Wednesday, August 20, 1997 Changes won't reveal a softer side of VMI New rules mostly promote safety, not comfort By MADELYN ROSENBERG THE ROANOKE TIMES Strategic teams, which painstakingly addressed such issues as sexual harassment, also have focused on logistical issues, such as the storage of pantyhose. During the years VMI fought against admitting women, lawyers argued female cadets would so alter barracks life that the quintessential, equalizing experience women were seeking here would no longer exist. That will be determined on the grueling ratline, which begins today. But so far, most of the changes on VMI's post have been subtle. Privacy walls in front of the bathroom doorways in Virginia Military Institute's bread-and-water barracks. A diagram in VMI's book of regulations that shows the proper way to fold a bra (cups stacked, straps tucked inside). "We ran into simple things, like we had to lower the mirrors," said Col. Michael Bissell, executive director of the assimilation program. At the campus bookstore, which few VMI cadets have had time to visit during their first days of testing and physical training, two small white shelves now sport feminine hygiene products, hair spray, bobby pins, "powder-fresh" Secret ("strong enough for a man, but made for a woman"), and pantyhose (Kathie Lee control-tops and No Nonsense knee-highs). When Chuck Steenburgh, assistant public relations director, was a cadet in the mid-1980s, he, too, bought pantyhose at the bookstore, or got them in care packages from home. "When you're spit-shining shoes, it helps with the buffing," he explained. Now, nude-colored pantyhose are an optional part of the female dress uniform. VMI sweat shirts come in new colors: mauve, blues and yellows. "We tried to get more pastels" with women in mind, said Mary Hunter, manager of Wallace Bookstore VMI Inc. A new green VMI cap comes "with a hole they can put their ponytails through - later." Strategic teams, which painstakingly addressed such serious issues as sexual harassment, also have focused on logistical issues, such as the storing of pantyhose. "A few things they decided to change just for safety," said Brigette Paddock, a second-classman, or junior, exchange student from Norwich University in Vermont. VMI enlisted nine female cadets from Norwich University and Texas A&M; to help mentor the 30 new female rats. Two male cadets also are serving as exchange students. When the semester ends, they will be replaced with new cadets from those schools. Safety changes include new campus phones that automatically dial 911. There are more lights, too. "We've always had the gloomiest campus on earth," Bissell said. "Cadets aren't going to like the light; it makes it harder to run the block," VMI's term for sneaking off post, a disciplinary violation. Paddock and roommate Emily VanArman first visited VMI last January to help advise the school on the transition of adding women to its ranks. They say they see few differences between now and then. "They did a great job making sure all of the athletic buildings have female bathrooms now," VanArman said. "They looked at every aspect and changed only the necessary things." In some ways, they said, the institute is being overly cautious, which it should be, for now. But some day, Paddock said, she hopes VMI will drop the requirement that cadets wear pants under their bathrobes on the way to the bathrooms. "The men hate it," she said. "The females - we don't like it, either. There's nothing offensive in wearing a robe. But they're being careful, which is what they need to do in the beginning." "The Bullet," or the Rat bible, an indispensable guide to etiquette, the honor system and school history to be memorized to avoid punishment push-ups, has seen a few small changes, too. The fourth-classmen will still refer to each other as "brother rat," although that lexicon may change if the rats themselves change it, Bissell said. The rules for greeting visitors to the post were altered slightly: Male cadets tip their hats and offer verbal greetings to all women out of uniform. Female cadets render the verbal greeting but do not tip hats. The section labeled "Public Behavior with Ladies" in last year's Rat bible is labeled "Public Behavior with Dates," in this year's edition. The rules are the same. "Never place your date or yourself in an embarrassing situation." Gentlemen are still expected to open doors for ladies. Even in downtown Lexington, there are small, subtle changes. At University Sportswear on Washington Street, Beth Ann Hogan, the first female cadet to sign the matriculation book, bought a "VMI Dad" sweat shirt Monday morning, said Gail Swink, the shop's retail manager. "Usually, with the male cadets, the first thing they want to buy is 'VMI Mom' stuff." John D. Baizley, the shop's owner, is known for his pro all-male stance through the bumper stickers he sells, such as the yellow-and-orange "Save the Males" or "Any woman who wants the VMI experience should marry a VMI Man." This year, he's added two new products: a bumper sticker commemorating "The Old Corps, 1839-1997," and a T-shirt, its arrival delayed by the UPS strike. The T-shirt design mimics the shield on the VMI uniform cap, which depicts an undefined Lady Virginia standing over her British oppressor. In Baizley's version, the woman in uniform, with long curled hair, stands victorious over a fallen male, stake through his heart. "Sic Semper Tyrannis," it says. "A new tradition begins."