Citadel remains committed to a full review of the ReVille case

All who are part of The Citadel family have been committed to a full understanding of what happened in the Skip ReVille case. Because we have a front gate and a guard post, some may believe we desire to lock the gate against scrutiny. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, as a disciplined institution, we initiated a formal process seeking to understand, with accountability and transparency, what transpired and how we could improve. This has always included hiring a third party to conduct an independent review.

The college fully opened its books in response to a public records request last November. Many do not realize most of the material released to the media was protected from release due to legal employer/attorney privilege. We ordered a total release. Nothing was held back.

To fully understand all aspects of the case, the process put in place was to gather all the background data necessary to make proper, informed decisions.

First, several criminal investigations began. The Citadel cooperated in every way, and was commended for doing so. The State Law Enforcement Division investigated potential criminal wrongdoing by the college. That investigation was completed in April with a letter to The Citadel, which has also been released. The investigation found no criminal wrongdoing on the part of the college.

As a state agency, The Citadel contacted the South Carolina attorney general, requesting a thorough and independent look at the college. While the Office of the Attorney General has clarified that it does not conduct reviews of this nature, the Board of Visitors and administration have never wavered from our commitment to an independent review.

Our desire is to accomplish a complete review, make the results known, and have all benefit from what we learn. We have not set a deadline for the review to give the process the time necessary to be completed.

Throughout all of this, The Citadel has also been taking action. The college has been reviewing its policies and procedures to further enhance a safe and positive atmosphere for our cadets, students and those who visit our campus. Changes have been made. We are sure additional changes will be forthcoming.

No group in our state has a more vested interest in ensuring we fully understand the college’s response to the actions of Skip ReVille than the victims and families of those who have been affected, and our Citadel family.

All of us deserve to know how we change to become a better institution. With outside review we hope our efforts will be validated, and we welcome all recommendations that may be advanced.

What we have not done is make a rush to judgment.

In this way we can best serve the victims, their families, all who are associated with The Citadel, and the people of South Carolina.

The Citadel family continues to offer our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families as they struggle to recover from all the harm done by Skip ReVille.

Douglas A. Snyder is chair of The Citadel Board of Visitors. Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa, USAF (retired), is president of The Citadel.