Alumni and Friends of VMI:
Bad Press for the Institute: Ouch!
VMI questions 5 in beating / Freshmen suspected of
attack on fellow rat
Saturday, November 6, 1999
BY REX BOWMAN
Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
Five freshmen at Virginia Military Institute are under
investigation in the bloody beating of a fellow rat in a barrack
room early yesterday morning, according to VMI officials.
The victim was treated at the school's infirmary, then taken to
Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington for X-rays, VMI spokesman
Chuck Steenburgh said. The X-rays turned up no additional
injuries. The student remained in the infirmary yesterday in good
condition, Steenburgh said.
The five freshmen suspected of carrying out the act are being
interviewed by student investigators, who could forward a report
to a panel of student judges as early as Monday, Steenburgh said.
The nine judges, called the Executive Committee, could exonerate
the students or recommend various punishments, including
dismissal from VMI.
Campus Police Chief Larry Coffey said he also is investigating,
but did not comment further.
Steenburgh described the beating this way: "Early this
morning [Friday] at 4 o'clock, five fourth-classmen apparently
entered the room of another fourth-classman, restrained him and
proceeded to strike him about the head and shoulders. It drew
some blood. He was taken to our post hospital, or infirmary, and
treated for cuts and bruises."
One source on campus said the assailants rolled up the victim in
his mattress and beat him on the head and neck.
VMI officials refused to release the victim's name. But according
to sources, the cadet is Theodore P. Frances, 18, of Northern
Virginia.
Steenburgh said VMI officials believe they know the motive for
the attack, but he declined to elaborate.
"It's pretty clear there was some type of [ill]
feeling," he said.
Last year, six cadets were expelled for lying about a series of
spankings. In 1997, a freshman accused seniors of striking him
and five other freshmen with a belt. And in 1996, six students
were suspended for assaulting a freshman classmate, and nine more
cadets were disciplined for their roles in the attack.
But Steenburgh said yesterday's beating was a unique
"blanket-party kind of thing." A blanket party, in
military parlance, is an attack in which a victim is held under a
blanket and beaten.
"This is not a common occurrence," Steenburgh said.
"Cadets have impromptu wrestling matches once in awhile, but
they're good-natured. This was different. . . . There were blood
stains on the room."
The student group investigating the incident is called the
Officer of the Guard Association and is composed of 12 members,
one from each of the cadet companies. The nine-member Executive
Committee is made up of the three class officers from each of the
three upper classes.
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November at the Institute: Check out this web
site for a peak at the Institute in November.
http://users.erols.com/thigginb/calendar/1998cal.htm
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Memorial Run for Mark Wilson '88: Runners in
Richmond please take note of the following announcemetn. Mark
Wilson was killed in a military training exercise a number of
years ago. Proceeds are donated to his daughter's future college
expenses.
ATTENTION ALL RUNNERS IN RICHMOND: The fourth annual Mark Wilson
'88 5k memorial run will take place Saturday 20 November, 9 am at
Godwin High School 2101 Pump Road. All proceeds benefit the
scholarship fund. Info available from Gordy Fox 355-4062, Marc
Allocca 282-4714 or Richmond Road Runners 360-2672. See ya there,
PAC '82.
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The VMI Academic Calendar: A number of folks
have been wondering about the VMI academic calendar and how
things work given the elimination of Saturday classes,etc. The
following posting, found on the Electronic Turnouts provides some
good insights.
For BBH '94: Good questions about the calendar. I won't wax
eloquent (translation: "long") ...
About the time you were here, maybe a bit before, the Academic
Board voted to reduce the number of class meetings in a given
semester from 45 to 42, which is what it is now ... 14 weeks of 3
50-minute meetings of a class per week on MWF. This occured at
about the same time as the BofV's decsion to honor repeated pleas
from the faculty to cancel Saturday morning classes. There was
interlocking cause and effect. So now we have classes which meet
on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 14 weeks, but for 75 minutes at a
crack ... 2100 minutes of classtime per course per semester, just
like on MWF.
Moving to 42 class meetings put us closer to the "industry
standard," but our academic schedule is STILL 16 semester
hours fuller than a "normal" college because of
mandatory ROTC and mandatory PE.
The removal of Saturdy classes had the overall result of
COMPRESSING the time in which a cadet could schedule his/her
classes ... they actually have FEWER free periods during the
academic day than before ... particularly for the engineers.
Now, as to the calendar ... we have to backward plan the calendar
from "the Saturday following 15 May," which is the
BofV-mandated Commencement Day (John Knapp tried to change it to
Commencement ON 15 May and it lasted exactly one year ... and the
idea of graduating BEFORE 15 May caused a reading of about 8.5 on
the Alumni Richter Scale ...). That backward planning puts us
into mid-January for the end of Christmas Furlough.
We have been beginning Christmas Furlough in the period 17-21
December, depending on how the days of the week fall, to allow
reasonable travel time before the 25th (not everybody lives in
Richmond, regardless of what the Richmond Mafia might lead you to
believe). Christmas Furlough this year is actually a full month
(I know, HORRORS !!). The 42 meetings takes us back to the
mid-August time we want school to start ... with, yes, a full
week for Thanksgiving (I know, HORRORS !!).
The abortive Fall Break was in honor of "it's too long from
mid-August to Thanksgiving to keep the cadets here without a
break." Enough whining was done ... by lots of folks,
including your humble servant, that the decision was made that in
fact it was NOT too long between mid-August and Thanksgiving
after all.
Does that illuminate, exacerbate or just irritate ??
Smiley "Just The Facts, Ma'am" Goodnews
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Ring Figure: Hey it's Ring Figure weekend and
this is the first Ring Figure where female cadets will receive
rings. See the following observations from someone who attended
last night's ceremonies....(this also came from the Electronic
Turnouts).
And one more thing ... to respond to some earlier interest ...
one cadet in 2001 escorted the female Mongolian exchange student
... she was in a traditional Ring Figure white gown, and was
stunning. And got no ring ...
Even more stunning were the new Mess Dress uniforms for both men
and women. 2001 made a great decision ... and we here who are
EESH-associated pray it is instant tradition (in the minds of
this generation ... we grizzled geezers know it is merely a
return to Old Corps Days of Yore).
Somebody asked who the women of 2001 would be "dating"
...
My best intelligence info is that there were a couple of 3rds who
escorted 2nd Class women ... but who could tell ?? ALL the male
escorts (with exceptions to be noted in a moment) wore tradtional
tuxedos ... and had a single rose boutenierre (or however you
spell it). The women cadets did not carry roses ... uniforms
unadorned.
Several women were escorted by their fathers. Talk about beaming
proud Papas !!!
Some few ... 3 or 4 ... were escorted by their civilian
"boyfriends." In tuxedos. With one rose.
There were three women, if memory serves, who had no escort
available, and were escorted through the Ring by Colonel
Williams, Colonel Brodie and Commander Ned Riester, who is the
Class Advisor. All in Mess Dress ... one Air Force, one Army, one
Navy. No flowers.
It was a VERY classy event.
It was a VERY LO-O-O-O-O-NG event ... almost 3 hours to get
everyone through the Ring (individual rings were presented IN the
ring ... only one was dropped ... no engagements this year ...
and then once the entire Class had come through one-by-one (and
had left the floor and gone back to the holding area), the entire
Class reentered in a sort of informal "Less-then-Grand
March," Class President Bunting presented the Class to
Superintendent Bunting, the Class stumbled, fumbled, bumbled and
rumbled through the "Class Dance" ... a waltz,
theoretically ... "Some Day My Prince Will Come" from
"Snow White" rendered quite well by the VMI Commanders
... the tune drew the requisite number of snickers initially from
the assembled throng ... and since by then it was already after
2300 and the Travelodge balcony was beckoning BR partiers, the
floor magically emptied into the 41-degree night air ...
All in all a wonderful evening, and the 2nds seem all to be back
on Post, a bit bleary-eyed, but ready to lead this morning's
Parade in 30 minutes ...which is where I am now off to, after
filling these pages with stereotypical excess baggage.
Smiley "And MY Ring Figure Date Patti Was There Beside Me,
Too
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Football of Days Past: Hey, do any alumni
remember that faithful day in 1967? I was living outside of
Allentown, PA at the time. My dad, being a Hokie grad, was
stunned when he learned of the score!
Folks. An article in the Virginia Pilot today (4 November) by
Harry Minium on VPI's Frank Beamer. Quote, "The elder Beamer
has been preaching all week the lessons Tech learned in 1967. We
were very excited about being 7-0, he said. But when Shane asked
what bowl game we went to, I had to tell him we didn't to to one.
Tech went to the Liberty Bowl in 1966 and 1968, but 1967 proved
to be a nightmare. After the 7-0 start, the Hokies lost their
final three games to Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Military
Institute. The loss to VMI was the most painful. A win likely
would have sent them to a bowl, and the Hokies had crushed the
Kedyets 70-12 a year earlier. But VMI prevailed 12-10 in
Roanoke's Victory Stadium." Never say die. brantley 69
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Female Cadet Settles Citadel Suit
.c The Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - One of the first female cadets at The
Citadel has settled her sexual harassment lawsuit against the
military college for an undisclosed sum, the school says.
Jeanie Mentavlos, who quit in frustration after a semester, had
claimed that she was shoved, kicked and her clothes were set on
fire by her fellow cadets. Other cadets said the harassment was
no greater than what men experience at the formerly all-male
school.
Under the settlement, The Citadel admitted no liability, school
spokesman Bruce Williams said Thursday.
``It saves the state the expense of a costly trial,'' The Citadel
said in a statement.
Ms. Mentavlos' lawyer, Dick Harpootlian, would not confirm
whether a settlement had been reached.
The Citadel had fought to avoid enrolling female cadets, but
after a court battle, it was forced in 1995 to open its doors to
Shannon Faulkner. She dropped out after a few days. Ms. Mentavlos
enrolled the following fall with three other women.
Another cadet who dropped out after a semester, Kim Messer,
settled her lawsuit against the school last year for $33,750.
Nancy Mace became the first female graduate of the Citadel in
May.
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Cyber Gear: I'll be putting in the order for the
Cyber Gear in the next day or so. I believe I now have all the
orders from our participants.
Hey, that's it for this week!
Yours in the Spirit,
RB Lane '75
Last Updated: October 11, 2009
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