ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702100133
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
One of Virginia Military Institute's most promising female applicants dropped out two weeks ago, in part because of reports of hazing at The Citadel, VMI Superintendent Josiah Bunting III said Saturday.
The Citadel allegations, which prompted two of that school's first four female cadets to drop out after the first semester, likely contributed to the VMI candidate's departure - and possibly could make other women hesitate to apply, Bunting said.
Bunting did not reveal the applicant's name.
"I think The Citadel events, in concert with all of the stories appearing in the media about sexual harassment and hazing in military boot camps ... plainly this had an impact on the woman's decision to withdraw," he said during a break in a regular meeting of the board of visitors.
But he and others also say allegations of hazing at The Citadel, which went coed within days of the Supreme Court's order that VMI admit women, justify the year VMI has taken to plan for coeducation, now being referred to as "assimilation" around the post.
In all, 57 new policies are being contemplated, from whether pregnant cadets should be expelled to whether lighting should be installed in the upper floors of the VMI barracks. So far, 20 new policies have been approved by Bunting.
The military academies ask pregnant women to leave school until they can certify that their babies will be cared for. But VMI is "seriously considering" expulsion for pregnant cadets, Bunting said.
VMI also is preparing for a year-long exchange program with three other military schools, so that eight female and four male cadets from coed corps will be among the VMI corps. Similarly, 12 VMI cadets will spend a semester at Texas A&M, Norwich University in Vermont and New Mexico Military Institute so they will better understand how a coed corps operates.
The upperclass women cadets will help "scared new female rats, who I think need and require and deserve the kind of counsel they can get from older women," Bunting said.
Meantime, five of 20 women admitted thus far to VMI have submitted $300 deposits. They still must pass medical examinations.
Of the school's 753 applicants - a 23.2 percent increase from a year ago - the 33 women bring good credentials, Col. Mike Bissell reported to the board. Their mean grade-point average is 3.42, and their average SAT score is 1136. Most are athletes who are heavily involved in clubs and organizations.
Both Bissell and Bunting told the board that the key to the success of coeducation is the Class of '98 - the students who will be seniors next year. They oversee underclassmen in the barracks.
Meanwhile, VMI is hoping the General Assembly will replace the $5.1 million the school borrowed from this year's budget for converting the campus to coeducation. Six new staff positions are being added, including an assistant commandant, a physical education teacher and a secretary to aid with assimilation plans. Construction projects to add women's bathrooms to the barracks and reconfigure sports facilities to accommodate women also are under way.
The future of the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership, set up at Mary Baldwin College as an alternative to admitting women to VMI, also could be decided by the Assembly.
"There is some threat to the VWIL program if the state withdraws its support," board member Edward Miller told the board.
The House budget recommends getting rid of funding for next year's VWIL freshman class, while the Senate proposes maintaining that funding, set out in a two-year budget approved a year ago. A conference committee made up of members of the two houses will hammer out the difference.
Everyone on the VMI campus will start orientation for coeducation in March. A kickoff for 1,600 people, from cadets to office workers, will be held March 11, right after cadets return from spring break. In all, five to six hours of training will be given to everyone on campus before school lets out, to ensure that coeducation goes as smoothly as possible. Bissell also told the board that consultants will conduct part of the training. Included will be sessions on issues such as sexual harassment.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 linesby CNB