VMI "strains to retain"

Editor's note: The Roanoke Times article cited in this story is printed next to it in this week's edition of The Cadet and available online on The Cadet's e-publication site: www.cadetnewspaper.com. In his 1995 Roanoke Times article, VMI 'Rats' strain to survive 'Hell', Warren Fiske details the challenges new rats at VMI face as they follow the path to become members of not only their Class, but the Corps. The article was a "snapshot in time" of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Hell Week and Ratline. In light of the superintendent's, commandant's and even alumni association's representations that "nothing is fundamentally changed" in the VMI experience and that experience is made better by the changes implemented as a result of the Barnes and Thornburg investigation report and it's primary implementation tool, the "One-Corps, One VMI" plan this article presents a "snapshot" from 2023. According to Maj. Gen. Wins' May 19, 2021 introduction to that plan: My priority as interim superintendent was to perform a personal assessment of the Institute's climate, culture, policies, and procedures. Of particular concern was understanding the current status of what is fundamentally the VMI experience: the unique method of education that challenges cadets physically, mentally, and academically while instilling in them traits of character built on honor, integrity, civility, personal conduct and discipline, and a lifelong bonding through the "brother rat" spirit. One Corps, One VMI is the product of that assessment. With the ongoing turbulence, I believe we find ourselves needlessly fractured. We must return our collective focus on VMI's mission which defines the Institute and what it means to be a VMI cadet. The snapshot of the 1995 Rat experience from Mr. Fiskse's article and one from the 2023 - 2024 Rat experience, drawn from upper class cadets who lived it, provides the Corps and the rest of the VMI Family an "apples to apples" comparison that establishes decision points for clear choices. In his One-Corps, One VMI plan, Maj. Gen Wins stated, "With the ongoing turbulence, I believe we find ourselves needlessly fractured. We must return our collective focus on VMI's mission which defines the Institute and what it means to be a VMI cadet." Individual alumni can form their own conclusions whether VMI's current state and direction, supported without question by the their alumni association, is worthy of support and if they are given the benefit of all sides of the issues. More importantly, for the Class of 2024, it is a benchmark for them to decide, as a Class, if their legacy will be to accept the changes continually enforced upon them to continue this transformation or if they will actually take action to lead the Corps and leave a legacy of their own choosing. Retention is the mission. VMI's Target retention rate, not target acceptance, rate is 80%. Given the laser focus on retention by Institute officials, could maintaining the high standard of academic excellence that VMI has been known for be a casualty? VMI's Average Acceptance rate from 2010 - 2020 of approximately 51% was derived by averaging the VMI Data Dashboard numbers over that period of time (adding up the acceptance rate for each year and dividing by the number of years, which is 11). VMI's published acceptance rate of 80.9% is misleading and raises the question if using total applications instead of completed applications is a valid metric. In the January 27, 2023 BOV briefing materials, data provided by the VMI Office of Assessment and Institutional Research "Applications Completed" tells a very different narrative. For example, the Data Dashboard page depicts the Acceptance Rate for the Fall of 2022 as 69.8%. However, looking at the Acceptance Rate in terms of completed applications for that period, the percentage climbs to an astounding 96.4%. The Acceptance Rate for previous years is predicated upon total applications as well. However, in reviewing the presentation titled "Superintendent's Major Agenda Items" given at the January 2024 BOV meeting, a slide depicts "Completed Apps" for the Class of 2027 as 1221, which is the same number found on the Data Dashboard for Fall 2023 (Class of 2027 and Fall 2023 are one in the same). Is VMI changing the way it is calculating the acceptance rate? If so, why? Does an acceptance rate that is higher or lower convey the narrative that VMI is the "best of the best?" Using what appears to be "applications completed" instead of total application, the Washington Post calculated acceptance rate was 96% and Diversemilitary.com similarly calculated 98%. How many corporations would offer a job to an applicant that doesn't complete their employment application? At VMI you can be accepted. At least one prospective cadet started, but never finished, an application before deciding not to attend VMI and subsequently received an appointment certificate anyway. Another point to consider with regard to academic excellence. Prior years Classes achieved a total of 9 Rhodes Scholars. In recent years, there have only been two. Those who apply matriculate with the hopes of being developed into men and women of character. They are instead shaped into the new mold of "One-Corps One VMI" that, in the plan's vision "presents a welcoming environment to any young man or woman seeking the benefits of the VMI experience." It is to produce "an individual committed to the unifying principles of 'One-Corps, One VMI' – a Cadet fully embracing pride in the accomplishments and diversity of the Corps, inclusive of all Cadets and respectful of the tests of character each Cadet must overcome in academics, athletics and within our military system." The matriculants stand at mock attention as they are taunted by the upperclassmen standing on the stoops above. They will soon bear the name "Rat". The Cadre enter. They are the Institute's watchmen, instructing the Rats in drill and other menial tasks. Their sole purpose now is not to shape the VMI man or women, but to ensure no Rat quits from the shared suffering for which the Ratline is historically known. "The Virginia Military Institute will push you beyond anything you've ever done before"; a voice struggles to say through reluctant lips, with the forced changes in order to retain cadets weighing heavily on his conscience. "Rats, meet your Cadre". A cacophony of yelling ensues as the freshmen are barraged by the voices of their Cadre. The Cadre have no idea what to yell. Under the "professionalized Ratline" as the administration defends it, directives are they can't say anything personal or insulting. Even the phrase "hurry up" leaves them with very few options. Little does it matter though as their voices are lost into the chaos of the courtyard. The Rats are hurried up the stairs with speed and intensity. Fallouts already appear in the back as the first Rats give up on the VMI experience. But they cannot just leave. First they pass through a multi-day process of counseling, reviews if improper treatment caused them to quit, equity inquiries, and others culminating with a meeting with the Commandant, all designed to encourage them to stay. Although the numbers are not published, many return to "Hell Week" although it is then almost over. At the end of Hell week, only a few actually leave the Institute. Hell week itself is modified from its traditional length and scope as the VMI Dean, Brig. Gen. Moreschi, briefed the April 23, 2023 BOV meeting that, "...we are working with the Commandant on trying to re-imagine Hell Week to build some time at the end prior to registration day and start of the classes to have academic orientation time with the entire Rat class." From this day forth, the Rats enter into a system designed to make money by retaining as many Cadets, and their tuition, as possible. According to a comment by Board of Visitors (BOV) Member Mr. Teddy Gottwald during the January 2023 BOV meeting citing the low matriculation in the class of 2026, "A very simple way to look at the math on this is for every 25 cadets below 500 with the cadet class coming in. It's about a million dollar impact on that year give or take. So that's a $4 million problem over the course of the cadet's year. So this year's class with 120 short 5 million a year, four years, $20 million we hope we'll be very short. $2 million a year, $8 million. So a $28 million issue. In very general terms, $24 million starting fund balance, $11 million needed minimum." The cost for "Personal Services" expenditures in the budget leaps over $9,416,396 from $61,198, 604 in 2023 to $70,615,000 in 2024. According to VMI's Deputy Superintendent for Finance and Support, BG Clark '99, "70.6 is a pretty significant increase. It includes several new positions that were funded into the One-Corps, One VMI initiative that were operationalized into the budget." The slide from the presentation shows that "several" new positions are actually "19 new full-time positions (primarily funded through One Corps One VMI)" [emphasis added]. He noted they did not include the specified cost savings "in place". According to the fact-based analysis by Mr. Gottwald's Finance Committee at the Jan. 25, 2024 BOV Executive Committee (ExCom) meeting, "... there is no cost cutting against [the] budget this year. The other observation is that the fund balance is gone for athletics. It's negative now. And so bills are getting paid, but they're getting paid out of the Institute's fund balance." Mr. Gottwlad also confirmed "What we've seen so far in the projections is that restoring the Corps sizes, that doesn't fix this problem." In the January 2023 BOV session the Finance Committee chair concluded, "And if you take the athletic financial gap and put it on steroids, then you're kind of looking at where the whole budget is." Changing standards to raise acceptance rates as well as retain and graduate more cadets will not satisfy the athletic, One-Corps, One VMI and related appetites or improve the VMI experience. The storied brotherhood is now misleadingly marketed to entice those still valuing discipline, chivalry and honor to attend. The Rats are reminded of the importance of diversity and inclusion daily, as they recite messages from their Rat Bible speaking against racism and oppression. Rats, once expected to memorize the Rat Bible, are no longer enticed by the fear of punishment, and avoid memorizing its pages. Rats, and the Corps, periodically have their VMI Identification Cards scanned upon entry to mandatory Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion (DOI) training which the Superintendent tells the BOV is mandatory to attend but optional to participate in. No similarly stringent measure ensures 100% of the Rat Mass attend "sweat parties", military training, Honor Cort presentations or other events. According to the presentation by Col. Bogart, Commandant of Cadets, to the BOV on Jan. 23, 2023 where he cited a "Rat Line Assessment" by unnamed "Cadet Senior Leaders acknowledge that… The Rat Line is achieving the goal of teaching Rats/New Cadets honor, self-discipline, self-control, earning respect, equity and reverence." Despite this claim, pushups are regulated by the hour so no Rat is pushed beyond their limit and strict punishment awaits any who dare break this rule. As high as 68% will not pass their first Physical training test. The Rats are not held to any consequences however, as they soon grow used to the endless screaming and lack of physical punishment and dare to strike back against their Cadre assigned to help them. All the while the cadre are told that using a "command voice" and quiet, coaching leadership are the only ways to run the Ratline. Less and less members of the upper classes participate in Ratline events. Punishment, once used to encourage good behavior, is gone, leaving Rats free to walk comfortably on their stoop without straining as they ignore the shouts of anger from the upperclassmen below. During this Ratline upper-class Cadets receive a growing list of punishments for "demeaning" Rats as well as "Disrespect to another Cadet based on their membership in a protected class"; "Harassing, bullying or intimidating another cadet"; and " Offenses against new cadets (Rats)" such as "Failure to intercede when witnessing Ratline abuse." The 6 month "Ratline'' encourages good behavior in Rats but has no system to enforce it. The teeth have been removed from the dog and all that's left is the bark. One-Corps, One VMI, a slogan to unify the corps, has seemingly failed to do so. Rats, once expected to drop and join if they passed a single classmate performing pushups, now walk by caring only for themselves rather than the brotherhood on which this school was built. The system, once considered equal and impersonal, removing all wealth and former station, now applies new imbalances, treating athletes with a gentler hand worried of losing the next game rather than shaping good cadets. The Superintendent is seeking an additional $5M in funding for NCAA sports, possible through tuition and fee increases. The current Superintendent Gen. Wins, a former basketball player at VMI makes the focus clear by stating, "The Basketball team is like the infantry, we just need to support them". The slogan "VMI just isn't for everyone" no longer applies as the once proud Institute is now willing to change for the masses slowly losing its proud place as an upholder of good character and morals. The motto now "Don't do ordinary" and "Win" is stenciled all over barracks while the word "Honor" is now virtually absent. VMI Cadets are meant to be trained as leaders, citizen soldiers, ready for the world. Instead they are molded into a corps that bends to authority, allowing the Institute officials to control them with ease. As one Cadet, now an alumnus, stated "The tradition and practice of a Corps-run, administration facilitated VMI is increasingly replaced by an administration-run, Corps executed VMI." The individuality and free thinking that produced General George Marshall is depleted, replaced with increasingly apathetic and easy to control cadets who respect authority and fear the retribution from the system. A Cadet can still gain from VMI what alumni used too. However it is up to the Cadet to seek out the challenge as they no longer gain it from the Institute by simply being a Cadet and undergoing the Ratline process. This is VMI's Unifying Action Plan. It is intended to achieve a single purpose – advance the VMI experience, traditions, and culture to be more positive and inclusive, producing leaders prepared for the complex world we live in today and into the future. This plan aligns with the long-term Vision 2039 benchmarks. - Maj. Gen. Wins