ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 8, 1996 TAG: 9612090116
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER STAFF WRITER
Virginia Military Institute has accepted four women, the Lexington school's superintendent announced Saturday. At least one is a Virginian.
Josiah Bunting III shared the news with the board of visitors during its regular meeting. There was no discussion, and no details were disclosed.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the formerly all-male school to admit women. After contemplating going private, the board voted in September to comply with the court's order.
One of the women accepted, Lauren Wagner of Richmond, is a lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol. Brooke Elliott of Poquoson, the first woman to submit an application to VMI, is a colonel in the air patrol, but she has not heard from VMI.
Both women, who are friends, were attending a Civil Air Patrol conference this weekend where Wagner was named honor cadet of the year and Elliott was named cadet of the year.
Wagner also received an Institute Scholarship, which would cover all of her expenses - room and board, tuition, study abroad her junior year, and spending money.
Wagner, who is about two hours away from her pilot's license, is also interested in the Air Force Academy. Her congressman made her his principal nominee.
If she is accepted, she said she will attend the academy because she plans a career as a pilot.
Wagner's mother, Eileen Wagner, is a Richmond lawyer who represents former Virginia Tech student Christy Brzonkala in her suit charging that two football players raped her.
In 1993, Eileen Wagner filed a friend of the court brief in the VMI case on behalf of the Virginia Women Attorneys Association arguing that the school should either go private or admit women.
The four women and the 94 men accepted thus far have until Feb. 15 to make up their minds. Other students could be admitted early up to Dec. 15. VMI spokesman Col. Mike Strickler said most end up saying yes.
Overall, applications are up 35 percent this year, Strickler said, with 342 men and 15 women seeking admission.
The school has said it hopes to have 30 women in its first coed class next fall.
"I think we've done a tremendous job [of recruiting] so far, and it's only been 2 1/2 months since we decided to accept women," Strickler said.
Chief U.S. District Judge Jackson Kiser will be monitoring the school's plan to admit women. VMI is supposed to submit status reports within two weeks of each board of visitors meeting.
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