Virginia Military Institute to investigate Nazi outfits and other costumes

[truthpusher]

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-sou--vmi-nazicostumes0128jan28,0,575191.story

VMI cadet panel to investigate Nazi outfits and other costumes

By ZINIE CHEN SAMPSON
Associated Press Writer

Published January 29, 2005

RICHMOND -- A student panel at Virginia Military Institute is investigating a barracks Halloween party in which cadets dressed as Nazi soldiers, a malnourished African and a sailor with a bull's-eye taped to his bottom.

(snip)

"We're just very disappointed by the poor judgment shown by the cadets, and disappointed by the inappropriateness of the costumes they were wearing," VMI spokesman Stewart MacInnis said Friday. "We expect more of our cadets."

(snip)

One picture shows three men in black shirts and gray pants giving the Nazi salute. Two are wearing swastika armbands and one sports a Hitler mustache.

Among the other pictures: a loincloth-wearing cadet with dark makeup smeared on his body, sucking in his gut so his ribs show; two sailors, one shirtless and another with a target taped to the seat of his pants; and two men dressed as winged fairies, with bikini briefs and tank tops that read: "I (heart) a man in uniform."

more:

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-sou--vmi-nazicostumes0128jan28,0,575191.story

[Pacifist Patriot]

1. I went to college next door to VMI. Can I just say....(ETA)

I'm hardly surprised. The neanderthal I dated my freshman year would have been...., um, geez, I can see Lunkhead picking any of these costumes. Didn't end up with a VMI cadet for a husband. Gee, can you guess why?

Edited to add: I hesitate to say this, but I have a hard time getting all up in arms about this. We're talking about a bunch of 18-21 year olds. Not exactly the pinnacle of maturity. There but for the grace of Whomever go a bunch of Berkley students. ;)

[roguevalley]

2. I sent them an e-mail with the hitler salute picture last night from

another website. I'm glad to see that they are as worried about their public funding as they are about their 'reputation'.

[w4rma]

3. "dark makeup smeared on his body" = blackface

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface

[MountainLaurel]

4. Growing the next generation of storm troopers!

Today it's blackface and Nazi costumes, tomorrow it'll be anally raping adolescent boys in front of their fathers in Iraq (or Iran, or Syria, or wherever we are by then.)

[saigon68]

14. Here they are--- OUR HEROS

[underpants]

15. I love the sig line saigon

Hilarious

[njdemocrat106]

5. Maybe that's where Prince Harry got the idea

He could be attending the VMI and we don't know it! :P

[DemoTex]

6. Just like their GOP-wingnut parents, IMHO.

It starts at home, not at the frat house. The frat house is a collection of like-minded bigots. And bigots they usually are.

[TacticalPeek]

7. Legacies.

A stain hard to remove.

[paineinthearse]

8. Official VMI response

Printed in full as this is a press release.

===============

http://www.vmi.edu/show.asp?durki=5537&site=11&return=212

VMI Responds to Cadet Halloween Photos on the Internet
28 January 2005
Office of Communications and Marketing

VMI has been made aware of the possible involvement of a small number of VMI cadets in various insensitive and inappropriate photographic poses appearing on a website unaffiliated with VMI. Photographs taken during a Halloween costume party in Barracks last October 2004 that showed VMI cadets parodying Nazis and stereotyping other groups have been posted to an Internet chatroom. While recognizing cadets have rights as private citizens to express themselves, VMI is disappointed in their behavior and judgment.

The photographs were taken by a cadet who posted them to a photo album on a non-VMI Web site. Upon learning that the photos had been re-posted to the public chatroom unaffiliated with VMI, the cadet voluntarily removed the photos from his photo album.

VMI cadets have engaged in Halloween activities for several years. This event was approved by the Institute and supervised by cadet leaders and the officer in charge of the Barracks. VMI believes that only a few cadets engaged in inappropriate behavior.

VMI does not condone such behavior, and this matter will be investigated accordingly. The investigation has been turned over to the Officer of the Guard Association, the cadet organization responsible for investigating cadet misconduct. The Officer of the Guard Association will report its findings to the General Committee, which will develop recommendations for any disciplinary action indicated by the investigation. The General Committee is made up of the three class officers from the upper three classes at VMI (sophomore, junior, and senior) and has a major role in maintaining standards of conduct within the Corps of Cadets. The General Committee's recommendations will be reviewed by the VMI administration before they are implemented. By allowing the Corps to police itself under supervision by the administration, we believe cadets will more readily recognize the inappropriateness of this behavior and see the importance of correcting it.

The Institute use this incident as part of VMI's continuing strong efforts to educate the Corps in civility and respect for others. The conduct of the investigation into this matter by the Corps is central to this effort; in this way cadets will take ownership of an important cultural issue that must be addressed.

©Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA 24450-0304, 540.464.7230 Contact VMI
The national relay messenger service for the hearing impaired is Virginia Relay, Dial 711
Latitude 37N 47' 25'' / Longitude 79W 26' 19''


Last Updated On: 1/28/2005 1:13:01 PM

[Supersedeas]

9. disappointed that these cadets will one day be commanding our troops

[livinginphotographs]

16. Unlikely that they will end up doing that.

Most cadets at VMI do not go into the military. (or so I've heard)

[paineinthearse]

10. Contact VMI

Contact Us
Director of Admissions: COL Vernon L. Beitzel
Receptionist: Mrs. Caldwell
Address: Office of Admissions
319 Letcher Ave.
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, VA 24450
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Office Hours: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Mon-Fri
http://www.vmi.edu/Show.asp?durki=530

Vision for the Academic Program
The VMI Academic Program offers cadets a rigorous curriculum with the purpose of producing educated and internationally engaged citizens of character. Its components are a broad four-year core curriculum and nationally recognized majors in engineering, science, and humanities. It recruits, develops, and graduates cadets of exceptional talent, intellectual curiosity, and character, who possess a commitment to service and respect for others . Its faculty is renowned for its teaching excellence, mentorship of students, scholarly engagement, commitment to service, and encouragement of undergraduate research. Its environment includes state-of-the-art facilities, equipment, technologies, and instructional materials, first-class programs of academic support, and an organizational climate characterized by collegiality, cooperation, and respect.

Honor Court
The hallmark of a VMI education is the Honor System. It states that a cadet will not lie cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do. The Honor System is operated and enforced by cadets. Every member of the VMI community is responsible for reporting breaches of the Honor Code to the Honor Court, in which student prosecutors investigate each offense. If the evidence supports the accusation, the Honor Court tries the accused, with the President of the Court presiding and a randomly selected panel of cadets acting as a jury. The accused cadet is permitted counsel of his choice. If the accused is found guilty by the Honor Court, there is only one penalty – dismissal from the Institute. The recommendation of the Honor Court for dismissal of a cadet for a proven breach of the Code is reviewed, approved and executed by the Superintendent.

[Sandpiper]

11. VMI = Freepers not smart enough to get into West Point

n/t

[TacticalPeek]

12. Kick.

:kick:

[underpants]

13. What a bunch of morons-Haven't they learned not to take photographs?

Aside from how terrible and infantile this was, wouldn't you think that they would have learned to not document their stupidity? Tomorrow's leaders huh?