DATE: Wednesday, September 10, 1997         TAG: 9709100560

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MATT CHITTUM, LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE 

DATELINE: LEXINGTON                         LENGTH:   80 lines

FEMALE CADET SUSPENDED FROM VMITHE INSTITUTE SAID IT BANISHED HER FOR STRIKING AN UPPERCLASS MALE CADET. SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE FIRST COED CLASS.

A female cadet at Virginia Military Institute has been suspended from school for two semesters for striking an upperclassman during ``rat line'' activities.

VMI did not identify the woman, but cadet Angelica Garza's father, Pete Garza, confirmed Tuesday night that his daughter had been suspended. He would not reveal what caused the suspension, but said VMI handled the situation appropriately.

``VMI is a tremendous institution,'' he said. ``They have supported Angelica tremendously.''

Last week, Garza complained of being picked on and had ``popped off a little attitude'' at an upper classman, senior class president Kevin Trujillo said. VMI officials would not say whether that caused the suspension.

VMI spokesman Mike Strickler said there is no evidence the woman was sexually harassed, and that the incident took place after classes began Aug. 26. Pete Garza confirmed that the altercation happened during rat line activities.

The male cadet, unidentified, did not need medical attention, Strickler said.

Angelica Garza can return to VMI next fall, but she will have to start over in the ``rat line,'' VMI's high-intensity freshman training ritual, Strickler said.

The suspension was recommended by the cadet executive committee, which heard the case Monday evening. It was upheld by VMI Superintendent Josiah Bunting III. The woman was off the campus by Tuesday afternoon, Strickler said.

``I hate to lose any of our cadets, almost for any reason, but our system does not tolerate any cadet striking another,'' Bunting said in a news release.

Garza is a graduate of Hayfield High School in Lorton, Va., as is Trujillo, who was serving as her upper-class mentor.

Trujillo is chairman of the committee that heard the case and recommended the suspension. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The executive committee is made up of the president, vice president and historian of the sophomore, junior and senior classes, and the president of the Officer of the Guard Association, which investigates the charges.

The committee's purpose is to ``enforce and improve the standards of appearance and conduct of the Corps of Cadets,'' according to the ``Rat Bible,'' which all freshmen must study and practically memorize.

The Executive Committee usually handles the most serious charges made at VMI, including those involving hazing, and drunk and disorderly behavior. It has the power to recommend dismissal of a cadet.

No other cadets have been suspended for striking upperclassmen this year, but it has not been uncommon over the years for ``rats'' to lose control under the pressure at VMI. Suspension has become the usual penalty, Strickler said.

``It happens,'' he said. ``The rat line is stressful . . . and it's supposed to teach you how to handle stress without losing your temper.''

Three other women have dropped out of their own volition this year, along with 32 men.

Thirty women entered the military institute Aug. 20. VMI waged a seven-year court battle to keep women out, but in June 1996 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-1 that the school could not be both state-supported and all-male.

After the Board of Visitors voted the following September to enroll women, VMI launched a detailed plan to assimilate women into the corps of cadets.

The formerly all-male Citadel in South Carolina admitted four women last fall, but has had public relations problems since two of them left amid allegations they were sexually harassed and had their clothes set on fire by upperclassmen.

The assimilation of women at VMI, until this incident, has been touted as smooth and successful.

``We knew there were going to be some bumps in the road, but this is an unusual one,'' Strickler said. ``This may have been one that I didn't necessarily think about.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Angelica Garza can return to Virginia Military Institute next year,

but must begin in the rat line again, a spokesman said. KEYWORDS: WOMEN IN THE MILITARY VMI ASSAULT

RAT LINE MILITARY ACADEMIES

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