Citadel closes camp - five former campers assaulted by camp counselor, $3.8 million settlement
Catherine
Another drum and bugle corps which bit the dust - and not from changing times. It's
interesting that predators who allege one thing can't be desirable "due to changing
times" will nevertheless offer some "new and improved" load of crap, all of which
completely neglects the reality that some genuine programs do very well and even
thrive without worrying about morphing, changing times at all.
Anything rather than discuss the reality, and those responsible.
http://www.charleston.net/assets/webPages/departmental/news/default_pf.aspx?NEWSID=13
2155
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2007 6:30 AM
Citadel closes camp
Youth program fell victim to lawsuit, changing times
BY DIANE KNICH
The Post and Courier
The Citadel has closed its residential summer youth sports camp after a half-century,
bringing to an end part of former president Mark Clark's legacy.
School officials said The Citadel Summer Camp, which Clark launched in 1957 to
introduce 10- to 15-year-olds to the college, no longer serves the purpose it once
did.
One of the factors leading to the decision to close the camp was the $3.8 million the
school paid in August to settle lawsuits brought by five former campers who alleged
they were assaulted by a counselor at the camp from 1995-2001, officials said. But
the settlement, they said, was just one of many reasons behind the decision.
Citadel spokeswoman Charlene Gunnells said that when Clark launched the camp, he
hoped to recruit future members of the Corps of Cadets and use the school's
facilities throughout the year. He also wanted to give Citadel cadets an opportunity
to work at the camp during the summer.
But times have changed, she said. Children have many more options for summer programs
than were available when Clark started the camp 50 years ago, summer schedules are
different, vacations are shorter and schools start earlier.
In addition, The Citadel needs access to the barracks in the summer for essential
maintenance, she said. And in the end, the camp didn't inspire many students who
don't have other Citadel connections to enroll at the school.
"It was a grand institution in its day, but regrettably those days are gone,"
Gunnells said.
Kristine Lucas, a parent whose son attended the camp for five years, said she's sad
to see it close. Her son Luke, now 17, was looking forward to working at the camp
this summer as a counselor in training. He's deeply disappointed that the camp has
closed, she said.
The lawsuits and the incidents that led to them are unfortunate, Kristine Lucas said,
"but I still didn't want the camp to end."
The summer camp experience was great for her son, Lucas said. It gave him discipline
and leadership skills. He's now a sophomore in high school and the camp inspired him
to join his school's Junior ROTC program. He plans to enroll at The Citadel after he
graduates from high school.
"He learned that he could have discipline and have fun," she said.
Gunnells said many former campers remember fondly their two- or three-week stints at
the camp, which allowed them to participate in different sports, a drum and bugle
corps, drill team, variety show, trap shooting and archery. In 1998 the camp allowed
girls to participate. Twenty-one girls enrolled the first year; in recent years more
than 100 girls enrolled.
The camp's enrollment peaked in 2002 when 504 campers attended.
School officials considered many things before deciding to close the camp, Gunnells
said. But in the end, The Citadel's primary mission is to develop cadets into
principled leaders, making the camp an auxiliary program that does not support the
essential mission of the college, she said.
The $3.8 million settlement was just one factor, Gunnells said.
The parents of five campers sued the school and counselor Michael Arpaio, a 1997
Citadel graduate and a U.S. Marine, alleging that Arpaio had molested children at the
camp. When The Citadel learned of the allegations in 2001, the school immediately
dismissed him.
The lawsuits accused Arpaio of sexually inappropriate behavior, including fondling,
showing children X-rated videos and having them watch as he had sex with a woman.
The suits said The Citadel was negligent because it did not sufficiently monitor the
children in Arpaio's care.
In June 2003, Arpaio pleaded guilty in military court after the third suit was filed.
Arpaio, who was 29 at the time, was sentenced to 10 years of confinement, suspended
to 15 months at the Charleston Naval Brig, Marine Corps officials have said.
At the time, Arpaio, a captain, was stationed at the Marine Recruit Depot at Parris
Island, where he was the marketing officer for the 6th Marine Corps recruiting
district.
Gary Duguay
AND YOU LIKED IT . > : )
Good night > :
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