THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 11, 1996 TAG: 9609110511
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL BASKERVILL, ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: 48 lines
Virginia Military Institute is refusing to accept applications from women despite the Supreme Court's ruling that its male-only admissions policy is unconstitutional, the Justice Department alleged in court papers filed Tuesday.
The federal agency asked the 4th U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond to remand the case to a federal court in Roanoke for an injunction barring the state-supported school ``from continuing its exclusionary practices.''
VMI spokesman Mike Strickler said VMI has explained to female applicants that VMI's coeducation decision is pending a four-day board of visitors meeting that concludes Sept. 21. ``If the decision is made that we will be coed, we will immediately send them all the information they will need.''
``We're not dragging our feet. We're moving along as scheduled. We have a hard time understanding this,'' he said. Strickler said VMI has received about 50 inquiries from women.
Any day now, Strickler said, the VMI board will have before it two plans: one drawn up by the board itself, to open the college to female cadets and remain a state-supported institution, and a second, drawn up by alumni, weighing the costs and options for keeping women out by switching to private status.
Virginia Attorney General James S. Gilmore III said the timing of the motion made no sense. ``If what the Justice Department did today were made into a movie, they'd have to call it `Dumb and Dumber,' '' he said.
After more than six years of litigation and more than two months after the Supreme Court's decision, ``VMI's admissions office continues doing business as usual - by not accepting applications from women,'' Assistant U.S. Attorney General Deval L. Patrick said.
The Justice Department said it went to court after informal efforts to resolve the matter with the school were unsuccessful.
``Even though VMI now accepts applications from men for next year's freshman class, it will not even mail applications out to women requesting them. That's wrong,'' said Patrick.
Patrick said women in the last year of high school are making college choices. ``They deserve the same chance as men to at least apply for the unique educational opportunities that VMI offers.''
He said the department's motion was a modest request. ``It's an appropriate way of balancing the present needs of female applicants with VMI's stated intention of making a decision on the future course of the school.''
KEYWORDS: MILITARY ACADEMIES WOMEN IN THE MILITARY by CNB