The Citadel has finally decided to take action against sexual harassment after two of the first female cadets resigned.

On Monday, Interim President Clifton Poole said any cadet accused of harassing female classmates at The Citadel will be thrown off the campus while the charges are being investigated. The policy will go into effect immediately, and reported incidents of hazing will go to law enforcement agencies, he said.

The accused will also be removed from campus immediately until the the matter can be sorted out administratively or legally, Poole said.

“We have made mistake. It appears we have missed the mark at times,” Poole said.

The Citadel has also put panic buttons in the two remaining women’s rooms and made plans to have adults sleep in all barracks.

It’s seems as though The Citadel has made a major first step in acknowledging that there is problem. In the type of environment The Citadel has, cadets should be expected to be kept to the highest standards. This enforces those standards.

The course of action they are taking is a step in the right direction, but other disciplinary measures need to also be considered.

This all could have been resolved if The Citadel took action to prepare the male cadets for the enrollment of women. As the saying goes, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Many of the cadets at The Citadel, most likely, were raised and brought up to believe that women don’t belong in the military. And if the administration of The Citadel believes that the school should remain an all-male school, than the cadets will believe the same.

The Citadel’ administrators can take all the disciplinary action they want against sexual harassment, but if they don’t believe what they’re saying the members of The Citadel won’t either.

“Monkey see, monkey do.”