Fourteen cadets at the Citadel military college in South Carolina have been disciplined in the form of a dismissal, suspension or on-campus punishments after photos of several of them appeared in photos wearing white clothes and white pillowcases on their heads that resembled Ku Klux Klan attire, the school announced Monday.
The photos of a man, reportedly an "upper class cadet," with seven other cadets who were dressed in white pants and shirts, with pillowcases covering their heads surfaced on social media last month, sparking an outcry from civil rights leaders, according to the Savannah Morning News.
A preliminary investigation found that they were ordered by upperclassmen to sing Christmas carols while dressed in the attire as part of a "Ghosts of Christmas Past" skit, an apparent reference to "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.
Initially only eight cadets were investigated, but soon six more were added, expanding the inquiry to 14.
"The investigation found that the cadets did not intend to be offensive. However, I am disappointed some recognized how it could be construed as such but didn't stop it," college President, retired Lt. Gen John W. Rosa said in a statement, according to Reuters.
"At the outset, not all of the freshmen understood that the costumes could be construed by some as offensive," he added, noting that while the skit showed poor judgement, it had no ill intent.
As for the punishments, school officials revealed that one junior has been dismissed from the college while two upperclassmen were suspended for a semester. In addition, the other cadets will have to go on multiple marching tours where they will need to carry a rifle around the barracks for 50 minutes at a time, according to ABC News.
Rosa announced he is creating a task force on diversity and inclusion comprised of representatives from the school and the community as a result of the incident.
