Alumni and Friends of VMI:
Cyber Corps Participants: 624
Civilian Clothes Uptown?: The following
Electronic Turnouts posting provides some insights re: cadets
wearing civilian clothers uptown.
Thu Dec 2 08:11:31 1999
I recently heard 1st classmen will be allowed to wear civilian
clothes at their descretion whenever up-town. This is supposed to
take place within the next several weeks. Any truth to this? This
appears to be further indication of weakening in the corps, their
appearance, and corps obligations. JJA '81
Thu Dec 2 08:40:17 1999
JJA '81: As usual, the answer to a question about a VMI policy is
"Well, yes and no."
First Classmen do NOT currently have civilian clothes privileges
up town. I am unaware that there is any permit in process to
change that ...
But ...
Over the past 4 or 5 years, each First Class has requested, and
in some years been given, based on their leadership performance,
SECOND SEMESTER civilian clothes privileges up town in the
evening.
PROVIDED that they jealously guard the privilege and send up any
underclassmen taking thir privilege.
Some years it works well, some years it doesn't and in some years
the Commandant has rescinded the privilege because they WEREN'T
guarding it.
It COULD be in the offing again, but I just don't know.
Hammond's Fixed Opinion ?? Bad idea. Let 'em wear the grey blouse
and get the badge of honor of a life-long neck rash like the rest
of us ... along with no hair on the legs from the straight pants
("woolies" in current jargon).
Shoot, I even had a cadet seriously come in yesterday seeking
permission to have Mid-Winter Hops in civvies ON-POST "so
they could be more comfortable ... sir, have you ever tried to
party in woolies and a blouse or coatee? "
Answer: "DISAPPROVED. Yes, I have, and it is uncomfortable
as all get-out. So what ?? The floggings will continue until
morale improves. Now get out of here !!"
Smiley "A-A-A-A-R-R-R-R-G-G-G-H-H-H !!" Goodnews
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Just One Person's Opinion...Along With A Couple
Responses: The following letter to the editor recently
appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Please, however, note
the responses which follow.
VMI 'Rat Line' Breeds And Glorifies Violence
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Regarding your November 10 article, "Five Cadets Dismissed
in Beatings":
Let me see if I have this straight. For the first few months at
VMI, freshman cadets are subjected to constant verbal and
physical abuse by upperclassmen in a barbaric tradition called
the "rat line." They live in an environment that not
only sanctifies violence, but glorifies it.
Now Josiah Bunting and the other members of the VMI executive
committee are scratching their neatly shorn heads and wondering
why some "rats" became violent with another
"rat." I only wonder why it doesn't happen more often.
Could it be the policy of intimidation bred by the
"rat" experience has suppressed more of these incidents
from being reported?
Any first-year psychology student could easily explain that
violence breeds more violence. That this fact isn't apparent to
the leaders of VMI leads me to wonder about the quality of
education the school provides.
Marianne Coddington.
richmond
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General Marshall Epitomized VMI's Virtues
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
I read The Editorial Page daily. It is a wonderful source of
information, entertainment, and sometimes comedy. I find the
November 22 letter regarding VMI's propensity to glorify violence
in the last category. Imagine, a military school teaching
violence! The very idea is preposterous! Better we should teach
our future military leaders the intricacies of serving high tea
and napkin-folding. I'm sure those skills would have won the day
at Normandy, Anzio, the Battle of the Bulge, Korea, Vietnam,
Desert Storm, etc.
Surely the letter-writer has not forgotten about the post-WWII
plan that showed such compassion to the Axis powers and virtually
rebuilt a devastated Europe. Wasn't that the plan conceived by
General George Marshall, a VMI graduate? Didn't General Marshall
win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for the Marshall Plan, which
Winston Churchill called "the most unsordid act in
history"?
It is obvious to me that General Marshall's VMI education served
him quite well in both war and peace. It is equally obvious to me
that it also taught him there is a time for violence and a time
for peace.
Joe Hudgins.
midlothian.
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Editor, Times-Dispatch:
In her November 22 letter, Marianne Coddington blames the assault
of a rat by five of his brother rats at VMI on the "constant
verbal and physical abuse" that freshman cadets undergo
during the rat line.
I truly am ashamed of the cadets who performed these acts, but
let's not give them the excuse that violence is a part of the rat
line. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, this system demands
much of each cadet. But it does not permit physical abuse. These
cadets acted entirely outside the bounds of the rat line, and the
Institute Executive Committee and administration handled the
situation properly and expeditiously.
I admit that verbal abuse does exist in this imperfect system
known as the rat line. However, as a rat I seldom received a
verbal lashing that affected me as much as Ms. Coddington's
unfounded attack on the quality of a VMI education. She might
think it's witty and cute to make such base comments, but I do
not.
Jeffrey Gorman.
richmond.
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Update on VMI Budget Issues: The following
recently appeared in the Roanoke Times.
Saturday, December 04, 1999
Superintendent's spending scrutinized
VMI creates budget policy
In part, the new policy lets VMI officials do within the rules
what they had always done in the past, said the school's
comptroller.
By MATT CHITTUM
THE ROANOKE TIMES
LEXINGTON -- Under a new spending policy being considered at
Virginia Military Institute, Superintendent Josiah Bunting could
use college funds to buy alcohol for college functions.
He could not, however, throw retirement parties or send flowers
that look like personal gifts.
The audit committee of the VMI Board of Visitors discussed the
policy changes Friday and two weeks ago after a state
investigation of Bunting's spending practices and a long spate of
embarrassing press coverage of it.
The board will likely approve the policy in February, but the
business staff plans to follow it in the meantime anyway.
The committee has already changed the way Bunting's discretionary
account is budgeted. The panel wants to control Bunting's
habitual overspending and is considering whether the business
staff should give quarterly reports on Bunting's spending
activity.
In general, the changes in both policy and budgeting would
maintain the status quo for spending at VMI, but some of the
expenditures Bunting made in the past would be forbidden.
During an investigation that began in April, the state auditor of
public accounts found $47,000 in purchases of alcohol, flowers,
gifts and books from Bunting's discretionary account that were
not clearly in support of VMI's mission or for his personal use.
Bunting was cleared of misusing college funds because the auditor
determined that a VMI policy forbidding those kinds of purchases
was never formally adopted by the board and therefore was not
enforceable.
"What policy we had, we weren't even adhering to it
ourselves," said VMI Comptroller Bob Gilbert. "Well, we
were adhering to it, but we were making exceptions."
In part, the new policy lets VMI officials do within the rules
what they had always done in the past, Gilbert said.
The old policy barred the purchase of alcohol, but Bunting's
account was used to buy liquor and wine for entertaining college
guests at his house.
The new policy still forbids the purchase of alcohol, but
includes a written exception for "functions that are
official business of the institute and that are related to its
mission." Gilbert's office must approve exceptions in
advance.
The new policy also changes a rule forbidding purchase of flowers
and gifts to "non-corporate" flowers and gifts.
Bunting spent over $16,000 on flowers in four years, many of
which were for VMI friends or alumni, but a few were sent with
cards that never mentioned the college. Bunting also sent
magazine gift subscriptions the same way. Gilbert said that can't
happen under the new policy.
Most of the purchases forbidden under the old policy are the same
in the new policy, but formal adoption by the board will make
them VMI law. That means a retirement party like the $1,500 bash
Bunting threw for a retiring VMI board chairman in Richmond would
not be allowed.
Following a recommendation of the state auditor, another policy
under consideration requires the superintendent or the business
office to report to the audit committee any spending policy
violations.
Some additional post-purchase reviews are in place already.
Staff from the procurement, budget and comptroller's offices are
meeting quarterly with Bunting's staff to make sure purchases
follow the rules, Gilbert said, "so we don't get a year and
a half of surprises all at once." So far, no purchases have
been rejected, he said.
The meetings are also designed to keep Bunting within his budget,
by keeping tabs on how much he's spent each quarter.
Bunting overspent his account by more than $120,000 his first
four years at VMI, even while the amount allotted was increased
three times. The account started the current year with $140,000.
In the past, Bunting was given the account as a lump sum. This
year, the account is divided into separate line items including
books, flowers and gifts, and entertaining expenses.
The amounts in each line item are based on how much Bunting has
spent in those categories in the past.
The budget also includes $25,000 for entertaining at Bunting's
quarters.
"Is that enough money? It doesn't seem like a whole lot of
money to me," audit committee member Waite Rawls III said at
a meeting two weeks ago, when the committee first saw the budget
for the discretionary account.
"But it seems like a whole lot to a lot of people,"
said board president Bruce Gottwald.
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VMI Museum Christmas Open House Set Dec. 1st
The VMI Museum Christmas Open House will be on Wednesday,
December 1st from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dressed in 19th century
clothing and using antique instruments, Professor and Mrs. Gibson
will provide Christmas carols from 12 noon to 1 p.m.
For school children, Santa will visit from 3-5 p.m. and the VMI
Glee Club will perform holiday songs beginning at 3:45 p.m.
Drawings for selected discounts up to 30% will be available in
the VMI Museum Shop and you can register to win your own
"Little Sorrel" horse. You do not need to be present to
win. For additional information contact the VMI Museum at
4654-7334.
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Basketball Update: By my calculations, and
remember...I was an Econ major, the Keydets are 5 - 2. Next game
is Dec. 6 against the Hokies. It's a home game and it starts at
7:00 PM. I believe this is the first time the Hokies have visited
Cameron Hall. Remember, you can listen to the games live via the
internet at the website VMIKeydets.com. I listened to a couple
football games this way and it is very slick.
BASKETBALL
UVa routs Keydets, 98-57
Cavaliers beat 'Runnin' 'Roos at their own game
F Eric Mann '00 (#32) led VMI scorers with 12 points
The VMI Keydets went fishing for wahoo Sunday night, but found
the water too deep and too fast for their liking as they fell to
the University of Virginia 98-57 at University Hall in
Charlottesville.
G Richard Bruce '01 (#30) hit a pair of 3-pointers in the game
After taking an early 9-6 lead on an Andre Quarles 3-pointer in
the fifth minute of play, the Cavaliers went on a 21-4 run over
the next 7-½ minutes and never looked back.
G Renard Phillips '02 (#5) played despite
injuring his ankle against Warren Wilson
With both teams employing a full-court press and running style,
the game promised to be a wild one. UVa's pressure, however, was
more than VMI could take on many occasions, as the Cavaliers
forced VMI into 30 turnovers and produced 15 steals and outscored
VMI 36-20 on turnovers.
Rat G Jeremy Harper (#14) looked
good at point guard toward game's end
Junior forward Eric Mann (Rock Hill, SC / Rock Hill) gave a solid
performance with 12 points and 5 rebounds; he also blocked two
shots. Junior guard Richard Bruce (Harrisonburg, VA / Spottswood)
chipped in with 10 points and 3 assists for VMI. Virginia's Chris
Williams and Travis Watson lead all scorers with 16 points
apiece.
F Aaron Trombley '01 (#31) had 4 points and 3 rebounds off the
bench
The depth of the Cavaliers' bench was evident, as none of their
starters played more than 28 minutes. Three Keydet starters were
forced to play over 30 minutes, and VMI got only 14 points from
its bench while UVa's reserves tallied 30 points. Every Virginia
player had at least 3 minutes of playing time.
Rat F Adam Trombley (#21) led the VMI bench
with 6 points and 5 boards; he also blocked a shot
© Virginia Military Institute. All rights reserved.
Revised: 28 November 1999 . . . VMI Sports Information Office.
-------
Keydets down Oral Roberts 56-44
Advance to title game of United Airlines Tipoff Tournament
Junior forward Nick Richardson (Charlotte, NC / Charlotte
Christian) scored 16 points and pulled down 9 rebounds to lead
VMI (3-1) to a 56-44 win over Oral Roberts in the semi-final
round of the United Airlines Tipoff Tournament in Honolulu,
Hawaii on Friday night.
The Keydets broke open a close game late in the first half on an
8-point run by the Trombley brothers, Adam & Aaron
(Anchorage, AK / E. Anchorage / FUMA), coming off the bench. Oral
Roberts cut a 7-point VMI lead to 3 at the half, but couldn't
regain the lead in the second half. The game remained close until
the Keydets blew it open late in the game.
Senior point guard Andre Quarles (Louisa, VA / Louisa) had 10
points and 4 assists for the Keydets while junior forward Eric
Mann (Rock Hill, SC / Rock Hill) had 10 rebounds to go with his 5
points for VMI. Oral Roberts' Reggie Tate led all scorers with 18
points.
The Keydets face the University of Hawaii Rainbows tonight (28
november) in the championship game, scheduled to air at 1:30 AM
EST Monday morning 29 November. A live internet broadcast will be
carried on www.vmikeydets.com.
Keydets run out of steam
Fall to Hawaii in championship game of UA tourney
Kilauea was silent, but the Keydet basketball team witnessed an
eruption nonetheless on their trip to Hawaii for the United
Airlines Tipoff Tournament.
The volcanic explosion came in the final nine minutes of the
championship game Sunday night as the University of Hawaii
Rainbows outscored VMI 29-5 to post a 78-61 win in Honolulu.
The Keydets led through most of the contest on the strength of
superb 3-point shooting and the hot hand of G Andre Quarles
(Louisa, Va. / Louisa) who scored 17 of his game-high 19 points
in the first half. In the game's final minutes, however, VMI
showed signs of fatigue against the bigger, more physical UH
front line and were largely unable to find the basket.
Also scoring in double figures for VMI were G Richard Bruce
(Harrisonburg, VA / Spottswood) with 11 and F Nick Richardson
(Charlotte, NC / Charlotte Christian) with 10 (6 of which came
after he had picked up his 4th personal foul). F Aaron Trombley
(Anchorage, AK /E. Anchorage/FUMA) added 9 points off the bench.
Hawaii was led in scoring by Troy Ostler with 19 and Marquette
Alexander with 18.
Quarles was named to the all-tournament team, finishing with 29
points and 6 assists over two games.
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VMI Wrestling:
WRESTLING
November 22, 1999
VMI WRESTLING FINISHES FOURTH
PLACE AT BLOOMSBURG INVITATIONAL
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The VMI Wrestling team finished fourth place
out of eight schools in this past weekend's Bloomsburg
Invitational held on the campus of Bloomsburg University.
VMI finished with a team score of 83.5 which placed them fourth
place for the tournament. The host Bloomsburg University finished
first with 175.5 points, University of Buffalo finished second
with 129.5 points, Millersville University finished third with
104.5 points.
Individually, the Keydets had four wrestlers finish third place
in their weight class. The first was Levi Spellman (Canfield,
Ohio / Canfield) who finished third place in the 125 lbs weight
class; Spellman finished with a 3-2 record for the meet. Freshman
Adam Britt (Mechanicsville, Va. / Atlee) recorded a third place
finish in the 149lbs. weight class and went 3-1 for the meet
including a pin in the third place match against Ryan Bentley of
Buffalo. Also, senior co-captain Gil Decher (Newport News, Va. /
Peninsula Catholic) earned a third place finish in the 157 lbs
weight class; he won three out of his four matches for the event.
Finally, freshman Dale Griffin (Terre Haute, Ind. / South Vigo)
earned a third place finish in the 184 lbs division. Griffin lost
his first match of the tournament then rallied to win the next
three to capture third place.
Other VMI Wrestlers that competed at the Bloomsburg Invitational
included: junior Tremayne Austin (Ettrick, Va. / Matoaca) who
finished sixth place in the 133lbs division with a 3-3 record;
Oliver Ruiz (Fairview, NJ / Cliffside Park) lost both of his
matches in the 133lbs. class; freshman Brandon Waltrip
(Lightfoot, Va. / Jamestown) recorded a 1-2 record for at 157
lbs; sophomore Matt Erwin (South Vienna, Ohio / Graham) went 0-2
in the 165lbs division; Sophomore Austen Palmer (Durham, NC /
Riverside) finished fourth place in the 174lbs weight class with
a 4-2 record; freshman David Walker (Chesapeake, Va. / Great
Bridge) finished fifth place in the 197lbs division with a pair
of wins; and in the heavyweight division, sophomore Brian Toney
(Boones Mill, Va. / Franklin County) finished in fifth place.
The VMI Wrestling team will next compete in Bethlehem, Pa. at the
Sheridan Invitational on Saturday, December 4 at 9 AM
BLOOMSBURG INVITATIONAL
Bloomsburg, Pa.
Team Scores
1. Bloomsburg University - 175.5
2. Buffalo - 129.5
3. Millersville - 104.5
4. VMI - 83.5
5. Binghampton - 80.0
6. Princeton - 74.5
7. Duke - 49.0
8. Syracuse - 15.0
© Virginia Military Institute. All rights reserved.
Revised: 23 November 1999 . . . VMI Sports Information Office.
Hey, that's it for this week.
Yours in the Spirit,
RB Lane '75
Last Updated: October 11, 2009
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