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New community center, Blue Book policy change
VOLtJIVIEXCl
O p in io n / Ed it o r ia l
Impeach Clinton
A rts & L eis u r e
Maxim, Third Eye Blind
Wht CabetFriday, 25 Septeniher 1998
Non-profit organization U.S. Postage PAIDPermit No. 14 Lexington. VA 24450
George gives record-breaking Yankees a bad rap
$ 1 . 0 0
Number 04
News Briefs
NationalGeorges s trengthens, alm s
for Fla. Keys
KEY WEST. Fla. - Hurricane Georges, fresh off pounding Cuba, Dominica and other Caribbean i.s- ands, bore down on the Florida Keys
Thursday with sustained winds of 80 mph. Key West was described as a ‘‘gho.st town" and more than three- ;quarters of a million people as far lorth as Fort Lauderdale were advised to evacuate mobile homes and iow-lying areas. The strengthening .storm is predicted to slice through the Keys late Thursday and early Friday. The storm already is blamed for more than 110 deaths across the Caribbean.
M ehta’s wife faces M cDougal in court
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Long before the Whitewater case
jnade Susan McDougal famous, she landled money for conductor Zubin
.Mehta and his wife, Nancy, the >vojnan who now accuses the ir former assistant of stealing. Nancy
M eh ta finally had her day in courtWednesday in the embe/./.le-
ment trial, where she testified that she never authorized McDougal to sign
:checks or credit card receipts when :she hired her in 1989.
R eporter missing a fte r boating accident
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A boat carrying a TV reporter who was working on a story made a sharp turn that dumped all tour people aboard into the St. Johns River, authorities said. The boat’s pilot, Willie L. Simmondsof Jack.sonville was killed and Hope Bartlett, a 24-year-old reporter, is missing. Bartlett was working on a story about the impact of a fishing net ban.
World
Lebed calls for Yeltsin resignation
MOSCOW - One of Russia’s most infiuential politicians is calling Thursday for the resignation of President Boris Yeltsin and his entire Cabinet, following his visit to France. Alexander Lebed, the governorof the vas't Krasnoyarsk region, said French business leaders threatened that Rus- sia\vould not receive any funds while Yeltsin remains in power.
W orldwide unem ployed to top 1 billion
GENEVA - The global employment s itua tion is “grim and gettinggrimmer,” U.N. officials said Thursday. The group’s International Labor Office says the number of people without full-time jobs worldwide will reach a record one billion by the end of 1998, mainly due to Asia’s financial crisis. In addition, 750 million to 9(X) million others lack fulltime work or earn less than the mini mum needed to live, the U.N. labor agency said. The report suggests gov
ernments invest more in training
workers.
I ra n may lift $2M bounty on Rushdie
LONDON - Author Salman R ushdie met with Brit ish (jfficialsWednesday amid reports Iran may withdraw a $2 million bounty on his life. R ushd ie’s book Satanic Verses! which many Muslims deemed blasphemous, earned him his "fatwa, or death .sentence, from late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Rushdie has lived in seclusion under British police protection.
Compiled frt)in USA Tinldv web site
Rats Led On March, Training Underway
V:
T/ie rat mass o f 1999+3 marches down the Chessy Trail and ihrough water as part o f their training
John BoltExecutive Editor
On Saturday. September 19, at 10:30 AM, the rat mass of99+3 formed up by company on the bricks in preparation for their first forced march. The approximately 8-mile march began at barracks and covered portions of the Chessie Trail. Dressed in boots'and BDUs with rifies on their shoulders, the rats marched at a strenuous pace to the cadence of RDC members and upperclassmen assigned to each company.
"The hardest part was marching with our rifies over our heads during parts of the march, but I felt motivated seeing the long column of my brother rats doing it with me,” stated one rat. OGA president Mike Purdy noted that some rats were fanatical in their enthusiasm, chanting the jodies their cadre gave them as loud as they could. “Today your working towards something greater," was the encouragement of
Cadre as the rat mass moved down the trail. The RDC noticed that motivation of the rat mass was high and peaked upon their return to barracks When tlte rats were led in a river crossing across the Maury River near the East Le.xing- ton Bridge.
"Our mission was to give the rat mass a challenge while keeping casualties to a minimum," said Robbie Trent who is this year's RDC Presirft'nt. "This march was more goal and training oriented than those in the past." This year, a plan for a new breakout has been proposed: a march by the First class and the rat mass to New Market. Some cadets have completed this feat over the years in preparation for rat New Market ceremonies, but never has such a large number been mobilized to the historic battlefield by the same route used by the New Market cadets since 1864.
The march last weekend was accomplished with few foot injuries; all those who marched completed. "I was very pleased with the performance of the RDC, the rats, and all other upperclassmen involved," added Trent. Al
though planning and execution of this first forced march went smoothly, plans for future marches, involving the entire rat mass, may face some obstacles. The coming months are filled with activities. FTX. Fall break. Parent’s Weekend, and Thanksgiving, which leaves few w eekends for p lanned forced marches.
It is agreed by both cadet leaders and the administration that an 80- mile march cannot be accomplished without proper physical preparation, so the RDC has proposed to train the rats as early and as frequently as possible. “ Despite time constraints, we are trying to organize as many forced marches in the future as possible to prepare these rats for New Market. If we can prepare even small groups of rats, such as during rat tours, we can give them a good head start," concluded Trent.
While plans for the actual march proposed for the Spring of ’99 have yet to be outlined in greater detail, the training has begun and thus far, is on schedule.
1998 Rat Challenge Brings New Expertise
Rats wrestle in the nntd pit as part o f their Rat Cliallenf’c
Anderson OwenNews Writer
It has been thirty years since Dr. Clark King first started Rat Challenge. Dr. Clark, a resident of Lexington was head of the P.E department for 20+ years. Rat Challenge presents difficult obstacles, which are meant to develop and evaluate an individual's level of physical conditioning, agility and motivation.
In theory, these stressful ob s tacles allows rats to show them selves that they can exceed his or her own perceived mental and physical capabilities, thereby increasing their self-confidence.
Many of these obstacles can be dangerous and that is why a couple
of cadets and members o f the PE de
partment participated in a “Challenge Course" program over the summer, which was held in Great Falls, VA. Those who participated included Brian Long (this year’s C I O , Ander- ,son Owen (ACIC of low-ropes). Col. Holly Richardson and Col. Gordy Caulkins.
The Program was held by Inner Q u e s t , a le a d in g C h a l le n g e Course company. The program provided safety instructions to help V M I’s program. Inner Quest has many obstacles, one of which we hope to build this year at VMI, according to Col. Caulkins. The ob stacle is called the Flying Squirrel and will suspend a person about 50 feet in the air. Administrators hope the obstacle will be built by the second phase of the program.
This year there are over 100 cadets who help to run and make rat challenge possible. As of this M onday. over 230 rats participated in Rat Challenge 17 of which are female.
Rat Andy T sarukyah c o m mented. “ It is not only physically de manding and strenuous but also allows rats to interact with their BR ’s in a motivational and unifying atmosphere ." Cadet Beth Kelley c o m mented that she " . . . found rat challenge extremely physically dem anding. but fun - a challenge, which she hopes to succeed at."
VMI rats are not the only ones who gel to participate in the action. T h is past M onday and T hursday , VWIL "N ull’s" came to join in the rock climbing activities.
Rat C ha llenge will end this year on the 19"' o f November.
Dismissed Cadets’ Appeal to BOV Fails
Defense pins blame on last year's OGA, Administration responds with changes, extra attention
Jack HagelNews Writer
Despite appeals to the U.S District Court and the VMI Board of Visitors, six cadets expelled early last May for denying a hazing incident have failed to persuade the Board of Visitors to clear their names of the incident.
In their appeal to the Board, the defense of the three would-be-third classmen, Brandon M. Crane. Terrence M. Redmond and Arnold J. Gore, cited faulty investigative methods of last year’s Officer of the Guard Association as the root of the former cadets’ eventual honor court expulsions. "The OGA investigators are given ni2 t‘’r- mal training as to how to conduct an investigation. OGA members are, similarly, given no guidance by VMI’s administration in this regard," the de-
fen.se said.Their Washington-based de
fense attorney, Bernhardt K. Wruble told The Cadet, "The problem is not with the honor court. . . the honor court is a fine system ... it all has to do with the OGA operations." Wruble, who handled the investigations and litigation of the West Point Cheating Scandal of 1979 and served as the primary deputy general counsel for the Department of the Army, declined to comment on what the former cadets’ next move was.
Wruble. along with Lexington attorney J. Steven Grist, argued that the lack of administrative involvement with the OGA was directly correlated with the lack-luster tactics of the organization and consequently argued that. “The Commandant |Col. James Joyner] serves effectively as a dean of students at VMI. charged with the responsibility of student welfare. One might have hoped that he would have shown appreciation of the situation
when he was told by the OGA that it was going to conduct this investigation."
In addition, the defense made references to the fact OGA officers endangered the cadets’ Fifth Amendment rights by changing the official investigation document that explained those rights to the cadets. The.se changes enlarged the penalty for a breach of confidentiality from 25 penalty tours to “The severest penalty possible" and additionally led the accused to believe that they were not to even consult parents or legal defense for fear of automatic expulsion. The defense argued that the OGA did this in order to induce quick confessions.
These changes came without official permission as stated in their petition to the Board, “It does not appear to have been approved by the Commandant. (However, if. by any chance, he did .so, the Commandant undertook so casual, never approved specific wording, and undertook no consultation on the matter - with the office of the Attorney General of Virginia or any other advisor as to its propriety. legality, or impact.)." the de- fen.se argued. "There is nothing whatever in writing that evidences an official approval of these heightened penalties.” Tabor Cronk, assistant attorney general o f Virginia, declined to comment on the issue.
In the wake of this ca.se, the Commandant has suddenly gained a renewed interest in OGA operations, according to this year’s OGA president Mike Purdy. Purdy noted changes in this year’s OGA. pointing out that an advisor. Col. Francis Bush, who has a background in law and business, has been working with the organization. In addition to Bush, Col. Walter Chalkely, who has 20 years of experience as a military police officer, has briefed members on methods of investigation and questioning. Also, tape recorders have been provided for use during que.stioning. Purdy explained, “Without a doubt, 1 these changes are) because we received such bad press last year. This year, we’re more professional and we’re more understanding of our role within the Corps.”
Col. Joyner declined to comment on the matter.
Cadet Blackburn Invited to MTV Music Awards
From left to rif^iit: future playmate, Blackburn, Huf>h Heffner, Alicia Silverstedt, Mark from Road Rules
about is substance abuse, where he getsChad VaraneseNews Writer
VMI cadet Nathan Blackburn is currently juggling school, traveling with MTV and hobnobb ing with entertainment’s elite.
Last semester, Blackburn took the semester off to be a part of MTV’s Real World in Seattle. Blackburn has since returned to VMI to finish his
-cadetship, but still has tics with MTV.Recently Blackburn attended the
MTV Music Awards where he was introduced to numerous stars including, Mark Walburg, a.k.a. Dirk Diggler. Ron Jeremy, Gwen Steffani, Beck, Dean Cane, a.k.a. Superman, Hugh Hefner, Big Baby Jesus, Puff Daddy, Jenn ife r Lopez, Ben Harper, Tyra Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Prince, and Mike D .. . .to name a few. Nate also got a chance to go backstage with Bill Belemy and interview bands like Green Day and Foxy Brown.
Since being on the show Blackburn has also been doing a speaking tour at various colleges around the country. The topic that Nathan talks
". . . a chance to talk to other college students as their peer, and give them .some life experience. I’m not going to be a hypocrite and tell them not to drink. I just try to tell them to make the right decisions." He said that it gives him a chance to answerquestions about the show and his life experiences.
Besides being on The Real World, Blackburn has had a chance to lament on his life thus far. He says the joint experiences of being on MTV and going to VMI have had a tremendous impact on his life. "It has (being on the Real World] opened an immense number of doors and presented many opportunities forme. The experience itself was just an unbelievable thing. It made me realize what VMI has done for me as a cadet by melding me into the person I am today.” By being on the show. Blackburn says that he “tried to project a positive image fi>r our system and make VMI known on the west
See Biackburn_______Page 5
