DAHLONEGA – The campus residence policy at North
Georgia College & State University, established in the early 1970s, is
being modified to create equal access to residence halls for all
students on the Dahlonega campus.
NGCSU President David Potter said that action is being taken to update
the policy in response to a legal opinion by the Attorney General of the
State of Georgia. "The attorney general's office determined that North
Georgia's existing policy would not survive judicial scrutiny as
currently written since it treats students differently based on gender
without being substantially related to the achievement of an important
governmental objective," explained Potter. "University System of Georgia
Chancellor Erroll B. Davis, Jr. has asked North Georgia to change the
policy to become effective in the fall semester of 2008. We are in
agreement with the legal opinion and are proceeding with the
Chancellor’s request," Potter added.
For more than three decades, North Georgia has maintained a policy
requiring all male students living in campus housing to join the Corps
of Cadets. This policy did not apply to female residents, who could
choose to be a cadet or not. North Georgia is one of six senior military
colleges in the United States and one of 35 public colleges and
universities within the University System of Georgia.
Applying the court’s ruling in the 1996 case at Virginia Military
Institute, which struck down VMI's all-male admissions policy at the
state-run military college, it would be difficult for North Georgia to
offer a rationale that would overcome the mandates of the Constitution.
"Following discussions with members of the legislature, the university
military department, the campus community, alumni and community leaders,
North Georgia’s administration developed a revised policy to assure
equal access for all students and to maintain a vibrant Corps of
Cadets," Potter said.
The new policy requires all freshmen and
sophomore students, both male and female, to live in campus housing.
However, the key change is that male students living in campus housing
no longer have to be members of the Corps of Cadets. The exception to
the on-campus residency requirement is for those students who have
residence in designated nearby counties.
The new policy also requires all cadets to commit to the Corps for a
three-year period. Those cadets who leave the Corps prior to earning 90
semester hours will be ineligible to enroll in North Georgia courses for
a period of one calendar year.
