LEXINGTON Va.- Virginia Military Institute is defending itself against a lengthy investigation into accusations that the school's policies are sexist and hostile toward female cadets, a dozen years after women won the right to enroll.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has an ongoing investigation of a sex discrimination complaint at the small, state-supported school that so far has taken nearly a year and a half, three times longer than usual.
Defenders say VMI has worked hard to recruit women and make them comfortable since the U.S. Supreme Court ordered co-education in 1997, but women remain a small minority. Of the 1,500 cadets on the Shenandoah Valley campus this fall, 126 are women.
"The language and terminology that is used and considered acceptable by VMI in the barracks reflects a climate and culture that is derogatory and discriminatory toward the women that are required as cadets to live in the barracks," according to the Education Department's June 2008 complaint.
Details of the federal complaint were first reported by The Roanoke Times.
Federal authorities are also investigating whether sexism is prevalent in VMI's tenure and promotion policies; the handling of student and employee complaints; and the school's marriage and parenthood policy, which requires cadets resign once they marry or conceive a child.
The list of specific policies authorities were asked to investigate was among large portions of the complaint that were redacted in the copy given to The Associated Press, as was any information about the complainant.
