Wednesday, August 26, 1998 FEMALE RAT LEAVES VMI - FOR THE SECOND TIME Freshman was suspended last year By MATT CHITTUM ROANOKE TIMES A school spokesman said freshmen who try twice generally don't do well the second time. A female freshman "rat" at the Virginia Military Institute who returned after being suspended last year is among the two women and 25 men who have left the school this year. Angelica Garza of Fort Belvoir came to VMI last year as one of the first women to attend the college, but was suspended for a year for punching an upperclassman. She left VMI again Saturday night, less than a week after returning, VMI spokesman Chuck Steenburgh confirmed. Garza was the second woman of 34 who enrolled last week to leave. About 415 men enrolled in this year's freshman class. VMI would not say why Garza left, but Steenburgh said it was not for an unusual reason. "It was a heck of an effort for her to give it a second chance," he said. "At least she's leaving of her own accord, as opposed to a mistake, like last year." Steenburgh said those who give the "ratline" training period a second try are few, and in his experience, they don't fare well. "It's just tough to come back," he said. "People know who you are. You have a higher profile." Steenburgh said that's a negative in a culture where new cadets learn to avoid harassment by not drawing attention to themselves. Some speculated that Garza might be in for a rougher ride than other rats, but that did not appear to be the case, Steenburgh said. "I think in her particular case, there was a kind of grudging respect," he said.