May 28, 1994

A Federal judge today ordered officials at The Citadel, one of the nation's last two public all-male military colleges, to begin preparing a plan for co-education, indicating that he may soon force the college to admit women. The judge, C. Weston Houck, of Federal District Court here, also ordered officials at the public college to develop a program to deal with any incidents of sexual harassment or abuse that could result from the inclusion of women in its corps of cadets, and he suggested that some incidents on campus had not been dealt with appropriately.

They are phone cards, yes, but they carry none of the familiar magnetic stripes of ordinary telephone calling cards, or the computer chips of smart cards. No bill for long-distance calls arrives in the mail each month. In the shorthand of high-tech wizards, they are "dumb cards," merely giving people a prepaid way to make calls for a set amount of time. But their simplicity is their appeal. They are so low-tech, telephone industry experts say, that they will undoubtedly become part of the future of just about every shopper or traveler in America.

New Catechism for Catholics Despite criticism, American Catholic leaders hope a massive new explication of doctrine will counter religious illiteracy and uncertainty. Page 9. There's a Bug in Your Soup Many retail stores, restaurants and fast food outlets are using tiny hidden microphones for surveillance in addition to video cameras. Page 6. But Watch Out for Sunburn After years of fouled water, pinched vacation budgets and storm damage, this summer looks promising for beachgoers and businesses. Page 21. Rollins, Unsuppressed Edward J. Rollins Jr., the political consultant whose comments stirred controversy in New Jersey, is joining a New York campaign. Page 21. George Ball Dies George W. Ball, a lawyer, banker and presidential adviser over half a century and a voice against the Vietnam War, died Thursday. Page 26.

China today welcomed President Clinton's decision to separate trade from human rights, saying a "historic opportunity" exists to improve relations between the United States and China, and pledging to make "major efforts" in that direction. At a minimum, United States officials expect China to release several more well-known political prisoners, some with serious medical problems, and to complete an agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross to open China's prisons to outside inspection.

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani yesterday guaranteed that the Board of Education's conservative majority would remain in place as he strongly endorsed the current board president and selected as his own representatives two members who had broken with the borough presidents who originally appointed them. Mr. Giuliani named Irene H. Impellizzeri and Deputy Mayor Ninfa Segarra to new four-year terms on the board, replacing the appointees of former Mayor David N. Dinkins.