This story is making the rounds amongst the Citadel Alumni-
Shannon Faulkner considers herself a hero of sorts but she definitely is not. The opening of the Citadel to women is pretty marred unlike that of VMI. Many did not want VMI to be opened, but the school took the steps to do so as professionally as possible. Shannon Faulkner’s return to the Citadel happened for who knows why. But as we say, „I wear the ring,“ she does not wear the ring of the school down south. She quit during a period that we at VMI call „Hell Week.“ She also caused pain in the lives of the other women who attended the Citadel. Women who’ve attended VMI and graduate know what it took. Any who matriculate but quit before ever straining and racing stoops along the Ratline within barracks are never considered Alumni.
Nancy Mace, one of the first female graduates of the Citadel could definitely be considered a hero in that respect. And apparently Ms. Faulkner continues to keep the name Nancy Mace within her story. Nancy Mace Wrote on Facebook:
She doesn’t wear The Ring because she didn’t earn it. And she sure as hell ain’t my mother. That’s an insult to my mother. And in the hearts of most #Citadel graduates — she’s not alumni. There is no edification or achievement in her failure. And I’m not even going into the revisionist history here but the school admitted Women after VMI lost its battle in the Supreme Court. And no Shannon Faulkner, I wasn’t, in your words, “invited” to attend The Citadel. I had to apply and gain legitimate acceptance under their rules. And when I got in, I graduated, even with the threats on my life and my family. You and your attorneys leaked my name to the press in open court, at a moment in time when I was trying to get my life together for the better. I’ll never forget that day or what it felt like to lose all right to privacy. Lastly, I’ve never met Faulkner, never spoken to her, she’s never even reached out except to make asinine comments in the press. 25 years later and she’s still self-aggrandizing, trying to take credit for the success of others. Why does she think she can assume credit for my and others success where she failed? She can’t even begin to comprehend what myself and hundreds of other women went through to earn the ring. We wear the ring because we earned it.
I matriculated in the 9th year of Women at the Institute. I can say the place remained arduous for Rats and for individuals. It is the hardest school for so many reasons. By strict definition, a person is not an alumnus of an institution unless they complete an academic year. I don’t think any Alumna from the Institute would enjoy having their name in the mouth of someone who only lasted up to Friday of Hell Week.
keydet1976
In The Old Corps 
I lived in Charleston back in the 90s when Shannon Faulkner was the talk and the rage of town when she first popped up. I remember it coming up on the news, in local conversation etc all the time.
Years later, I read Pat Conroy’s book „My Losing Season“ which is a story of his life. At some point late in his life (1990s?), Shannon Faulkner and her attempt to be the first female at The Citadel came up. Apparently years before (1980s sometime?) Conroy had met some female US Coast Guard Academy cadets who were squared away and impressive, and he promised them he’d support the first female to attempt entry to the Citadel. Years later when Faulkner popped up, one of those cadets mailed him a newspaper article about Shannon Faulkner and reminded him of his promise. So, he felt honor-bound to keep that promise, regardless of who that first candidate would be or how good or not-good she would be.
Pat Conroy was a dyed-in-the-wool leftie all into that kind of stuff, but you could summarize his reaction at having to support Shannon Faulkner as „well, shit“.
He met with her and did support her attempt to get in, but he made clear in his book that he was unimpressed with her and that she had made pretty much zero effort to prepare herself physically or mentally. From that and everything I’ve seen, she is a sorry individual who would never cut it in any decent unit. To this day, it’s still all about her.
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Maybe she is an alumna. She looks like she ate a few alumni qualifying her to be one.
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VMI considers non-graduates to be alumni for the purpose of posting obituaries. If El Cid is the same, then she is an alum. Has their fundraising organization asked her money?
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Only those that complete the Ratline. We definitely have never considered matriculants who never strained alumni…so if you get rolled, but completed the Ratline…the foundation sends letters and phone calls for your cash.
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