THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 25, 1996 TAG: 9609250011
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 62 lines
Glum and teary, past and present members of the Virginia Military Institute cadet corps took hold of reality Saturday as the governing board voted 9 to 8 to admit women.
What is not quite clear is this: How firm is the grasp?
The decision to bow to the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court was both right and inevitable. Many alumni would have preferred privatization, as - in truth - would some who think the state has no business pouring tax dollars into VMI's unique brand of education.
Going the private route was a risky proposition, however. As the public college with the largest per-student endowment in the nation, a major fund-raising drive could have been mounted. Conceivably, the estimated $200 million to $400 million needed to compensate the state could have been found.
But without women, ongoing operating costs would have been a perpetual problem. It is questionable that VMI could have continued to qualify for federal ROTC monies. And the school would have had to come up with a way to replace the $10.3 million or so that it gets each year from the state.
The board members who voted to go coed feared that the revenue loss would put an unsustainable burden on tuitions.
What remained unclear in the hour of decision was whether VMI officials intend to embrace the new way with gentlemanly resolve or to fight a rear-guard action that will informally accomplish what many would prefer: keeping women away.
VMI Commandant Josiah Bunting was blunt in describing what will await the newcomers. ``The message we want to send to young women is that we are here as we are,'' he said. ``If you choose to meet this challenge, you will be given the same help, the same support, but also the same difficulties that we put in front of young men.''
Asked if he expected the approach to produce lawsuits, he replied: ``I do.''
When The Citadel in South Carolina went co-ed earlier this year, women were given slightly longer haircuts than men, locks were put on their doors and physical requirements were set at lower levels than for male counterparts.
According to Bunting, VMI will not be so accommodating. There will be separate bathrooms, and shades will be installed and required to be used in all rooms. But otherwise, haircuts and push-ups and taunting will be equal opportunity.
VMI officials are holding onto the portion of the Supreme Court's decision in which Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg wrote: ``. . . some women are capable of all of the individual activities required of VMI cadets . . . and can meet the physical standards VMI now imposes on men.''
So be it. The critical part of Bunting's statement is that women must also receive ``the same help, the same support'' as men. This will be difficult, indeed, if women are a minuscule and largely unwanted segment of the cadet corps. Peer bonding is the ingredient that brings cadets through hell.
A hopeful sign is Bunting's apparent recognition of that fact. Lost in the reportage of his tough talk was his statement that ``a critical mass'' of female cadets will be needed if coeducation is to be successful. A freshman class next year that includes a substantial number of women not only would show good faith but also might make the transition work.
There may be merit in Bunting's gruffness if it gives comfort to those who are mourning the passing of VMI as it has existed. But what is now certain is that VMI's future includes women. If anyone thinks otherwise, the Supreme Court and the U.S. Justice Department are prepared to provide a reality check. by CNB