Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership

The Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership (VWIL) is a military program based at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. It opened in 1995 and now has approximately 244 cadets enrolled, attending both the military academy and Mary Baldwin. It bears the distinction of being the only all-female cadet corps in the United States and the first in the world.

History

In 1964, the United States Congress prohibited publicly-funded colleges from discriminating on the basis of religion, sex, or race. In the early 1990s, the federal courts ordered the Commonwealth of Virginia to force the all-male Virginia Military Institute (VMI) open its doors to women, as VMI was a public institution funded by the taxpayers of the commonwealth.

In response to that order, Virginia built the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership rather than open VMI to women. Federal District courts accepted this compromise solution. The United States Justice Department did not accept this compromise and appealed to the US Supreme Court. It was decided to base the college at Mary Baldwin College, a private institution for women. VWIL opened its doors in the fall of 1995 with a first-year class of 42 women. The Supreme Court decided the case in 1996 in favor of the Justice Department, and ordered VMI to admit women. VMI became co-educational in 1997.

Since then VWIL has established ties with the Staunton Military Academy whose doors closed in the 1970s and whose traditions and core values of "Truth, Duty, Honor" have been adopted by VWIL.

The VWIL Corps has made regular appearances at the New York St. Patrick's Day Parade, as well as the opening of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a branch of the National Air and Space Museum, in Dulles, Virginia, and the inaugural parade of Virginia governor Tim Kaine.

Academics

A cadet at VWIL must meet all the academic requirements of Mary Baldwin students. Their curriculum includes courses in the liberal arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. They must also fulfill the requirements of their majors. All VWIL cadets must take statistics, and laboratory sciences, as well as obtain competency in a foreign language. In addition, all VWIL cadets receive a minor in Leadership Studies and four years of ROTC classes. VWIL cadets operate on a partnership program with VMI where they take ROTC classes at VMI or VMI sends professors to Mary Baldwin. All four ROTC branches are offered, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, however, several VWIL cadets have also branched Coast Guard. In addition, the partnership program allows cadets to commission through VMI, guaranteeing them active duty, if they choose to pursue that route, as well as the benefit of VMI's extensive network. Excellence in academics is rewarded with the presentation of academic stars each semester for the previous semester's work. Silver stars are awarded to cadets with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and gold stars are awarded to cadets with a GPA of 3.0 to 3.49.

Campus life

First-year cadets are called "nULLs". The term nULL is always spelled with a lower case "n". The term means zero and void. The reason first-year cadets are considered "zeros" or void is because they are still learning about the VWIL system, military life, and the ways of the cadet corps. First-year cadets must meet the challenges of class unity and prove that they can handle the multiple demands of being a cadet. They must show the upperclasswomen respect and take orders from them. The nULL year culminates with the Rites of Passage, at which time they are recognized as members of the Corps.

During their nULL year, the VWIL women must participate in a wilderness program, which teaches cooperation and bonds them together for the future years. The women must also take a Leadership Challenge Program course which uses team-building exercise to get the nULLs to come together as a class.

Cadets live on the campus of Mary Baldwin and participate in all campus activities. They wear their uniforms three to five days a week and at all military formations. As cadets, they must attend drill and ceremony training and also participate in parades, as well as a variety of other military-style functions.

Physical training is also a part of the cadets' daily lives. All VWIL cadets are encouraged to be committed to health and fitness. They take part in fitness workouts each week to help promote endurance and strength. The Strength and Endurance Test (SET) is a monthly test performed by each cadet. The SET is 1.5 mile run and timed sit ups and push ups. A minimum score is required of all cadets in order to hold rank.

See also

* Military education and training
* Military of the United States
* "United States v. Virginia"

References

* Stephen Goode. "Teaching a few good women." (Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership).
* "Insight on the News." August 14, 1995. Page 17. Expanded Academic ASAP. Preston Library. Retrieved January 28, 2006.
* Edward McGlynn Gaffney. "Are all 'rats' equal? The Supreme Court looks at VMI." "Commonweal". April 19, 1996: page 8. Expanded Academic ASAP. Preston Library. Retrieved January 28, 2006.
* " [http://www.mbc.edu/vwil/aboutvwil.asp About the VWIL Program.] " MaryBaldwin.edu. January 26, 2006. Mary Baldwin College. Retrieved January 28, 2006.

External links

* [http://www.mbc.edu/vwil/ Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership]
* [http://www.mbc.edu/ Mary Baldwin College]