Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 8, 1993 TAG: 9308080036
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Staff report
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short
The unanimous vote came after a private meeting between the board and its attorneys, apparently to discuss the school's options in its battle against a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused in May to review a lower court ruling that VMI must admit women, become a private school, or that the state must provide a VMI-style program for women somewhere else. The court also left the door open for VMI to suggest some other solution.
Robert Patterson, VMI's chief attorney, attended Saturday's meeting but declined comment on what proposals the school might make. VMI and Justice Department attorneys are to appear Monday in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, but Patterson said that Judge Jackson Kiser has indicated that session will focus primarily on setting a schedule for further proceedings in the case.
The Justice Department has asked Kiser to order Gov. Douglas Wilder to submit a plan for opening the school to women as early as this fall. Wilder has said he believes VMI should admit women but has refused to try to impose his view.
Harvey Sadow, chairman of the VMI Board of Visitors, indicated that the board had not decided on the specifics of the plan it will present. A resolution adopted by the board Saturday directed the attorneys to submit a plan to the board at a special meeting scheduled for Sept. 25.
by CNB