ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, September 20, 1996 TAG: 9609200053
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
NOTE: Above
Consensus apparently has yet to emerge among the 17 members of the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors, whose meeting Thursday dragged three hours over schedule as they continued to discuss privately the fate of the public men's college.
"We didn't attempt a consensus," board President Bill Berry said. "We didn't take a straw vote. We didn't talk about taking a straw vote."
But Berry said members "all understand each other's views better." On Saturday, the board is scheduled to vote either to admit women to VMI or take the school private.
"It's my expectation we'll vote on Saturday and come to a conclusion," he said, adding he "can't promise that."
The president of the VMI Alumni Association said Thursday that his organization's board unanimously voted last week to pursue going private. A quorum of 16 or 17 of the 27 members voted, Steve Fogleman said.
The association is one of the VMI alumni groups studying whether to take the school private. Fogleman and representatives of the VMI Foundation met Thursday with the board of visitors.
"We don't have a good decision to make," Fogleman said, referring to the choices being debated.
Also Thursday, Gov. George Allen's spokesman, Ken Stroupe, said Allen remains officially neutral and is sticking to his position that VMI's board should decide how to comply with the Supreme Court's June 26 ruling against the public college's all-male admissions policy. His comment came the same day The Washington Post reported that Allen said during a visit to a Richmond high school that "I'd like to ... comply with that order and allow women into VMI."
Today, the public gets its chance to say what it thinks the school should do. A one-hour comment period is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. in the Preston Library on campus. A sign-up sheet will be posted at 12:30.
Going private wouldn't be simple. The General Assembly apparently would have to approve the move, and a Washington and Lee University law professor said the legality could lie in how the school goes about acquiring the campus.
If the state "just hands the university" over for a nominal price, the courts may see that as continuing discrimination, Alan Ides said Thursday. "Part of giving up public funds is giving up the facility."
A sale at fair market value likely would be viewed more favorably, he said. Estimates to buy the school range upwards from $150 million - if, indeed, the state were willing to sell. In addition, an estimated $200 million would be needed to endow an annual operating budget.
VMI's board has spent the past two days cloistered in its fourth-floor meeting room at Smith Hall, VMI's administration building. But on the campus, tourists continue to come and go from the VMI Museum, and cadets in crisp white uniforms attend classes and join drills.
The cadets, however, are well aware of the historic decision to be made this weekend.
"No one's running around saying 'I'm leaving if women come,''' said Patrick Forrest, a third-classman. "Let's be rational about it."
His classmates seemed to share his let-the-chips-fall attitude.
"I think most people think we're going to admit women. Since the Supreme Court opinion, we're ready to get on. There's nothing we can do about it," said Carey Michael of Suffolk.
Alumni have talked about how to pay for scholarships so tuition wouldn't skyrocket if the school went private. Tuition, room and board, and fees for in-state students are $9,485 this year. Out-of-state students pay $15,950.
Some cadets on Thursday said an increase of possibly thousands of dollars likely would keep them from returning to VMI.
"It would definitely be an issue," Michael said. Since he has only one year left, he said, he probably would return - but the expense would hurt.
Still, the cadets give the alumni effort its due.
"As big an influence as the alumni have on VMI, they need to let the alumni have a say-so," said Tripp Costen, vice president of the senior class.
And the tourists snapping pictures seem intrigued by the conflict at the historic school. Austrian visitor Robert Nemeth considered VMI's tradition - "something Americans should think about."
"In Austria," he said, "we have the Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra. They only allow men."
LENGTH: Medium: 83 linesby CNB