Well - Cluelessparent, I guess we have to go through this - otherwise you or NAS - who seems burdened with some odd fixation about The Citadel will just go on ranting about nothing. As to your references to some evil sin going on within The Citadel Board of Visitors to "diversify," The Citadel, "one little step at a time...," I really believe this indicates you are not well aquainted with the college. As far as non-cadets on campus - there has been a "Night School" at The Citadel since I was there in 1968 as a member of the Corps of Cadets. As a state college, The Citadel is obliged to offer South Carolina low country citizens post secondary education opportunities. Combined - the Graduate College and Evening School have had an enrollment of between 1,300 to 1,500 evening school students, over the last 40 years. This is a great service the college performs for these non-traditional students - and I would not change it for anything. Whatever some other small college chooses for its path, The Citadel is a college of higher education - and should serve the needs of citizens of South Carolina.
As for "non-cadets," attending the college with cadets - at various times during and after World War II when most cadets were inducted into the military, the campus has been home to "non-cadet" students. During World War II, the campus was home to literally thousands of special program students being trained for various military specialties. After the World War and Korean War, when veterans were returning to SC, the college opened up its night and day programs to civilian veteran students. During and after the Vietnam War - in the late 60s and 70s - there were as many as 300 or more Vietnam veteran students attending the college and taking classes with cadets who were non-cadets. In a Corps of Cadets of over 2,000, I personally never saw any of these veteran students in my four years 66-70. They did not interfere with my education or training in the Corps of Cadets or in The Citadel's Palmetto Battalion - the Army ROTC detachment. I thoroughly enjoyed the traditions of the Corps of Cadets, earned a DMG and was offered my first choice Army branch selection on graduation, and after military service went on to law school - and Night School students and veteran students - never saw or interacted with any of them. But I would have enjoyed doing so - as I believe it would have enlarged my college experience.
The Veteran day program ended sometime in the 1970s or 80s I believe. But it was soon followed by the first Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Educational Program (MECEP) for selected Marine enlisted NCOs - this program first initiated at The Citadel, enables highly competitive Marines to earn college degrees and a Marine Corps commission. Today there are about 20 or so enlisted NCO Marines taking college courses at The Citadel and attending the day program. These Marines are not Cadets. But they serve Cadets in a very important way. Their duty is the Naval ROTC detachment at The Citadel where they help train Marine contract cadets and prepare them to excell at Quantico - which most of them do. MECEP students were followed by Naval enlisted students - who in any year may number about 5 or 6 and almost all attend one of the STEM/Engineering School programs (EE, ME or CE) and earn a commission in the Navy at graduation. During the last decade, with the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars in full swing, and believing as it did after WWII, Korea and Vietnam, that it is The Citadel's duty as a public college to afford quality education to veterans of our wars - the Board of Visitors approved a limited number of veteran students be admitted to the day program as non-cadets. Many of these veterans have been former Citadel Cadets who left the college to join their National Guard and Reserve units deploying to war. At last count, more than 70 Cadets had deployed with their Guard and Reserve units, and many chose not to return as cadets after serving a year or more. There can be no more than 100 veteran students in the program vs 2,300 Cadets. When I was on the Alumni Association Board, I met some of these - both former Cadets and non-Cadets and they are outstanding young men and women.
So - if this is the direction you are asking Citadel Alumni to "investigate" I have done so and am proud of my college and don't see the issue. On the other hand - if as NAS, you are concerned that a grad student who has an extra year of eligibility, is playing on The Citadel football squad - well I guess if I were a VMI alumnus who just lost their coach - when he recognized a better deal living in sunny Charleston - and VMI can look forward to nothing but losses against El Cid - for eternity - well so be it my friend. Regards