Friday, February 6, 1998 3 VMI SENIORS SUSPENDED FOR SWATTING 'RATS' VMI SPOKESMAN: `IT ISN'T GOING TO GO BY THE WAYSIDE HERE' By MATT CHITTUM ROANOKE TIMES Cadets barred included an honor court member and a track team captain, accused of striking six freshmen on their backsides. Three Virginia Military Institute seniors, including an honor court member and a track team captain, were suspended Wednesday for swatting six male freshmen "rats" on their backsides with a belt and a coat hanger. A fourth senior received a "severe penalty just short of suspension" for his role in the spankings, according to a VMI news release. SuperintendentJosiah Bunting handed out the discipline after a cadet committee and the administration both investigated the matter. "I simply will not have this here," Bunting said. The suspended cadets are eligible to take classes this summer or to apply for readmission this fall. The school would not name the suspended cadets, but two sources at VMI identified them as cross country running team captain John Gonzalez, honor court prosecutor Brett McGinley and Buck Clemons. The fourth cadet's name could not be verified. The four seniors were roommates in two barracks rooms, and the "rats" were their cadet "little brothers," or "dykes," the release said. In the VMI system, the rats are responsible for seeing that their senior big brothers' uniforms get to and from the laundry, their boots and sabers are shined and that the seniors' rooms are kept clean. In return, the seniors get the rats their mail, advise them on how to survive the tough "ratline" training system and otherwise help keep them out of trouble. It's not uncommon for some seniors to make their rats do push-ups to receive their mail, but the relationship is typically a friendly one. The spankings occurred last fall, according the release, and all of the rats but one are still enrolled at VMI. The other rat dropped out during the Thanksgiving break, and, according the VMI sources, told his parents of the spankings, prompting the investigation. Coat-hanger spankings are an old, forbidden tradition at VMI, one that older alumni sometimes talk about. VMI spokesman Mike Strickler said when he was a rat 30 years ago, "it happened on occasion." "I was popped on the butt with a coat hanger a few times," he said. "But that's not really part of society or VMI anymore." This kind of conduct happens at VMI, Strickler said, but "not often." Two other cadets, including one of the first women to attend the college, have been suspended this year for striking other cadets. "Just like at any school, guys get in fights or whatever," Strickler said. "It may go by the wayside other places, but it isn't going to go by the wayside here."