VMI Cadet. August 20, 1970

              matriculation schedule directs cadets through Memorial
Gardens up the parapet steps to barracks. The
inscription on the parapet will be memorized by New
Cadets as part of their cadre training.
131 Years Of Tradition
VMI: Corps
Demanding
Today you have joined a proud
and selcct group—the VMI Corps
of Cadets. The life you have
chosen for the next four years is
both demanding and highly re-
\v;»i-ding. The Corps of Cadets, or
Ihe Corps, aa it is familiarly known,
•represents the third side of VMI.
It is the military organization
which serves a myriad of purposes.
It provides challenging position:;
to responsible cadets which tax
-their leadership and talents to the
Utmost. It introduces a Rat to dis-cipline
and attempts ito instill that
Quality into him.
:' The Corps organization is that
of a regiment. The regiment is
•fommanded by the First Captain,
j-ipsually referred to as the Regi-inental
Commander. He is assisited
by a regimental staff which con-sists
of a Regimental Adjutant,
.,ti|ie S-1, a Regimental Operations
and Training Officer, the S-3, a Re-gimental
Supply Officer, the S-4,
l | | d a Regimental Public Informa
t^pn Officer, the S-5.
..The Regiment is composed of
twfl. battalions of three companies
.Bl4h- Battalion Commanders
ar« assisted by a three-man staff
id^fltical^to the regimental staff.
3^ch company is divided into
fojof platoons of three squads each,
and. each mounts a guard team
once a week. It is the responsibil-ity
of this group of cadets to in-sure
that order is maintained in
barracks and that quiet prevails
during study hours.
These teams are competitive in
nKtuve, and tlieir grades -are re-lordud
for Garnett Andrews com
pobil\pns. The Garnett .Anihows
uwarU is the liighcst award givou
tJi tt^f company as a whole aird can
j^^y bt awarded to the company
.displays unitied spirit.
-Gteii new cadet is assigned lo
S^P^oy, and hw remains with
. » ^ J...
[ To the Parents of New Cadets:
The VMI Cadet newspaper takes this opportunity to
welcome you and congratulate you as your son enters the
Corps of Cadetg. We.would like you to have a few pages
of a complimentary copy of our student newspaper and
hope that by reading it you will become more familiar
with the life your son is beginning.
We are quite proud of the fact that more than half our
subscribers are persons outside the Corps of Cadets. If
• you have not yet made arrangements to receive the paper,
please complete Wie subscription blank on page 4 and
return it, with $4.00, to the cadet assistant in Cocke Hall
or mail it to The VMI Cadet, Box 7, Lexington, Va. Your
subscription will be processed immediately. The Cadet
i:; is. an extra-curricular project of approximately one hun-dred
cadets—we hope you will enjoy our paper.
Many parents of cadets desire to place advertisements
for their business firms in our paper. If you are interest-ed,
please inform our business manager. We can prob-ably
have a representative come to see you-
We close by once again saying welcome. We hope you
return often in the next four years!
FRED E. BANISTER, JR.
Editor-in-Chief
that company throughout his cadet-ship.
He marches to church, meals,
and parade with his company and,
in so doing, builds a firm bond
which lasts through the years.
The Corps maintains its military
organization through iti> ranking
system. On the basis of academic
and military leadership, cadets are
appoi.^lrJ to commissioned and
non-commissioned ranks within the
Corps. Here they demonstrate
their effectiveness as leaders with-in
the military framework of VMI.
The Corps was fou.idc'J on No-vember
11, 1B39, and was com
posed of 23 cadets. The first class
graduated 16 cadets into the ranks
of the alumni. The Corps was slow
to grow during VMI's early years
and hardship was the by word of
cadets.
The regiment was presented
See VMI CORPS page 4 lT. GEN. GEORGE R. E. SHLI.I,
^ ^ ^
Honor System
Best In U. S.
You are now a VMI Cadet; as
such you are a member of a
unique organization, bound closely
together i)y a system of traditions
and ideals. Of these ideals, which
draw the individual cadets into one
.'iolid Corp-, the foremost is that oi
honor.
Since the beginning of. the
Institute in 1839, the Corps of
Cadets has demanded a high sense
of personal integrity of each indi-
\-idual. Every cadet is e.\pected to
live by the code of a gentleman
who does not lie, cheat, or steal
Although the Honor Code and
Honor Court, as we know them
today, were not institutionalized
until 1954, they have existed in
various forms as long as there ha.^
been a Corps. During the 1800 s
any violation of a cadet's person-al
integrity was brought to trial
before the whole Corps; and if the
individual was found guilty, he
v/as dismissed from the Corps in
a most disgraceful manner. In
1910, due to the increased size of
the Corps, a Court of Honor, com-posed
chiefly of class ofiicers, wa.s
selected to try honor violations.
This Court existed, with many var-iations.
until 1954, when the pres-ent
system was established.
The Honor Code drawn up m
is merely a formal statement
of the basic tenets of personal
integrity that have been held by
the Corps. It is not a set of rules
but a code of ethics which de-mands
lionesty of each cadet. This
Code has existed, unchanged, to
the present.
It provides a guideline—a foun-dation
upon which the individual
decisions concerning the honesty
or dishonesty of an act can be
based. It has become internalized
—a part of each cadet. It instills
within each individual the desire
to conduct himself in an honest
and forthright manner. Any indi-vidual
who does not adopt this
Code, this set of ideals, does not
remain a cadet.
The Honor Court consists of
fourteen members, ten from the
See HONOR SYSTEM page 2
Superintendent's Message
Today, from the moment of your matriculation, you are entering
upon a dramatically new stage of your lives—a stage that you will find
both exciting and demanding. From this day on, you should feel that
you are a part of the living history of VMI, and that you are an impor-tant
contributor to the future of the unique college you have chosen.
The first few days, before classes formally commence, will be
rigorous times of trial—but very important and rewarding in the lay-ing
of a solid foundation for your cadetship. Your new class—one of
the largest ever to enter—will during this first year win its spurs and
take its place in our tradition. It is your responsibility and, we hope,
your choice to make it the finest class ever to be graduated. Everyone
here, in the faculty, staff and each cadet in the Corps will be hopini
to see you respond to this .i-halleng,; with your best etfort and en-thusiasm.
We extend t-a you every good wiih OiS you begin a mast
valuable experience of which your parents, your clasps, your college,
and above all you yourselv-ts may be justifiably proud.
GEORGE R. E. SHELL
Superintendent
Virginia Military lus^ututd