VMI investigation plumbing new depths of ineptitude
‘Clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism,’ presented as statements of fact, was signed by state’s entire Democratic Party leadership
So, we have an Indiana law firm — some Hoosier legal eagles — being paid a million bucks of Virginia revenue to “investigate” the ancient, most tradition-laden school of higher learning affiliated with the commonwealth, Virginia Military Institute.
And there’s a report already, issued last week and it startled the VMI crowd. The Hoosiers (Barnes & Thornburg, LLC) complained of the conditions under which inquires would be made, namely who would be in the room when questions got asked, what documents would be accessible, etc.
The team (there are some 38 lawyers in this “team,” believe it or not) “firmly believes that the presence of VMI representatives will undermine the independence and effectiveness of the investigation and may well deter the cadets and faculty being interviewed from being as forthcoming as they might otherwise be,” this first, initial report said.
It wasn’t just the substance of this complaint, but the style that surprised VMI.
“We were perplexed by the tone of some of their statements,” responded a collection of prominent VMI alumni, including Gerald J. Acuff Jr., president of the VMI Keydet Club, “… because we have been focused on building a strong and cooperative relationship with them during the investigation.”
I heard the same thing from others, that VMI initially got good vibes from the Hoosiers, that hopes rose that the “investigation” would proceed with measured fairness to one and all. The effort might be reasonable, sober and potentially valuable.
Then it all abruptly changed, as if to put the school on the defensive and make it appear uncooperative.
Interesting that John P. Jumper signed the alumni response. You may remember him as the Hampton High School grad who ended back at Langley Air Force Base with four stars to run Air Combat Command, then became the Air Force chief of staff. He’s a 1966 graduate of VMI.
Barnes and Thornburg also asks VMI to suspend its Honor Code, which seems counter-intuitive. You would want everyone to tell the truth. VMI refused, sensibly and characteristically.
There are a couple of things about all this, starting with the Oct. 19 letter, that puts this business in a ditch from the get-go. It was addressed to the members of the VMI Board of Visitors and its president, John W. Boland and said:
We write to express our deep concerns about the clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism at the Virginia Military Institute.
As the nation’s oldest staterun military college, the institute exalts the virtues of honor, sacrifice, dignity, and service — but it is clear these values do not extend to all students. Black cadets at VMI have long faced repeated instances of racism on campus, including horrifying new revelations of threats about lynching, vicious attacks on social media, and even a professor who spoke fondly of her family’s history in the Ku Klux Klan — to say nothing of inconsistent application of the Institute’s Honor Code. In addition, VMI cadets continue to be educated in a physical environment that honors the Confederacy and celebrates an inaccurate and dangerous
“Lost Cause” version of Virginia’s history. It is long past time to consign these relics to the dustbin of history.
A “clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism.” “Horrifying” threats. “Vicious” attacks.
These are declarations, presented as statements of fact, and it was signed by virtually the entire Democratic Party leadership, from the governor on down. Why do it this way?
Why not get some leading Republicans involved, so it doesn’t look so blazingly partisan?
Why allow the letter to appear prejudiced, strongly suggesting that conclusions, rather than waiting to be ascertained, had already been reached?
Why not, as you frame the rationale for this work, acknowledge the school’s consistent, enduring and historic results? What this school does, in the opinion of many people, it does better than any school in America.
Gen. Jumper, for example, is but one of legions of VMI graduates who have provided the nation with sterling leadership. If the cause is to right wrongs, why not acknowledge what’s long been right and good about VMI.
And why, heavens, enlist an out-of-state thing to do the work of Virginia governance?
A legal scholar, astute observer and dear friend of many moons answered that question, while sensibly opting for anonymity. It’s dead-on.
“The whole business of hiring outside counsel — now in fashion — is largely a scam,” he said. “It is buck passing by the officials responsible and a gravy train for the law firms. This is politics, and expensive politics, at its worst.”
After writing editorials for the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot in the 1980s, Gordon C. Morse wrote speeches for Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, then spent nearly three decades working on behalf of corporate and philanthropic organizations, including PepsiCo, CSX, Tribune Co., the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Dominion Energy. His email address is gordonmorse@msn.com.