Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

VMI Loses DEI Court Case: a Win-Win Situation

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by

Bob Rayner
in , , ,

by Jake Spivey

In Virginia’s ever-shifting landscape of diversity, equity, or opportunity, and inclusion, a powerful decision has been made. Following the sensational, yet unproven, allegations of exceptionally bad behavior and poor leadership at Virginia Military Institute in late autumn 2019, the administration and Board of Visitors attempted to quickly effect conclusive actions that would correct their unproven ills. A prime effort by the administration would be delivery of DEI training to staff, faculty, and the Corps of cadets. Unfortunately, in its haste to instigate the training, VMI circumvented the state’s procurement laws. By sidestepping the proper legal path for solicitations and contracts, VMI became vulnerable to protest by competing but unsuccessful contractors.

After a series of hearings before Judge Christopher B. Russell, the judge rendered a verdict finding VMI in “Violation of Virginia Public Procurement Act and/or the Rules Governing Procurement of Goods, Services, Insurance and Construction by a Public Institution of Higher Education of the Commonwealth of Virginia.” The judge’s decision represents a loss for VMI and its legal counsel,  an alumnus. VMI’s attorneys tried but repeatedly failed to have the case dismissed on technicalities rather than argue the merits of VMI’s actions when pursuing the DEI training contract.

The verdict is a straight-out win for the protesting contractor, Center for Applied Innovations (CAI). The court agreed sanctions against VMI are warranted and awarded CAI over $15K in attorney’s fees. It is a win for the Commonwealth as CAI’s protest found documents during discovery in preparation for trial that revealed VMI’s misdeeds. VMI was forced to abandon the DEI contract, another win. This saved the state and taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. The verdict is a win for contractors around the Commonwealth competing for state contracts, by reminding state-supported universities and state agencies to abide by the law. Finally, it is a win for the staff, faculty, and the Corps of cadets whose daily schedules will not be burdened with DEI “training.”

Update. Michelle T. Ellwood, Assistant Director, News & Editorial Services for VMI, submitted the following statement: “I wanted to bring to your attention that the dates mentioned in the story … are inaccurate and that the judge in the case did not rule that VMI violated the VPPA or any procurement laws, but rather the sanction came from actions surrounding a separate small-dollar purchase. We would request a correction or to note this story as an editorial piece.”

Jake Spivey is a VMI alumnus.

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65 responses to “VMI Loses DEI Court Case: a Win-Win Situation”

  1. JLM Avatar
    JLM

    As we all do, I love VMI and have huge respect for our historic institution, and its leadership at both the Smith Hall and BOV level, but this is a travesty.

    We are men and women who follow the rules.

    Follow the damn rules. Don’t do sly, sneaky stuff to get around the rules. It is not who we are.

    I would also like to see some accountability. Nobody bats 1.000, so mistakes will happen, but it is important that the right folks who colored outside the lines get a first rate ass chewing.

    OTOH, DEI was and is a dopey idea in a fierce meritocracy like VMI, so good riddance.

    God bless us all and VMI.

    Minch, JL ’73
    Savannah, Ga

    1. Bob X from Texas Avatar
      Bob X from Texas

      Jeff,
      You were a great corporal in August of ’70 when teaching the Rats about the Honor Code And the Spirit of VMI .

      1. JLM Avatar
        JLM

        Only guys like us would appreciate a former Rat commending their cadre corporal. Haha. Thanks, Bob.

        JLM
        http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

    2. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      Here’s the thing. For a LONG TIME, VMI would not allow women or blacks in and even after they were forced, it was not easy to get in if you were a woman or black.

      DEI – started back then when it was seen that VMI had a culture that was resistant to change.

      The US military has also seen the same thing.

      Something like 4% of the the leadership/generals is black.

      Same thing with Doctors and other professionals.

      We are more than 100 years out from slavery and we still have such disparities in our military, miltary schools, and in many corporations in general (and they are working to accept more diverse applicants no matter what someone wants to call it besides DEI).

      Has DEI gone overboard? Yes, IMO but the basic concept of organizations trying to have their staff reflect society demographics is not an evil thing but a good thing IMO.

      1. JLM Avatar
        JLM

        DEI was the afterbirth of affirmative action which was disallowed by the SCOTUS meaning there is no factual support for your utterance.

        VMI’s skepticism of current cultural fads is a feature, not a bug. We should be slow to change and careful not to abandon traditions and processes that have served the Nation and the Commonwealth well for almost two centuries.

        The military is quite well balanced racially — more than 21% of active duty US Army is black in a nation that is 13.4% black.

        As to flag officers, 9% of all commissioned officers are black and 6.5% of general officers are black.

        Currently, the Chief of Staff of the Joint Chiefs is black as is the Sec Def.

        Let’s debate based on numbers and reality rather than emotion and hyperbole, eh?

        The greatest impediment to more black flag officers has been performance and higher education both within the military and grad school.

        You can’t be a District Engineer in the Corps of Engineers if you don’t have an engineering degree.

        There are few meritocracies as fierce and competitive as the military except for those who are promoted based on their wokeness which is a problem.

        As it turns out, knowing a lot about white rage won’t make our military more lethal or protect the safety of our warriors.

        I ran a public company and I can tell you with certainty that the corporate boardroom is more than proportional when compared to the national numbers.

        JLM
        http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          Affirmative Action started when we recognized that we had wide disparities with regard to race in acceptance into higher ed as well a corporate , even police departments.

          We don’t abandon traditions, we adapt them to realities . the traditions stay unless they are overtly racist.

          Chief of Staff is currently black as are words from some that he is an example of DEI – right?

          re: ” The greatest impediment to more black flag officers has been performance and higher education both within the military and grad school.” How do you explain that ? Is it a race or culture issue in your mind?

          THe general path is to qualify based on standards and that gets you into the pool that will then be selected.
          Whether you’re talking about a Police Sergeant or a school superintendent or even UVA or VMI – you start
          first with those that meet standards – you do not line them up and pick on pure meritocracy. It’s a bogus
          concept IMO. Not even Doctors are picked by highest score on exam. It’s the one’s that pass the exam – that
          qualify regardless of whether their score was top or bottom.

          Are you saying that leadership in the military is picked purely by meritocracy?

          Many if not most corporate board rooms do NOT represent society demographics. Right?

          Geeze, how many uber successful people did badly on academics or just dropped out? When you
          look at THOSE numbers that did that – do they represent societal demographics ? Why not?

          1. JLM Avatar
            JLM

            In the history of the US, we had:

            1. segregation that was based on law,

            2. then we had Truman’s integration of the Army

            3. followed by the 1964 Civil Rights Act (passed by northern Republicans and opposed by southern Dems),

            4. followed by affirmation action,

            5. followed by the SCOTUS banning AA,

            6. followed by DEI.

            DEI was the outgrowth of the teaching of CRT.

            CRT is no big deal — the idea that white lawmakers used their personal experience to bias their law writing.

            Perfect example was the 1994/95 Crime Acts championed by Joe Biden that codified differences in sentencing between crack (black communities) and cocaine (white communities).

            If we know the history and are honest with ourselves, we have nothing to fear from this discussion.

            It is when the race baiters/hustlers/haters bastardize the facts.

            We are still a country that is 13.4% black and 67% white with a constitutional representative republic.

            VMI is the best meritocracy at the college/university level in the country.

            We’re going to be fine.

            JLM ’73
            http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          2. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Does VMI admit purely on meritocracy?

            You mention Biden. Would you mention other POTUS and their “sins”. Bi-partisan ?

            No Higher Ed that I know of admits purely in rank order of meritocracy.

            Why not? Are there other ways to admit rather than pure academic rank order?

            What AA/DEI says is that we should NOT be picking purely on academic rank order, right?

            Was Truman wrong in admitting blacks NOT based purely on meritocracy?

          3. JLM Avatar
            JLM

            Truman’s actions had nothing to do with “admission.”

            The Army had a draft in those days and didn’t really have to recruit.

            Truman forced existing units to integrate black and white soldiers into the same units.

            His successor, Eisenhower, who had some military chops, doubled down.

            JLM ’73
            http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          4. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Not clear on what Truman did. Admission was not based on meritocracy? They could get as many
            whites as they needed so why integrate?

            How about now? Should the military reflect societies demographics, or should other things take precedence?

            Are attempts to reflect society’s demographics wrong?

          5. JLM Avatar
            JLM

            Truman forbid all black and all white units and ordered the entire Army to “integrate” black and white soldiers in the same units.

            The Army could fill its ranks using the draft.

            When the Army transitioned post-Vietnam from a draftee Army to an all-volunteer Army then the Army had to recruit to meet its actual manpower needs.

            Since we have a volunteer Army and have to recruit, sure we should recruit across the entire demographic makeup of the US.

            There is some objective related focused recruiting — if you have plenty of infantry qualified soldiers, but need combat engineers (higher required scores), then you have to alter your recruiting to meet that objective.

            Right now the Army is the smallest its been since pre-Pearl Harbor and we are more than 40,000 below recruiting targets.

            JLM ’73
            http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          6. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            so no meritocracy for the military? Should it represent societal demographics? If not , why not? what instead?

          7. JLM Avatar
            JLM

            The meritocracy within the Army is based on performance and results in promotion, awards, training, and assignments.

            The rest asked and answered.

            JLM ’73
            http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          8. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            in other words, we don’t really know precisely what they are – but we DO KNOW that blacks are underrepresented
            in command positions consistently and as far back as we can go. Are we saying that blacks are inferior on the the things that are used to rate or what?

            AA/DEI was/is intended to assure that a more level playing field – equity and diversity, is in place when considering hiring and promotions as well as entry into higher ed .. AND VMI ….

            If we don’t do that, what should we do? Just continue as before ?

          9. JLM Avatar
            JLM

            I think I only mentioned Biden’s Cabinet and solely in the context of diversity gone astray.

            I won’t be lured into a political mudslinging discussion. Thx.

            Every college or university uses a matrix that determines a weighted score based on a series of data points. They publish that information.

            One has to remember that schools are businesses also — they offer to a greater number of applicants expecting not everyone will return the rose to them and that some will go elsewhere.

            In addition, there is the issue of “early admission” whereby both applicants and schools agree to marry if they both make a binding decision early.

            So, yeah, it’s a meritocracy based on multiple data points.

            JLM
            http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          10. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Well, if you’re only gonna pick one… sounds selective to me.

            Is the “matrix” wrong? Should it be pure rank academic order – pure meritocracy?

            What is “meritocracy based on multiple data points” – how is that different from AA/DEI?

            If a black student meets the basic academic requirements, is he/she then in the “pool” where
            other “points” are considered?

            What should the “other” points be? or not?

            Can it be that after they meet acceptance qualifications that the selected pool reflect the demographics of society?

          11. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Would you have VMI , admit purely in rank academic order even if it results in far fewer blacks ?

  2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Won’t VMI just issue another Request for Proposals for DEI? How does this get rid of DEI?

  3. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    So, the question is “Are you against DE&I in principle, or just because you believe this occurrence was merely a poor attempt?”

    Or, are they all?

    1. kls Avatar
      kls

      DIE is awesome…. look what it’s given us;
      a VEEP, a press secretary, a press spokesperson, a nuclear [luggage stealing] regulator, a RUST movie prop master, a Harvard Prez, a Boeing door plug inspector….to name a few…

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        And secret documents stealing. Oh wait, no, voting gave us that. Well, guess we’ll do away with voting.

        Who would you exclude? A woman of color as VP?

      2. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        And secret documents stealing. Oh wait, no, voting gave us that. Well, guess we’ll do away with voting.

        Who would you exclude? A woman of color as VP?

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          wait… We have NEVER been a racist country. We’ve had challenges but we’re improving all the time….

        2. Lefty665 Avatar
          Lefty665

          We could start by excluding dimwits, some of whom it is statistically guaranteed are women of color, in addition to Mr Potatoe head Dan Quayle.

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            I dunno, Quayle knew instinctively that Pence couldn’t toss the election. But, getting a multiple choice question with two possible answers correct is hardly an IQ test.

      3. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/0*x5USeEfnfteM7sLD.jpg

        “ Yup. Just as no one ever died of a heart attack in their fifties before the COVID vaccine, there have never been mechanical problems with airliners prior to DEI. ”

        How many DE&I graduates worked on Apollo One?

        From whence your bigotry comes…
        https://www.wonkette.com/p/usual-suspects-know-who-is-to-blame

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          yes… good lord!

          anyone with half a brain knows what is going on with TV commercials these days with black and brown faces , mixed races, same-sex partners…

          most companies that sell products and services KNOW
          they need to appeal to a wide diversity of customer and to include them in their commercials.

          Those customers also care whether or not the companies themselves offer employment to diverse applicants on an equitable basis.

          The white-guy centric world is eroding away no matter what one wants to call it.

          If you don’t like DEI, so be it but the change is happening and is not going to revert back to a white-guy world.

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            They should NEVER watch HGTV’s House Hunters. Gay PDA will fry their brains.

        2. Lefty665 Avatar
          Lefty665

          Boeing demonstrates that DIE does not have an exclusive franchise on stupid. There is plenty left over for the rest of us. That is especially true when you let the marketers and bean counters drive an engineering/technology dependent company like Boeing.

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Well, the thing to remember about Boeing is — IIRC — the poorly run MacDAC bought Boeing and kept their name because MacDAC ULM ran their own reputation into the ground.

          2. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            well , don’t they make the Tomahawks?

          3. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Um, the original, yes. I believe Raytheon is the current manufacturer and has been since the Hughes acquisition. Hughes-Raytheon is another of those brand acquisitions.

      4. Lefty665 Avatar
        Lefty665

        AWOL Sec Def

  4. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/624e10886d5a237a1ac230512c5717d60c7b96a3ced15b922591899ad530ad13.png

    https://www.axios.com/2024/01/10/dei-executives-committment-backlash

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Trump better ease up on the spray bronzer before he loses half of the VMI Alumni vote.

      1. Bob X from Texas Avatar
        Bob X from Texas

        Ask any VMI grad if they would rather live next to a black conservative or a white liberal.
        I think the answer would surprise you.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          Ask them if they’d like to report to a Black as their superior officer! old habits die hard.

          1. Bob X from Texas Avatar
            Bob X from Texas

            Character and Quality of leadership Is more important than Skin tone!

          2. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Not to everyone… still today… as noted, only 6.5% or so are black generals.
            African Americans make up 9 percent of active-duty officers but only 6.5 percent of generals. They are especially underrepresented at the three- and four-star general level, where the most important decisions about the U.S. military are made.

            How is this explained?

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/eef1ae197c43a3981ad4b1f7f5eb36cea74b64a88be4cb4e30342da17a72bfdc.png

            https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/09/06/diversity-in-high-brass-pub-87694#:~:text=African%20Americans%20make%20up%209,the%20U.S.%20military%20are%20made.

          3. JLM Avatar
            JLM

            .
            Currently, we have a black Chmn of the Jt Chiefs and a black Sec Def, so there is plenty of diversity in the “big decisions.”

            That is not the point.

            The point is do we have the BEST generals? I thought Milley was a clown and that the entire withdrawal from A’stan was a circus.

            Would it be wildly unfair to ask if the Biden Cabinet is really the BEST for the country or is it an exercise in a Noah’s Ark approach?

            We need to be honest with ourselves.

            JLM ’73
            http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          4. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            How would you define “best” for Biden, Trump , any POTUS? You do realize that it was TRUMP that committed
            withdrawal from Afghanistan, right? Did you like Trump’s PICK for SecDef? Did you like who he wanted to replace
            him with? Are your views partisan with GOP pick good and Dem picks bad? Be honest! 😉

          5. JLM Avatar
            JLM

            I think the decision to withdraw from A’stan was the right decision given the circumstances.

            Firstly, we should never have stayed in A’stan after the initial defeat of the Taliban.

            Secondly, we should never have engaged in nation building – Bush knew better. Huge mistake.

            Third, we had complete air mastery, overpowering might and manpower, magnificent intel, tons of ammo, and better leadership, but somehow we managed to lose to a third world light infantry.

            Fourth, we never had a strategy to defeat the enemy in detail. Any War College class could have solved that problem, but somehow our generals did not. That is on them.

            Fifth, we lied to ourselves suggesting we had built an Afghanistan army capable of fighting. We had not and the generals who undertook that training, equipped them, and reported they were ready should be held accountable.

            Lastly, A’stan was always a corrupt, medieval, tribal, narco corrupt kleptocracy. If you’re not going to solve the underlying cultural problem, then you have no foundation upon which to stand up a gov’t.

            So, the decision was correct, but the execution of actually withdrawing was a mess.

            I thought Trump’s Cabinet was the best in my lifetime, but I thought Gen Mattis was a dud at Sec Def.

            Mnuchin, Wilbur Ross, Rick Perry, Pompeo, Chao, DeVos were all fabulous picks. Tillerson and Mattis were swings and misses.

            Trump was right on so many things when he argued with Mattis — Kurds, strikes on Syria, the decision to have assassinated Assad in Syria.

            I am only interested in policies that work based on actual results and outcomes.

            JLM ’73
            http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          6. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            re: ” Firstly, we should never have stayed in A’stan after the initial defeat of the Taliban.

            When to leave was a political decision, no?

            Secondly, we should never have engaged in nation building – Bush knew better. Huge mistake.

            We’ve done that more than a few times, right? Different POTUS doing it.

            Third, we had complete air mastery, overpowering might and manpower, magnificent intel, tons of ammo, and better leadership, but somehow we managed to lose to a third world light infantry.

            beating insurgencies while not winning enough hearts and minds – loses… no matter the POTUS or country.

            Fourth, we never had a strategy to defeat the enemy in detail. Any War College class could have solved that problem, but somehow our generals did not. That is on them.

            I dunno guy. We had a series of different leadership there and none of it worked. NO?

            Fifth, we lied to ourselves suggesting we had built an Afghanistan army capable of fighting. We had not and the generals who undertook that training, equipped them, and reported they were ready should be held accountable.

            We did do that. We forgot/ignored that the Afghan military was composed of individuals who had families
            that we could entirely protect.

            Lastly, A’stan was always a corrupt, medieval, tribal, narco corrupt kleptocracy. If you’re not going to solve the underlying cultural problem, then you have no foundation upon which to stand up a gov’t.

            I was amused when we went in to show the Russians how to do it right.

            So, the decision was correct, but the execution of actually withdrawing was a mess.

            yeah but, Monday morning quarterbacking from the cheap seats ???

            I thought Trump’s Cabinet was the best in my lifetime, but I thought Gen Mattis was a dud at Sec Def.
            and who replace him?

            Mnuchin, Wilbur Ross, Rick Perry, Pompeo, Chao, DeVos were all fabulous picks. Tillerson and Mattis were swings and misses.

            Trump was right on so many things when he argued with Mattis — Kurds, strikes on Syria, the decision to have assassinated Assad in Syria.

            TRump was WRONG on a lot -way more than Mattis… NATO?

            I am only interested in policies that work based on actual results and outcomes.

            The US has a long history of “hits” and “misses” with our military, nation building, and our troops
            on the ground in our countries.

            I’m not sure I see any POTUS who is clearly a winner other than maybe Roosevelt who saved Europe
            and showed that we needed NATO to protect Europe from the likes of Hitler and Putin…

            But did you address the question about how VMI should select attendees? Pure academic merit rank order?

          7. JLM Avatar
            JLM

            I don’t have the time to correct all you have said, but let’s focus on Mattis as an example.

            1. Trump said to force Nato to pay their fair share in money, military infrastructure, and training.

            As a result of Trump’s actions, Nato was ready to support Ukraine when the feathers hit the fan.

            He and Mattis did not disagree on that.

            2. Trump laid out a red line on Syrian use of chemical weapons and twice struck them with cruise missiles, first knocking out the means of delivery and the second time knocking out the leadership, labs, and infrastructure. It worked.

            Mattis opposed striking the Syrians.

            3. Trump wanted to assassinate Assad as part of the second cruise missile raid. Mattis opposed it saying it would cause a huge regional war.

            Subsequently, Trump took out the Iranian Quds terror head Qasem Soleimani in a spectacular attack without triggering a regional war.

            4. Trump did not want to renew the mercenary contract with the Kurds.

            Mattis said to renew it because if not done, the Kurds would be slaughtered.

            Trump did not renew the Kurds contact and they slipped back into their ancestral lands with no difficulty.

            Trump kept the US out of war and used his office to keep the world at peace. Mattis was a dud.

            JLM ’73
            http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          8. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            How about the guys after Mattis?l Shanahan, Esper, Spencer, Miller, Norquest ( who was supposed to declare
            martial law ? )

            These guys? Does it say something how many there were or the fact that Esper now says that Trump is
            a threat to the country ?

            I don’t subscribe to the idea that Trump should decide without input – from more than just SecDef. Decisions
            should be what options are presented and recommendations, not just the POTUS from on high. Bad way to
            operate IMO. POTUS alone seldom has the skill and background much less the specific knowledge of a given
            situation and he had WILD ideas beyond assassination – like “loving” dictators like Kim Jong Un. Trump is a
            loose cannon IMO and would turn the US into an isolationist country with a dictator type POTUS. Not for me , no way, shape or form.

          9. JLM Avatar
            JLM

            OK, this is the nonsense we are not going to do, amigo. This Trump baloney.

            The POTUS has a full National Security Council, upon which the Sec Def sits, to advise him.

            JLM ’73
            http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          10. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            And they do not recommend assassinations nor buddying up with dictators. The “nonsense” if folks who
            support him with blind eyes… IMO.

          11. Chip Gibson Avatar
            Chip Gibson

            I have done so, well and proudly, several times while wearing the uniform of a Marine Officer. Never an issue. A demeaning question to ask, in my book.

    2. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
      James Wyatt Whitehead

      My wife’s company just laid off most of their DEI staff. This is on the way out. The left needs to start dreaming up a new acronym.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        DEI has been around a long time:

        https://cardinalnews.org/2024/01/22/virginias-community-college-system-grew-out-of-business-leaders-opposition-to-massive-resistance/

        1. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
          James Wyatt Whitehead

          But not for much longer.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            It’s getting re-branded? 😉

          2. walter smith Avatar
            walter smith

            Marxism isn’t going anywhere…
            New names and new variants will always appear. ESG needs to go, too. But as long as Man wants to believe he is God, the Marxists will come up with some new packaging.
            Sane people need to be ever vigilant. We slept far too long!

      2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
        Dick Hall-Sizemore

        Interesting development. Virginia Business, Jim Bacon’s former employer, just named the CEO of the Martin Agency as the Virginia Business Person of the Year. As she says in her profile article, she is a great believer in DEI. In fact, she attributes the company’s recent increase in profits to its use of DEI. https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/the-view-from-the-top/

      3. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
        Dick Hall-Sizemore

        Interesting development. Virginia Business, Jim Bacon’s former employer, just named the CEO of the Martin Agency as the Virginia Business Person of the Year. As she says in her profile article, she is a great believer in DEI. In fact, she attributes the company’s recent increase in profits to its use of DEI. https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/the-view-from-the-top/

        1. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
          James Wyatt Whitehead

          Interesting read Mr. Dick.

  5. kls Avatar
    kls

    Any VMI employees fired? If not, WHY NOT?

  6. Carmen Villani Jr Avatar
    Carmen Villani Jr

    Is DEI no longer an issue at VMI? I offer the following for everyone’s consideration:

    – VMI Board of Visitor’s Inclusive Excellence report produced just last September 2023:
    Training for cadets to include “Social Identity Wheel” and “Circle of Influence Bias Assessment” which covers societal identity similar to DEI.
    “Inclusive Excellence” training that was being proposed “aligns with the Department of Defense Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Strategic Plan 2022-23” and the “The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Position Statement.”

    – VMI General Order #1 – “Superintendent’s Time (F 0800 – 0850). To be used for cadet Diversity, Equity, and
    Inclusion Training, Bystander Intervention Training,. . .”

    – VMI BOV’s Bylaws
    Inclusive Excellence Committee – “. . .shall ensure that all VMI policies properly reflect the Institute’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.”

    On a state level and the belief that DEI is “dead” in Virginia, I point to an article by individuals at the Heritage Foundation: “When Heritage Foundation analysts measured the size of DEI bureaucracies in the 65 universities that were members of one of the Power 5 athletic conferences (the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac-12, the Southeastern Conference, and the Atlantic Coast Conference) in 2021, they discovered that Virginia LED THE NATION AS THE STATE WITH THE BIGGEST DEI BUREAUCRIES (emphasis added) in its public universities.”

    See: https://www.heritage.org/education/report/the-dangerous-dei-bloat-virginias-public-universities

    Regardless of how you feel about DEI, I hope we can all agree that it is NOT “dead” in VA or at VMI.

    VMI ’76

    1. Not Today Avatar
      Not Today

      Nor will it ever be. EX-clusion for its own sake (intended or not) is antithetical to good order and discipline…also, it’s incompatible with good human-ness. It’s unfortunate that some people find it impossible to believe talent and excellence exist in overlapping ways and amongst people dissimilar from themselves) and need to ‘blind’ themselves and everyone else to it rather than see and embrace the different perspectives on offer, but here we are.

    2. Not Today Avatar
      Not Today

      Nor will it ever be. EX-clusion for its own sake (intended or not) is antithetical to good order and discipline…also, it’s incompatible with good human-ness. It’s unfortunate that some people find it impossible to believe talent and excellence exist in overlapping ways (and amongst people dissimilar from themselves) and need to ‘blind’ themselves and everyone else rather than see and embrace the different perspectives on offer, but here we are.

  7. kls Avatar
    kls

    DIE vs. MLK
    I’ll take, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”

    1. Not Today Avatar
      Not Today

      But I thought we have NEVER been a racist country? We’re improving all the time….?

  8. Bob X from Texas Avatar
    Bob X from Texas

    DIE (Diversity, Inclusion, Equity) needs to die a quick painful death. DIE supporters need to repent and ask for forgiveness from the spirit of Martin Luther King who asked that people be judged by their actions and character not their skin tone.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      MLK wanted equality in opportunity and we did not have it when he spoke those words – he was hoping the day would come when it was and
      it’s pretty clear we’re not there yet as we play this “meritocracy” game which is false because
      we don’t accept only the top scoring, we pick from those that meet the floor standards.

      It works that way in the military and corporations and police depts and you name it.
      If you pass the entrance test, you qualify to be
      in the pool that is then picked from.

  9. Chip Gibson Avatar
    Chip Gibson

    Jake Spivey – thanks for the article. Welcome news, Brother (VMI 82).

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