VMI Cadet. January 30, 2004

              Volume XCVII
Run independently by cadets since 1907
Friday, January 30th 2004
$ 1 . 0 0
Number 15
Class o f 2 0 0 7 Breaks Out
By Shaun M. Jones
fimrOperations Manager
On S a tu rd a y ,
the 24"’ o f January, the
c lass o f 2004+3 b e ­came
the class o f 2007
following breakout, an
all day grueling event.
This year, regardless
o f the painstaking ef­fort
put into finding a
time when all rats, in­cluding
athletes, could
attend, the basketball
team was only in at­tendance
for the final
physical challenge.
The f in a l o b ­stacle
a rat has to en­dure
is pulling himself
up a muddy hill which
is only reachable with
the help o f a rats class­mates,
and first class
mentors, called dykes.
“I t ’s the point at which
th e y a re a c k n ow l ­ed
g ed as a sep a ra te
c l a s s , ” s a id Jo s e p h
P a rk s ‘03, a re c e n t
graduate.
“B r e a k o u t is
one o f the most impor­tant
events o f a cadet’s
s ta y h e re a t VM I ,”
s a id C om m a n d a n t
C o lo n e l E r ic D.
Hutchings, ‘77. The
e v e n t , w h ic h was
planned months in ad­vance
and put on the
institute calendar a l­most
a year ago, was
set up so that all rats
could attend. Prev i­o
u s ly th e d a te had
b e en mo re f le x ib le
an d man y a th le te s
could not attend; this
year was supposed to
be different. On Sat­urday
morning every
ab le -b o d ied member
o f th e r a t ma ss
s t ru g g le d th ro u g h a
morning o f p h y s ic a l
trials that would act as
the culmination o f 6
mo n th s o f h a rd sh ip
and a training system
infamous for its men­tal
and physical hard­ships.
However, con­trary
to the spirit o f
the day, VMI’s basket­b
a l l a th le te s w e re
missing during these
early hours. The rats
for the final event, the
ceremonial climbing
o f “Breakout Hill.”
concern about the pos­sible
injury o f players
and the loss o f prac-
'''
on the team did not
participate until mid­day,
when they arrived
According to a
member o f the coach­ing
s t a f f th e r e was
c ia l, “We had th re e
home games that week
and th e re were co n ­cerns.”
One o f the rea­sons
that the breakout
date was announced so
early; a decision met
with hard re s is tan c e
from the f i r s t class ,
was so th a t te am s
c o u ld r e s c h e d u le
games and not miss
what is supposed to be
th e m o s t im p o r ta n t
part o f their indoctri­nation.
The basketball
team did re sch ed u le
their game for that day
b u t in s te a d h e ld a
practice all morning,
keeping the rats from
breaking out with their
b ro th e r r a t s . “The
morning was about fa­t
ig u e , ” s a id RDC
P r e s id e n t Ro s s
Garnett, “the team had
so many games th a t
week that they were
probably as fatigued
as anyone on the hill.”
s a id ' the offi- continued on page 2
tice time. “Five o f our
n in e p la y e r s w e re
R a ts ,’
Army’s LTC Joseph Irby
By JB Thompson III
flWfrNews Writer
When c a d e ts
from Second Battalion
were told to see their
Battalion Advisor last
semester, many were
confused. The position
was left vacant when
C o lo n e l T h om a s
Moncure, ’72, made
h is jo b as S tu d e n t
Government Advisor
full time. The cadets
did not notice any new
s ta f f off icers around
the Commandant’s of­fice,
and they surely
had not witnessed any
other cadet rooms in
b a r ra ck s turned into
an office to house the
n ew a d v iso r . They
were unaware that the
new Assistant Profes­sor
o f Milita ry S c i­en
c e in th e Army
ROTC D e p a r tm e n t
was also the new ad­visor
to second battal­ion.
“The PMS told
me th a t the
Commandant’s office
had asked the ROTC
d ep a r tm en t he ad s i f
they had anyone they
would suggest apply
for the part time job. I
applied and got it,” the
r e c e n t ly p rom o te d
L ie u te n a n t C o lo n e l
Joseph Irby, ’85, de­scr
ibed. “My jo b as
ad v iso r is to coach,
teach, and mentor with
honest feedback.” The
jo b a lso in v o lv e s
counseling, attending
corps a c t iv itie s , and
meetings.
LTC Irby, ’85,
graduated from VMI
This Issue:
i l l
Penalties jer
How to Make Fun
The B»ck »
. . J
in 1986, making his
own e x p e r ie n c e s at
VMI a point o f quali­f
ic a tio n for the jo b .
One o f the things he
counsels cadets on is
e x c e s s d em e r i t s ,
which caused his sus­pension
as a cadet. “It
was a good learning
e x p e r ie n c e an d has
made me a better Of­ficer
today, but I don’t
recommend it!” While
at VMI, Irby was an
involved cadet, p a r ­ticipating
as a member
o f the infamous VMI
Rugby team. Now, he
p a r t ic ip a te s in the
te am’s practices as a
volunteer Coach when
not busy as the assis­ta
n t PMS fo r Army
ROTC.
Upon g ra d u a ­tion
from VMI, LTC
Irby married and com­missioned
in the Army
as a F ie ld A r t i l le ry
O f f ic e r , ta k in g him
and his family around
the world. He has been
stationed around the
c o u n t ry as w e l l as
Germany, Korea, and
Kosovo. Ju s t before
reporting for duty at
VM I ’s Army ROTC,
LTC Irby was the XO
o f his Artillery battal­ion
in Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
He gave a sum-continued
on page 6
VMI Museum Closed for
$3.39 Million Renovation
By David Beehler
f iu c r News Writer
A f te r n e a r ly
148 years o f historical
se rv ic e to the In s t i ­tute,
the VMI Museum
is closed to the general
public for a $3.39 mil­lion
dollar renovation
and exhibit space ex­pansion.
“This is the
la rg e s t e x p a n s io n
project for the
museum since
it mo v ed to
JM H a l l in
1 9 7 0 ,” s a id
Colonel Keith
G i b s o n ,
D i r e c to r o f
VMI Museum
Operations.
T h e
m u s e u m ’ s
c u r r e n t lo c a t io n in
J a c k so n M em o r ia l
Hall has become too
small to hold the ex­tensive
collection o f
a r t i f a c t s and VMI
memorabilia. Further,
c om p l ic a t io n s h av e
also arisen from insuf­f
ic ie n t c lima te c o n ­trol,
and meager vis­ibility
to cadets and
the public.
“The additional
space and up g rad ed
facilities will allow an
expanded exhibit story
and assure proper care
o f the 12,000 p ie c e
c o l le c t io n ,” Colonel
Gibson said.
Under the im­mediate
plan, the mu­seum
will redesign the
200 level o f JM Hall
(the current VMI Mu­seum),
to a large his­torical
display o f the
VMI Cadet from 1839
to 1999.
In ad d itio n to
the Cadet Story, the
m a in new f e a tu r e s
w o u ld h o u s e a r e ­search
library, lecture
hall. The Cadet Store,
an d an in fo rm a t io n
lobby.
Further expan­sion
would also rede­velop
the old swim­ming
pool area in the
100 level o f JM Hall.
This new area would
be the new home o f
two historical aspects
o f VMI. The 900
piece Henry Stewart
Antique Firearms Col­lection,
which features
the 19"* c e n tu ry a ir
r i f le u s ed by Lo u is
and Clark, and an ex­panded
exhibition on
the story o f the VMI
A lum n i f rom th e
In s t i tu te ’s fo unding,
to the present day.
“The collection
o f th e mu seum is a
constant reminder o f
the s e rv ic e o f VMI
C i t iz e n -S o ld ie r s to
our n a tio n ,” Colonel
Gibson said.
“ I t is also a
r em in d e r o f
the s tan d a rd
th e s e in d i ­v
idua ls have
s e t fo r
t o m o r r o w ’s
graduates.”
T h e
museum also
has p lan s to
u p d a te JM H a ll by
providing an elevator
to a ll le v e l s o f the
building. A new secu­rity
and fire protection
sy s tem w i l l be in ­stalled,
along with a
new h e a t in g and air
conditioning system.
A small VMI Museum
display will be moved
to the Marshall Mu­seum
in March o f this
year.
Ov e r the pa s t
continued on page 6