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VMI in Today's Washington Post
By Townie 76
There is a story about VMI in today's Washington Post. Some quotes from the article, the article itself is not all bad:
The cultural shifts have proved more difficult. Last year, the U.S. Justice Department began investigating whether VMI's environment is especially hostile to women. Allegations of sexual assault have become a fact of VMI life, occurring about once a year, typical for a school of this size, according to college officials. The first case to result in a criminal charge ended Tuesday.
The institute's methods are unique and, after 170 years, increasingly out of sync with the world beyond the post.
The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation of possible sex discrimination at VMI in summer 2008 in response to an unnamed complainant, according to spokesman Jim Bradshaw. The complaint alleged "a climate and culture that is derogatory and discriminatory toward the women that are required as cadets to live in the barracks."
The bellowing, the sweat parties, the endless push-ups of August were, "more than anything, a head game," she said. "It's all mental."
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My apologies for the double post. On my end, it looked like it didn't post at all.
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The reporter could not have looked more like a fish out of water if he had tried. The whole time he was here, he wandered around Post wide-eyed; I'm sure unable to fathom everything around him.
While VMI has made terrific strides academically, I believe the Institute overall has wandered from its original intention. It is now an ever-expanding, increasingly politically-correct mini-West Point. And that's not what it was supposed to be.
I thought the intent (and I wasn't so naive to believe it would remain this way) was to prove that the women could do EXACTLY what the men could do and earn their right to call themselves VMI alumni. Now we see the Justice Department (acting on an anonymous complaint) investigating a culture and atmosphere that is "hostile to women". Hell, I could have told them that it would be back in 1997. That was our argument against going co-ed. It wasn't designed for women. That's the whole point!!
Things change and that's life. I've come to accept it. But, it's not the same school I attended and graduated from... just as, I'm sure my VMI wasn't the same that a man in the 1960's attended or even the 1860's for that matter.
Still though, I think going co-ed changed something in VMI at its core.
the article missed the point of the entire VMI expirience. the article continued to point at great things that have happened in the past ten years, completely ignoring what had gone on at the school prior to womens arrival.
yes, there were two rhoades scholars in the past ten years. the article, however, ignored the 9 recipients prior to 1999. another point they made was thad admissions standards had risen since females were admitted, he fails to mention however that admissions standards at schools accross the country have continued to rise. the past 5 years have been the hardest time in history to get into college.
as a member of the corps the allegations are a disgrace. this environment is hostile, to both men and women. the whole corps sleeps on wooden cots, not just the rats as the article implies. the reality of it is that this system has degraded because of political correctness and it will never be what it was years ago. when the men were made of steel and the buildings were made of wood.
the strongest steel is forged from the hottest fires
Obviously, this woman doesn't belong at VMI. Simply, she's not mentally tough enough to handle the pressure, which is applied to all Rats and Cadets, without gender discrimination. She knew what she was getting into, and now wants to make a Civil Rights issue out of it. Nobody forced her to attend VMI. If she doesn't like it, she should leave.
Unfortunately, a significant part of VMI's funding is from the State of Virginia, and VMI also offers government sponsored ROTC scholarships. As long as this continues, VMI will have to become more politically correct to survive, especially during this presidential administration
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Just a note that following the Supreme Court ruling Congress passed a bill that mandated ROTC can not be removed from the major military college including VMI. Although they did pass the bill after BOV voted to admit women, but losing ROTC is not something that can be done without an act of Congress, literally. I never wanted women at VMI, but everything in America changes every year and lately not for the better...
It was a very nice idea! Just wanna say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. I will be your loyal reader. Thanks again.
It was a very nice idea! Just wanna say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. I will be your loyal reader. Thanks again.
It was a very nice idea! Just wanna say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. I will be your loyal reader. Thanks again.
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My son's a Third at VMI, and we have a subscription to the WaPo, so I read the article with my morning coffee. I think that, per usual, the journalist missed the point. VMI's stated mission is to turn out citizen soldiers: men and women who value duty, honor, and country. I think VMI's methods turned my son from a typical teen into a focused young man in about half a semester. What's to complain about in that? I think, however, that VMI's methods couldn't be further from the mindset of a, probably liberal, journalist if they tried. That probably accounts for the tone of the article, which seems mostly to be one of mystification over VMI's traditions. VMI isn't for everyone, but thank God there are young men and women in this country who graduate from it every year. We're a better nation because we have VMI graduates among us.