The Cadet shines with multiple Virginia Press Association Journalism Awards

Following its success winning 1st place winner in the Virginia Press Association's 2021 VPA News & Advertising Contest Feature Series and Continuing Story Category, The Cadet took this year's 2022 VPA competition by storm winning an impressive seven awards in six categories. This was a competition against all professional newspapers in the same category throughout the state of Virginia, well beyond the level of competitions normally entered by college newspapers. The Cadet was among over 1,000 entries in the 2022 VPA News & Advertising Contest. The Cadet competed for these prestigious awards against not only peer Virginia college and university publications, but against main-stream non-daily newspapers across Virginia. Recognition among such professional journalists is a high honor and speaks volumes about the quality not only of the publications but the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) cadets writing and editing The Cadet. The Cadet's success this year is almost unprecedented in its proud 116-year history as the independent voice of the Corps and one of Virginia's oldest independent college newspapers. In just its second year following The Cadet's resurrection by cadets with alumni support, the staff now already has 8 VPA awards to its credit. These latest honors further demonstrate that The Cadet, and The Cadet Foundation that provides its publication support, are achieving their goals of bringing alumni and cadets together for mentoring and collaboration as it has done since it was created as a magazine in 1871. This year's awards to The Cadet include entries from the 2021 – 2022 and 2022 – 2023 academic year staff for the period January through December 2022. Winning entries include articles in the Combination Picture and Story, Editorial Writing, Feature Series or Continuing Story, In-depth or Investigative Reporting, Combination Picture and Story and Feature Series or Continuing Story categories. Matt Paxton, Publisher of The News-Gazette in Lexington was the first to congratulate the staff on its accomplishments, "I congratulate the staff of The Cadet for their awards in the recent Virginia Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. Recognition is fine, but recognition by your peers is especially gratifying. These young journalists impressed judges that work in journalism every day. VMI should be proud of their student newspaper." First Place in TWO categories, Combination Picture and Story AND Feature Series or Continuing Story, for The Legend of the sentinel box - Part 3: Das Tannenbaum es Kaput, by Cadets Dylan Palmer '24, Russell Crouch '24, and Gabriele Woodward '24. Winning first place in two separate and distinct categories while being judged, by completely different panels of journalists, is especially significant. Part III continued the series parts one and two that, together, won First Place in the Feature Series and Continuing Story category for the 2021 VPA awards. For Parts I and II, Cadet writers Richie O'Connell '22 and James Mansfield '22 collected historic background from alumni Peter McCray '56, Jack Parizzi '56, Jimmi Thurmond '56, and Tom Wilson '79 to begin with the origins of the sentinel box itself through the "bomb in the courtyard" traditions, culminating with the first printing of the full story on how a Brother Rat (BR) in the Class of 1956 almost turned his barracks room into a two room suite by accidentally detonating a bomb intended for the Sentinel Box. Part II took up the legend with an initial look at "the burning of the woolies", a tradition where cadets, prior to graduation, would burn their wool winter trousers to signify an end to both their cadetships and the uncomfortable garments. Part II ended with the Class of '79's Homeric success in finally toppling the sentinel box during their woolies burning in '79. Part III, published in the December 16, 2022 edition of The Cadet is this year's multi-category winner and covers the tumultuous events over the past several years at the Virginia Military Institute that created a climate where almost every facet of VMI is critiqued. In this Part III, The Cadet used the lenses of both history and VMI's unique "barracks culture" to look back at the origin of bombs in barracks, then "fast forwards" to how the "Barracks Christmas Tree" and sentinel box traditions have effectively ceased due to the decrease of Corps traditions. It explores the various aspects of a truly Corps-run barracks and VMI's other long-standing traditions. Dylan Palmer '24 told The Cadet: "It is incredibly rewarding and humbling to be recognized by outside organizations for the covering of VMI history and traditions. This proves that, not only do outside organizations recognize the value of the traditions and history of the Institute, but that they hold these shenanigans in high regard to the development of the VMI culture over the years. Unfortunately, VMI cadets do not enjoy the same freedom to partake in these traditions, and writing about them brings forth a greater appreciation of what was." First Place, Editorial Writing, for A response to the Chief of Staff and the VMI administration, by Cadet Joseph Malazo, First Jackson-Hope Medal winner A front-page editorial in the February 25, 2022 edition by the The Cadet editorial staff in response to an email sent out by The Office of the Chief of Staff, VMI to the VMI Corps of Cadets, faculty, staff and others on February 3, 2022 attacking and denouncing The Cadet, its staff, and its alumni supporters. The editorial asked the administration "Where is your honor? How far will you go on your crusade to denigrate the hard work, ingenuity, and pride shown by the cadets that write this paper?" It responds, in detail, to that official VMI statement, on behalf of VMI and its Superintendent, that contained false and misleading information that The Cadet addressed in detail. As the administration applied pressure on The Cadet, this important editorial detailed acts directed against The Cadet and its supporters including: interfering with distribution of newspaper on multiple occasions; a threat to discipline cadets writing for the paper; a deliberate campaign attempting to discredit the newspaper; denying cadets basic privileges, and spreading false information about the cadets and The Cadet to include, firmly asserting that the newspaper has no affiliation with VMI and its views were not reflective of the Corps of Cadets. The professional journalists who judged the competition and selected this editorial fully recognized the journalistic skill and moral courage of Cadet Malazo '22 and the staff in "speaking truth to power" as well as defending The Cadet. First Place, In-depth or Investigative Reporting, for Does VMI care about the well-being of Cadets? - A Cadet investigation, by Cadet Peyton Wiecking '23 First published in the March 25, 2022 edition of The Cadet, this investigative article explored cadet experiences with the Cadet Counseling Center (CCC) through the lens that the VMI prides itself on graduating healthy, confident, and educated men and women who seek to carry out the VMI Mission. One of the cornerstones upon which VMI was founded is that every aspect of the Institute is designed to help and challenge everybody who matriculates. But, the article asked, what happens if the VMI system fails its cadets? The article covered the results of a 10 month investigation by Cadet Wiecking '23 with input from fellow Cadets and The Cadet staff. "I am extremely honored to have earned 1st Place in Investigative Reporting and Journalism by the Virginia Press Association for my work", Weicking told The Cadet, "Winning this award means the world to me and to the people I interviewed. In the weeks following the publication of the article, I received nearly 75 messages on Snapchat, Instagram, Messenger, and email along with several phone calls from current VMI Cadets, their families, alumni, and many others who read the article. In addition, I received and had conversations with people who disagreed with what I wrote, even the VMI administration sent all Cadets, faculty, and staff a letter refuting the article. After all this feedback and discourse, I still believe that this article achieved its goal of letting people voice their concerns with their own mental health and the current status of mental health resources both at VMI and in the Commonwealth of Virginia." Developing and publishing this article required the highest levels of moral courage by both Cadet Weicking '23 and The Cadet Editorial staff that unfalteringly supported him. This began prior to publication when the administration repeatedly failed to respond to multiple attempts by The Cadet to receive comment on the issue and became particularly visceral after publication. As documented in the Warning Letter from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Freedom of Expression (FIRE) and the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) to VMI, immediately after publication of the story, The Cadet editors faced pressure to publish an op-ed from the VMI administration refuting an article. Following criticism from administrators about the piece, Cadet editors maintained the reporting in the paper was accurate but entertained the option of publishing VMI's response. On April 28, Colonel Bill Wyatt, VMI Director of Communications & Marketing, emailed The Cadet's then-editor-in- chief James Mansfield urging him to publish the op-ed in full. Wyatt also suggested the reporters were acting unethically, even invoking a recent suicide at another Virginia College, to pressure The Cadet to publish VMI's statement. Mr. Wyatt disclosed that information he provided to a journalist who had inquired about the story discredited The Cadet's reporting but refused to identify the journalist, what information he provided, or to allow The Cadet staff an opportunity to represent its own reporting with that journalist. Further, Mr. Wyatt made statements accusing the cadets of not writing or having editorial control of their paper as well as stating VMI, as the result of an article being published that they did not like, were punishing the newspaper by not recognizing it, "the efforts to recognize the paper as an official cadet activity here have come to a screeching halt." Mansfield responded, "You are more than welcome to submit anything you would like to be considered for publication in the cadet. The other editors and I will look it over before we publish as we do with all other material submitted to us." Mansfield also defended Wiecking, writing Wyatt, "As far as the journalist who contacted you, I am fortunate to say we are not embarrassed at all. We are very proud of Peyton [Wiecking] and excited to see what change comes out of his bravery. In the last three days [a] myriad cadets and alumni, primarily from classes in the last 10 years have reach out expressing their disappointment. Many have stated the same problems they experienced years ago at the CCC are still endemic. This eliminated any doubt that any of us may have had." Mansfield closed by stating, "We are not another generic media outlet as you keep alluding to. We are The Cadet newspaper, the culmination of 115 years of partnership with the institution. We are not an external outlet profiting off the detriment of the Institute. We are trying to help our own who have been harmed by elements at VMI. We want what is best for each and every cadet in barracks. Do you?" The situation culminated when VMI used is significant resources, and those of the VMI Alumni Agencies to reach alumni, in order to publish its OP-ED to cadets, alumni, faculty, and staff. The OP-ED included the accusation that, "…the founding alumnus of this new newspaper, [NAME REDACTED FOR THIS ARTICLE], continues to use the paper for personal attacks on the Institute and to infuse partisan politics into an institution that is apolitical. The article's source documents were authored by [REDACTED] who encouraged cadets to pursue the story as an 'award-winning piece.'" [emphasis added] This article's selection, by a board of highly qualified professional journalists, for First Place honors, is particularly rewarding for not only The Cadet editorial staff but particularly for Cadet Weicking '23 and shows the effort was, in fact "award winning" at the highest level by the VPA. Judging for this category required a high level of journalistic ethics and skills, "that demonstrate initiative and thoroughness in research and/or investigation, and the ability to convey the results to the reader." Second Place, In-depth or Investigative Reporting, for Initial Voice of the Corps Survey, by Cadet James Mansfield '22 Originally published in the February 25, 2022 issue, The Cadet asked only current cadets to participate in a survey of their attitudes about VMI, the administration and changes at VMI. Keeping with appropriate survey protocols, and in an effort to protect cadets from possible retaliation, the identities of cadets who took the survey were confirmed, but the VMI administration was not given access to the individual responses. Survey areas include if the Corps feels the administration allows them to influence and participate in decisions, if VMI is better than it was a year ago, if the administration represents the voice of the Corps and more. Although the administration opposed the survey, and The Cadet was not allowed to use the Corps email list controlled by the Commandant's staff to distribute it, The Cadet staff diligently pressed forward using flyers hand-delivered to each cadet room, social media postings and other efforts. Results showed trends to include, but not limited to: The vast majority of respondents feel the Administration excludes cadets from decision-making, either mostly or all of the time; 81.8% felt the academic year was somewhat or much worse than last year; 97% of respondents opined that planned changes to the Rat Line may or definitely would make the VMI experience worse; 88% indicated that they are not able to voice their displeasure with changes to the Corps system; and in the open-ended question asking respondents to state the worst decision the Administration made that year, the most frequent response was concerning the Rat Line and changes to the Honor System. Although The Cadet is still not able to access the Corps email list it plans to conduct a survey again this year while working with outside organizations toward supporting their annual surveys of Colleges and Universities for Freedom of Speech rankings. Through this award professional journalists recognized and rewarded The Cadet staff's efforts to have the voice of the Corps heard and to have it heard unfiltered. Third Place, Combination Picture and Story, for Virginia Military Institute Corps of Cadets marches in the Virginia gubernatorial inaugural parade, by Cadets Emily Liska '22 and James Mansfield '22 The article in the January 20, 2022 edition of The Cadet covered the Corps of Cadets appearance in the January 15th, 2022 Inaugural parade for Glenn Youngkin after his swearing-in as Governor of Virginia. The evaluation for this category covered excellence and journalism skills through a combination of text and at least three pieces of art (photos, illustrations or both) that tell a story. A particularly challenging criteria gave the writing, photography, artwork and presentation equal weight in the judging of this category. Third Place, Feature Series or Continuing Story, for Promoting open and transparent dialogue on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, by Cadets Kolton Dobson '23, Dylan Palmer '24, Patrick Sexton '24, Gabriele Woodward '24, Jackson Creach '25, Victoria Gurgos '25 The submission consists of a group of stories on the subject of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs at VMI by The Cadet staff throughout the period covered by the award. This was a truly unique "whole of community" project developed and tirelessly executed by The Cadet Staff starting in the 2021-2022 and 2022 - 2023 academic year to date. The project explored the complex, and often volatile, issues associated with DEI and its implementation on the second oldest military school in the United States (West Point being the oldest) through stories that informed and features that explored proposed and actual DEI program impacts on tradition and the VMI core structures of the Honor system, class system, Corps system and Ratline. The articles provided commentary from across what is defined as "The VMI Family", consisting of alumni, Cadets, parents, faculty and staff. Given VMI's complex southern history and the immense pressure placed on it as an institution by the Commonwealth of Virginia's investigation of systemic racism at the school, the various alumni, cadet, faculty, staff and parent stakeholders involved formed a complex community. The tension between the group was significantly enhanced by the lack of transparency by the VMI administration and Board of Visitors (BOV) in implementing significant changes to not only VMI's physical structure but its most important student social structures in the form of the Honor system, Class system (including "the Ratline"), and the authority of the Corps to govern itself. This lack of transparency manifest in sandblasting Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's name off the barracks arch while cadets were away and removing Jackson's statue from the front of the VMI barracks to an initially undisclosed location in early morning hours that, unfortunately, created a climate of distrust within the community. At the point this project started there was a climate of concern among cadets, faculty and alumni preventing them from speaking out so alternative views and ideas could be heard. Moderation was lost. The judges found the evolution of the dialog within the community, manifested in the body of work; created, nurtured, and ultimately produced a maturing open dialogue on DEI at VMI. The project created the much needed opportunity for balance between opposing sides while thoughtfully providing factual accounts and research that drove the discourse on DEI at VMI between faculty, staff, cadets, parents, alumni and even the BOV. The body of work also demonstrated significant effort beyond The Cadet staff's routine scope of reporting the news and covering school events. It required the newspaper and its staff to be change agents despite significant external pressure from groups and internal pressure to "control the message" by the administration. As the judges recognized, the articles show one of the projects greatest successes remains giving their voices a platform for informed and reasoned dissent and included Cadets of all races, revealing a number of Black Cadets opposed the initial DEI program as divisive. The project included significant initiative by the staff to bring in facets of the issue such as VMI's history and traditions while placing change in context. At times this required "forcing a dialogue". The project was first to significantly cover the relocation of Jackson's statue to its new location in the August 2022 edition of the newspaper. The project's September 2022 coverage of the 25th anniversary of women at VMI focused on the positive outcomes of that change rather than the controversy. The project's use of editorials served as guides to, for the first time, bring "the voice of the Corps" out in the open. The project was the first, in April 2022 to call for an open and objective debate moderated by cadets and run by cadets. Although the administration responded with firm refusal for any debate on DEI, the position softened and discussions are underway between VMI and outside groups, such as Steamboat, to bring a debate of the issue to VMI next fall. In addition to those challenging the administration's attack on free speech, the project became a platform for Cadets to make counter-arguments calling for a more moderate approach such as the September 16, 2022 "The case for New Market" editorial accompanied by an article placing New Market Cadet, first Jewish graduate of VMI, and world-renown sculptor Sir Moses Ezekiel in context. Many, for example, did not know Ezekiel actually opposed slavery. Use of investigative reporting brought needed facts to the ongoing debate. In the October 2022 edition, for example, the project covered the lawsuit filed against VMI over the award of a DEI training contract. In addition to making all public court documents available for the community's review, the project was invaluable in "correcting the record". When misinformation circulating that the lawsuit was intended to stop progress toward equality and to stop DEI at VMI, this factual reporting documenting the dispute actually centered on VMI's violation of public procurement rules to steer a contract toward a particular vendor and violations of the FOIA that included, in some alleged cases, willful destruction of documents. Such essential critical analysis was key to keeping the community dialogue focused on fact-based critical thinking leading to informed decisions. As the November 11, 2022 editorials and article show, Cadets, emboldened by the voice the project gave them, spoke out with reasoned arguments and actionable recommendations as VMI prepared for the rewrite of its Strategic Vision and plan. Unquestionably, the greatest accomplishment was the December 16, 2022 edition where the newspaper published, for the first time, two comparative views of VMI's DEI program, one from a professor and one from a Cadet DEI facilitator. The greatest success of this project comes in two statements by the cadet facilitator: "At the end of the day, it is important that we remain engaged and try to solve the issues we see at our Institute. It's easy to just shove off responsibility, but things can never improve if we do nothing to help. VMI is a special place that breeds the leaders our country needs, and I for one am going to do everything I can to continue what VMI has always done. Please read this as a call for unity and a request to lead with empathy. Stay motivated, respectful, and engaged. Everyone's viewpoint is important and does matter to try and help our 'humble abode'". The Cadet Foundation is awarding Cadets $100.00 for First Place awards, $75.00 for second place honors and $50.00 for third place rankings. The Cadet foundation is a 501c3 non-profit that is proudly fully independent of VMI and the VMI Alumni Agencies. More than anything else, the recognition for journalistic excellence and achievement from these awards shows that The Fourth Estate, the press and news media both in explicit capacity of advocacy and implicit ability to frame political issues, has returned to VMI and its voice is The Cadet. Editor's note: The Cadet staff wishes to thank Mr. Matt Paxton, publisher of the Lexington News-Gazette, Mr. Todd Roberson, Pulitzer winner and Editorial Editor of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, our alumni advisors, and the entire VMI Family for their help and support. We especially thank the VMI Archives for its research support without which many of these winning articles would not have been possible. HELP CONTINUE THIS GREAT WORK! To help continue the great work of The Cadet and The Cadet Foundation, please make a tax deductible contribution at online at: https://givebutter.com/Gw0jQW, mail your donation to: The Cadet Foundation, c/o 214 Terrebonne Road, Yorktown, Virginia 23692. Learn more at www.thecadetfoundation.org.