meeting facilities, but they can also offer suggestions.
The attire for the baccalaureate ceremony, commissioning ceremony, the parade and garden party is listed as casual, but many families dress a little nicer than just casual. Of course you need to dress for the weather too. In 2011 it rained for the Friday afternoon long grey line parade. We ended up so soaked we skipped the reception at the President’s home. In all the photos I’ve seen from other years the ladies wear light sun dresses, nice slacks and similar outfits. For the commissioning ceremony many wear jacket and tie as would match the attire the new officers will be wearing. Most people don’t have the time to change between events so they wear something comfortable, but nice for all the events.
You will want to plan on dinner Friday, and a late lunch Saturday after graduation. Dinner Saturday night is another opportunity to plan a gathering. The recent graduates may also have various parties they will want to visit. Like everything else over the four years, the events outside of the planned school functions, will vary with each graduate. A good resource, in addition to the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau, for restaurants is Zagat’s.
Gifts ideas for graduates are infinite. Some families give gifts to their cadet’s friends. Some knobs families give senior mentors gifts. It is totally up to the individual as to what you give or if you give a gift. A nice card is always appropriate. The Citadel Alumni Association also has some nice gifts available through their site.
The Citadel Bookstore sells diploma frames. Blazer buttons, and various jewelry items are also a nice gift.
The Citadel Alumni Association offers a steep discount on their Lifetime Memberships for junior and senior cadets. It makes a terrific graduation present. They host a special luncheon/presentation gathering Thursday afternoon. The new Lifetime members are presented with their plaque during the event.
A nice gift for a graduate to give their mother is the special miniature Citadel ring or pendant. It is pricey so they may need help from dad to purchase it for their mom.
I’ll include a few links below to previous posts that include other gift ideas and links.
The cadets spend four years waiting to graduate, then spend the rest of their lives trying to get back. Enjoy the week of events and take lots of photos!
If you would like to get together with other families in your cadets family and hire a photographer, I happen to be married to a very good one, Stanley Leary. You can see some of his Citadel photos here. Of course there are others in the area too.
Carolina Cadet Nutcracker and an Army Nutcracker purchased at Target. carolinacadet.com
Winter Furlough for first year Citadel cadets can bring with it a mixed bag of emotions. While they are very happy to be home and away from the 4th Class system, they also miss their fellow knobs. The friends from high school who went on to non-military colleges can’t relate to the regimented life of a cadet. The process of moving into adulthood and the life of a Citadel cadet is in place by December of knob year.
The downside of Winter Furlough is the news that comes from friends who have decided they want a different college experience and will not return to The Citadel for second semester. While I am sure it is a tough decision not to return, in some ways hearing a good buddy won’t be there second semester can really upset the most devoted knob. I bring this up in case anyone reading this thinks they are alone so they will know they are not.
Some cadets don’t return because of grades. For others, they do not return because of financial reasons. Others decide that they want to attend a non-military college. Whatever the reason, it is hard to leave good friends.
For the knobs who face second semester without a friend, returning in January can be even more difficult. The beginning of second semester is tough for many cadets of all classes. They have spent a month with friends and family, enjoying good food lots of sleep and long hot showers. They return to the cold dark barracks, early morning PT in the damp cold temperatures of the winter. Many first year cadets who haven’t questioned their sanity of choosing this type of college experience, will have their doubts in January and February.
I mention this now as a heads up to parents of first year cadets so you’ll know that if you get a call in January complaining about the school, you’ll be aware that this is normal. As I’ve written in several posts, you know your child the best. If at anytime you have concerns about them and their experience at The Citadel, call the ombudspersons office. They will keep the call confidential and hear your concerns.
How a cadet did academically first semester can be a cause for celebration or concern. Congratulations if your cadet made the Dean’s List (3.2) or Gold Stars (3.7 or higher). The school will publish a list of the cadets on each list. There will also be the announcement of the Commandant’s List and President’s List cadets sometime in January. The President’s List cadets and Gold Star recipients are recognized during the awards parade in January and are invited to a reception at the President’s home after the parade.
If your cadet did not do well first semester it can be a wake up call to reorder priorities. I’ve heard plenty of stories of cadets who didn’t do well their first semester and went on to earn Gold Stars. The academic support office and the individual academic departments can be a great help to cadets, but they must seek the assistance. The sooner they ask for help in a semester the better.
No matter how they did academically, they have made it through the toughest challenge a college freshman can go through and that is cause for celebration!
McAlister Fieldhouse fills up quickly on graduation day. photo by Stanley Leary
Thanksgiving furlough at The Citadel is still a week away, so it may seem a bit early to post about the last week of the school year. As parents of upperclassmen know, the hotel rooms and rental homes book up quickly that week. Graduation is May 10, 2014. The College of Charleston also has their graduation the same week.
Make your hotel reservations early.
For parents of the Class of 2017 you need to pay attention to this advice too since freshman – junior cadets stay on campus until graduation day.
The undergraduate cadets who do not have prior approval to leave early, stay in the barracks until 7:00 AM at the latest the day of graduation. Some cadets have duties graduation day and have to stay longer. Your cadet will have to let you know if they have a duty, but they won’t know until closer to May. Cadets with parents who arrive Friday can load some of their belongings Friday.
If you arrive by 2:00 in the afternoon you will be able to see the 2015 Summerall Guards perform and then watch the Long Gray Line parade.
I am mentioning this now because last year quite a few parents were surprised about this schedule.
The Class of 2008 joins the Long Gray Line of graduates.
For parents of graduating seniors:
The seniors move out of the barracks before Friday so they need a place to stay Wednesday – Friday nights.
The events for graduation begin the Thursday before graduation. The school has posted a planning sheet and a schedule of events for graduation. The more extended information page for 2014 is not posted yet. You can read through the page still available from May 2013 to get an idea of what to expect. In our case my son did not participate it eh THursday Award ceremony and did not want to attend the baccalaureate service.
Friday: Friday is the day the military commissioning services take place. TheArmy commissioning service is usually the largest group and they go first. You’ll need to get to the chapel early Friday morning to find a seat. Two people can pin the bars onto the shoulder of the newly commissioned officer. They sit with the graduating senior. All others sit behind the seniors.
A note about commissioning: It is customary for the new officer to receive their first salute to an NCO or enlisted soldier. In turn the new officer gives a silver dollar to the the person who rendered the salute. Finding a silver dollar can be tricky for some.
The Citadel Alumni Association hosts a nice gathering at lunchtime Friday for the graduates who are new Lifetime members of the CAA. The Lifetime membership makes a great graduation gift. Up to 4 people, including the graduate can attend this luncheon.
There are special events for legacy graduates and their families.
The 2015 Summerall Guards will perform in the afternoon.
The Long Gray Line graduation parade takes place Friday afternoon.
Saturday: For the last few years each cadet is given 8 tickets. In 2013 the seating was not assigned. Arrive early for the best seats.
If you need more than 8 tickets, ask your cadet to network with his classmates.
Graduation for the Corps of Cadets begins about 9:00 AM each year and is over around 12 noon. If young children will be with you, bring a “distraction bag” with quiet activities.
Previous posts on graduation week may be of help in your planning:
The Citadel Heroes Project. Care packages ready to be shipped to deployed cadets and graduates of The Citadel.
We are approaching Thanksgiving time, and the time to send care packages to troops for the holidays.
At The Citadel a great volunteer effort was started several years ago to send boxes to deployed cadets and graduates, The Citadel Heroes Project.
I’ve written about this effort before. The time to send donations for their holiday mailing is now. Susie Maghakian of the Krause Leadership Center on campus is the staff coordinator for the project. Theresa Chamberlain is the parent of a graduate and is the current volunteer coordinator of the program.
People always ask what should be included in care packages. A general rule is not to send items that have a short shelf life. Mail can be delayed and items like home-baked good soften arrived spoiled.
If you Google “what to send a deployed soldier” quite a few sites with suggestions will pop up. Give 2 the Troops is one of many sites you will find that offer a list of items. I’ll include a few suggestions here, but please note this list is not exhaustive. If you know the person you are sending items to, ask them what they would like and would appreciate. Some units have ready access to day to day items, others do not.
Saran Wrap: I have recently learned that including a roll of saran wrap in a care package could help save a soldier’s life. In a recent email from a Citadel grad who is working as a contractor in Afghanistan he wrote: “Its use would be as an emergency field medical expedient dressing to wrap hastily around the chest of a torso-wounded teammate to prevent death by ‘sucking chest wound.’ Some SF medics I work with have recommended this technique. I’m sure it would have other practical uses as well.”
Snacks: Individual packets of trail mix and nuts, granola bars, protein bars, breakfast bars, fruit leather, jerky, hard candy, chewing gum, small packets of cookies, individual serving containers of noodles. If they have access to a microwave the individual meals are great.
Beverage powder: Individual drink packets to be added to water – all flavors; hot chocolate packets; instant coffee; powdered creamer
Sauces: Dipping sauces from your local fast food store; hot sauces
Non food items: soft toilet paper, baby wipes, Q-Tips, in the winter month hand warmers, disposable razors, feminine hygiene products-if you know there are women in the unit
Personal care items (do not include in the same box as food): shampoo, shaving cream in squeeze tubes, liquid body soap, deodorant, sun screen
Other items: School supplies, like pencils, paper, crayons. These items are given to the local school children; wrapped candies
Socks, Underwear, T-Shirts : If you know the soldier and their sizes these items are appreciated. Covert Threads is a great resource for good socks for soldiers. THey have a buy 10 get three free policy which makes the socks even more affordable. It is a great option for groups sending items out.
Packing tips:
Take items and individual packets out of the box they came in and put them in a zip lock bag. You can fit more in a care package this way and the ziplock bag can be used for other things once the solder has the box. Plus, they have to burn their trash.
Do not mix scented items with food items.
If you try to send home-baked goods vacuum pack them.
Add some fun items like a deck of cards, photos of friends and family, letters and drawings from children, fun toys from the dollar store to blow off steam
I’m inventorying the supplies before packing them for shipping. Note the packets of oatmeal and breakfast bars (on the left side of the photo) are repacked into ziplock bags. The cardboard wrapping on the socks was removed before shipping them to Afghanistan. The clothing items were packed in vacuum bags so help get more into the boxes. photo by Stanley Leary
I am often asked about how to help cadets at The Citadel who have unmet financial needs. The Citadel Foundation has quite a few avenues available for anyone who would like to help. I asked Lori Tuttle of the foundation office to send along the names of few funds that would directly impact cadets. This is not a complete list. If you have a specific interest I encourage you to call the foundation offices.
Of course donating to an unrestricted fund like The Citadel Fund is always welcomed. The description of the fund can be found on the Donate Now webpage:
The Citadel Fund offers every member of the college’s family an opportunity to support and enrich student life. Unrestricted gifts have an immediate and enduring impact on campus priorities. By giving to The Citadel Fund, each donor helps to address the college’s most urgent needs, providing the flexibility to support its most critical objectives.
Gifts to The Citadel Fund continue the college’s longstanding tradition of providing cadets and graduate students with an exceptional education in a disciplined environment, deep bonds and lasting friendships, and above all, the ability and confidence to face whatever challenges come their way.
Every dollar makes a difference, every day, in the lives of each cadet and graduate student on campus.
I’ll post a few of the many cadet related Funds here. Each department on campus, as well as special interests, have funds to which you may contribute.
Go to The Citadel Foundation page and click on the red Donate Now button. To find cadet related funds enter “Cadet” in the “Fund Description” search window, or “Academic” for various related funds. You can also select a department or office from the department drop down menu to see the funds available in each department.
The highlighted names below will bring you to the donation page for that fund.
Provides financial resources to respond to ongoing requests from students who display immediate financial need. Preference is given to applicants who, without aid, could not remain enrolled through graduation.
The Krause Center of Leadership and Ethics coordinates, promotes, and enhances the development of curricular and co-curricular programs in leadership and ethics that support The Citadel’s vision to lead in the development of principled leaders.
The Academic Endowment Fund plays a critical role in underwriting academic programs at the college. Each year, a distribution of the Academic Endowment Fund is made to the college for academic enrichment opportunities for faculty and students. A gift to the Academic Endowment can provide funding for:
The Cadet Activities department is dedicated to providing a rich and robust college experience to all cadets. Through an exciting array of programs and events, cadets are encouraged to socialize, donate their time, experience cultural events, participate in clubs and much more. All of this is oriented to rounding out the education of cadets and helping develop principled leaders for our nation.
A rather new fund is the Palmetto Ring Fund. From the donation web site:
Each year, The CAA is approached by senior cadets, parents, or others to ask for assistance in purchasing their Citadel Ring. With the current cost of a Citadel Ring exceeding $1,000.00, affordability has become an area of concern. Confirmation of need varies on a case-by-case basis. The CAA then reaches out to local clubs to help raise the money to assist the cadet in purchasing the Ring. The CAA cannot predict the sustainability of any external, private efforts, thus we cannot plan for those to cover all cadet shortfalls. When all of these efforts have been exhausted, The CAA has purchased a ring using general funds. As the need for assistance has grown, so has the need to create a more formalized process for approving, funding, and accounting for these Rings and their recipients.
The Summerall Guards and other groups also have a fund you can support. They rely on your support to help with their expenses.
To see if there is a fund for a group you would like to support, just enter a word into the “Fund Description” search window.
Many people ask, why give? The following is an answer to that question provided by The Citadel Foundation on their webpage titled Why Give?
The Citadel’s mission is to educate and develop its students to become principled leaders in all walks of life by instilling core values of Honor, Duty, and Respect in a disciplined and intellectually challenging environment.
Accomplishing this mission will require substantial additional resources, together with a continued commitment to efficiency, a focus on top priorities, and a determination to work hard. Gifts from individuals, companies, and organizations provide resources that will be used to recruit and retain outstanding students and professors, provide them with state-of-the-art technology and facilities, and enrich campus life through athletic and cultural activities.
This blog began in the Fall of 2011. My oldest son graduated from The Citadel in May of 2011. After chairing the Georgia Citadel Parents Group for three years as well as serving as the Area Rep coordinator for the Citadel Family Association for a couple of years, I accumulated quite a bit of helpful information for parents. A blog seemed like a great place to post this information so any searching for Citadel related topics could find the information. The initial information was taken form the document I used to share with Georgia parents which is also on the CFA website under CFA Benefits titled “Survival Tips.”
After I posted the initial information I did not visit the blog site for about six months. When I did check on the stats for the site, it turned out some days the blog had over 300 hits. Then emails began coming in from parents of incoming cadets. That is when I posted a Facebook group for Parents of the Class of 2016. There is now a group for Parents of the Class of 2017.
The intent of these groups is to help families prepare for knob year and teach them how to find information on the school website. Ideally, after knob year, each parent will learn the ins and outs of the cadet year. After knob year the groups for parents become a place for the parents to post photos, and share stories.
As with many sites that post information, some readers would rather request the answers from a fellow parent instead of learning how to find the answers. The groups are manned by parents of graduates. It is important to note these parents volunteer their time. All of the parents of graduates had to learn about the 4th class system on their own. There were no Facebook groups in 2007 and most of 2008. The goal of these groups is to teach new parents how to find information on their own so they will no longer need help from the volunteers.
The first tip for new parents is this, The Citadel is a military college. The cadets are to learn to handle their own affairs. Parents are needed for support, but should not try to “fix” any problems.
Parents should encourage the cadet to seek solutions on their own. If a problem arises a knob should use their chain of command to find answers. If it is an academic problem, speaking to their professor, then the academic support office is what they should be encouraged to do.
If it is a matter a cadet does not want to share with their chain of command several resources on campus exist and can be found on the H.E.L.P. web page.
The second big tip for new parents is to use the search window on the citadel.edu web site. Just about everything you need to know as a parent can be found in this way. I will list the top web pages parents should read below.
Remember, the links may change from year to year. If you enter the name of what you are looking for into the search window on the main web site you should find the current link.
You can also go to the webpage the school put together called simply, Parents.
A-Z Sitemap – Use this link to see an alphabetical listing of various departments on campus.
Annual Events page – includes information for the big weekends including Matriculation Day
Cadet Activities – This office handles the details for the knob’s trip tot he beach, Ring Ceremony schedule, Cookies for knobs program, Host families.
Cadet Regulations – includes a copy of the Guidon and other cadet books.
Parade schedule is listed under the Visitor tab on the home page
People Search – Enter the name of your cadet, faculty or staff member to see their contact information, including their campus mailing address.
Success Packet – Includes the items each incoming knob must ring with them on Matriculation Day.
You can also use the search window on this blog to find information I’ve posted on a variety of subjects, including what moms should wear for the Ring Ceremony.
I am an outgoing person and try to stay in touch with the friends I make so it isn’t surprising that I will run into acquaintances as our family travels. Since my son graduated from The Citadel I now find the connections I made through his time at the school adds an additional layer to these small world meetings. A chance meeting this past weekend brought this to mind.
A little background. . . . During my son’s deployment a friend in my church, who is a graduate of The Citadel, sent an email of introduction to his former classmate, a 1972 graduate. This gentleman has been a tremendous source of support and encouragement to me while my son was deployed. He keeps track of the graduates, cadets and some parents of cadets who are in Afghanistan serving our country.
On occasion I will ask my contact for names of deployed soldiers who would like a care package. My contact then sends a note to his list asking for the soldiers to respond to me with their requests.
In response to one of these emails I received a surprise note from a Captain asking for something I never thought about. He asked for American flags. He and his Apache crew fly the flags then send them to people as a thank you for their support. He and his crew were buying them out of their own pockets. He asked if we could find people who would send them a dozen. Together with another Citadel mom we quickly asked the moms of Citadel Cadets to contact us if they would like to contribute to the cause. Within a day or so we had enough money to purchase more than the amount requested. After calling a few flag makers I found one who gave us a good discount which enabled us to factor the postage in as well.
When I saw the Captain’s name I knew it sounded familiar. Sure enough, he is the same Timothy Devine who is from our home town, who graduated from the same high school as my son, then went on to The Citadel and his senior year, Class of 2007, was the Regimental Commander. I had heard his mother worked for a local school, so I called her.
As both an Army mom and the mom of a Citadel graduate I would want to know if someone reached out to my son, so I called Captain Devine’s mom, Karen, to tell her about the flags. We talked and shared some emotional deployment stories. It was nice to know that there was another mom near by who I share quite a bit with even though we had never met.
This certificate accompanied a flag flown in Afghanistan.
Last week a box arrived in the mail from deployed the Captain! He sent a nice certificate and one of the 3′ x 5′ flags that had flown aboard an AH – 64D Apache Helicopter over the provinces of Afghanistan on a combat mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. I had offered to send the flags to a few individuals for the Captain. He included a flag for me, one for my friend, Sarah Lancaster. I was able to deliver one directly to a Citadel mom who is a teacher. Her class sent drawings and notes to soldiers. I asked the recipients to take a photos with their flag so Captain Devine would see them.
With the flags off to their recipients I thought the chapter on flags was shut. Until I went to the garden nursery this weekend.
As I walked to my car another vehicle pulled in. On the back of the car was a Blue Star sticker and a sticker for The Citadel. When the driver got out I asked if he is a graduate. Just as I gave my name his wife came around the car and said, “I am Karen Devine!” What a wonderful surprise.
We hugged and, of course, I asked if we could get a photo taken of the two of us. We both happened to be wearing Citadel blue too!
Karen Devine and Dorie stand by the back of the Devine’s car for a photo.
Karen and I arranged to meet again at her school so I could show her the certificate and flag her son, CPT Timothy Devine, sent to me.
Each fall on the campus of The Citadel a ritual takes place during Parent’s Weekend. The seniors receive their hard-earned rings. I wrote about this tradition last year in a blog post, The Citadel and the Fellowship of THE Ring.
The ring for the Corps of Cadets isn’t just any college ring. They have to earn the right to wear it. Unfortunately for some the cost of the ring stands in their way. For years the alumni have stepped up to the plate to help the few cadets who need it.
There is now a fund through the Citadel Alumni Association and The Citadel Foundation to help these cadets meet the cost of the ring, The Palmetto Ring Fund. The alumni take care of their own and this is just one more example of how they take care of their newest brothers and sisters.
A Citadel mom, who is also a Girl Scout leader, has a fun idea for a fundraiser. Clay Pot Cadets. The girls are raising money for a trip to London and Paris in 2014.
They will take orders until September 25, 2013.
See the ordering details below:
Girl Scout Troop 24324 in Roswell, GA is pleased to present Clay Pot Cadets! The Cadets are available in a variety of sizes and can be customized with your Cadet’s rank, if desired. They are weatherproof, too!
All proceeds help pay for the girls’ trip to London and Paris in 2014. Delivery will be made parents’ weekend, or shipping or delivery can be arranged afterwards, depending on location.
Please indicate what size cadet you would like (descriptions below) Send your name, address, email and phone number along with your check made out to: G.S. Troop 24324 and mail to Peggy Jackson, 1055 Saddle Lake Ct., Roswell, GA 30076.
If you prefer to use a credit card, I can call you to get the information.
