VMI Cadet. March 4, 2005

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Volume XGVUI Friday, March 4th, 2005 Number 19
Courtyard to be Resurfaced
By Brad Steidle
CUET News Writer
The New Barracks
courtyard will have a new look when
cadets return for the fall semester
o f 2005. Over the summer, school
officials plan to have the New
Barracks courtyard resurfaced to
help with the growing problems
caused by leaks in the existing
surface.
The resurfacing of the
courtyard is a part o f Gen. Peay’s
“Vision 2039.” It is one of the main
parts of a barracks overhaul that is
scheduled to take place this summer
along with fixing other plumbing
issues in Old Barracks.
The existing courtyard is
not a ground floor as it may appear.
The courtyard serves as a roof
over many rooms
below barracks, * * T h c € T l t iV 3 barracks
concourse rooms, and should be
the First Class e x i s t i u g S U V fc iC e done before the
Lounge, and many . j j j i Corps returns for Will be removed the beginning of
j 1 the year. This is to
down to the
existing green courtyard floor is,
will be replaced by 18-square-inch
tiles. “This work is all being done in
an effort to improve quality of life
for cadets,” said Col. Hammond.
The type o f tile that will be
laid down was selected by Gen. Peay
as he stood in the New Barracks
courtyard to examine the options.
A tan^rown color was selected to
try and match the existing colors in
barracks, for example the rail colors
and the color o f the walls as you
enter barracks.
“I wanted to make sure
the tile would be something that
would be able to be maintained,”
said Sgt. Maj. Neal, sergeant major
to the Corps o f Cadets, “It needed
to be something that can be easily
cleaned.”
The project will commence
right after cadets
more. The existing
surface lets water
leak tlirough
and into these
locations
vmisports.com
even concrete slab at
the bottom. i f
and Grounds
c o n t i n u a l l y
attempts to repair the damaged
surface.
“The entire existing surface
will be removed down to the concrete
slab at the bottom,” said Col.
Hammond, director o f Cconstruction
and maintenance at VMI. The floor
will then be built back up to the same
level it is at now. The top, where the
ensure the project
does not interfere
with the arrival
of new cadets on
post.
The design for the
new tiles and work done to the New
Barracks courtyard was done by
Clark-Nexsen. The contract for the
work has not yet been decided, but a
contractor should be selected by the
March 9.
“I think the redoing of
the courtyard will be helpful,” said
See C o u rty ard on page 6
Vacancy in the Basketball Coach’s Office
By Andy Karnes
Cadet Sports w riter
Bart Bellairs, VMI’s all-time
leader in career wins, will no
longer be roaming the sidelines of
VMI basketball games. He will
still be playing an active role in
the Keydets’ success next season,
however. Athletic director Donnie
White aimounced earlier this week
that Bellairs’ eleventh season is his
last with the Keydets as the head Institute for Honor: In Review
coach.
Bart Bellairs came to
VMI with a wealth o f experience
fi-om which to draw, but only one
year o f head coaching experience
at the collegiate level at Wilkes
University. Bellairs coaching
experience included a number of
assistant-level positions, including
the University o f Maryland (1986),
the University o f Massachusetts
(1987-88), and James Madison
University (1989-1994). Bellairs
then foimd himself at VMI as Joe
Cantafio’s replacement on the
Keydet bench in April o f 1994,
ready to tackle his second head
coaching position.
Upon arriving at VMI,
Bellairs quickly found his stride and
received many accolades, including
the Virginia State Division I Coach
o f the Year, Southern Conference
Coach o f the Year, and Sports
Illustrated’s Unknown Coach o f the
See Bellairs on page 6
By Tim Beckley
Cadet News Writer
Despite this weekend’s
frigid temperatures and heavy
snowfall, the annual Institute for
Honor was held on February 25-26.
The weather though did force the
cancellation o f a scheduled parade
to be conducted by the Corps in
recognition o f the conference. The
Institute for Honor was a joint
venture with VMI, W&L, and
the Marshall Foundation. The
conference this year revolved
around the legacy o f Gen. George
C. Marshall. It featured several
speakers delivering oratories on
Marshall, question and answer
sessions, as well as a President’s
Reception.
Marshall started his
impressive military career at VMI
and later fathered the Marshall Plan,
which dictated the reconstruction
after the horror o f World War II.
Col. Tom Davis ’62, professor of
history at VMI, commented on the
conference and the Marshall legacy,
“I think that many o f us came away
fi-om the conference with the belief
that more must be done to perpetuate
the memory and example o f General
Marshall. My generation... grew up
revering the man; younger people
are not nearly as aware o f him.
including cadets at VMI. We need, I
believe, to set aside some time each
year at VMI when cadets are made
aware o f Marshall’s service to this
country and to western civili2ation.
When it comes to World War II, he
was ‘the organizer o f victory,’ His
service as secretary o f state after the
war was equally significant, as the
driving force behind the Marshall
Plan. He became the only career
military person ever to be awarded
the Nobel Prize for Peace (1953)...
and it is up to us to perpetuate his
example and his memory.”
The conference was
considered a success with nearly
200 people in attendance.
The success of VMI’s Sununer Undergraduate Research
Initiative (SURI) has drawn in some extra attention.
VMI database
Glee Club Performs to Help Historic Theater «s„mmer Time, and
By Mike Hughes
Cadet News Writer
-------------rn rG IS rn tn rp e r fo rm e d
at the historic Byrd Theater in
Richmond on February 27 to
raise money to benefit the theater
restoration. The project to raise
money to restore the theater was
a result o f the efforts o f the strong
Alumni Association presence in
Richmond. “Someone contacted
the cadet staff, and Mrs. Stephanie
Clark set it up. She deserves a lot
of credit,” S-4 Lieutenant and senior
member of the Glee Club Robert
Gibson said.
“Our concerts are always
free,” Gibson said conceming the
$10 cost o f tickets sold at the door to
the concert. The proceeds, however,
all went to the Byrd Theater
Foundation to gain the capital to
refurbish the 76-year-old, 1300-
seat theater. According to Gibson,
the line of guests waiting to get in
extended out the door and down the
sidewalk.
“They [the Foundation]
worked really hard to spread the
word around Richmond,” Gibson
said, “They made bona-fide posters
of us, and every restaurant we
went into in the vicinity had them.
Normally we just print out flyers on
Word.”
Cadets were hosted by
alumni in the Richmond area.
“Thanks to a generous alumni
chapter, we had a place to stay,”
Gibson said.
The performance itself was
preceded by a video on the history of
the theater, followed by a half-hour
performance by Mr. Bob Gulledge
on the “Mighty Wurlitzer Organ,”
which rises from the floor o f the
stage.
For the concert , the Glee
Club started out with a patriotic
ensemble and continued the concert
with an upbeat tone. “The audience
got a kick out of our Clancy Brothers
music,” Gibson said, referring to the
club’s selection of Irish music.
The club also performed a
relatively new piece. “We started
a hymn called ‘The Lord is My
Hope.’ Terry Slack accompanied on
a trumpet and for less than a month’s
practice did really well,” Gibson
said.
Not only did the Glee Club
perform for a live audience, but the
theater also recorded them for fi'ee.
“I appreciated that because of our
new soloists,” Gibson commented.
Details on the CD o f the concert will
be available on the Glee Club’s web
page.
The Glee Club normally
ends its performances by asking
alumni in the audience to come
on stage to smg the “Doxology.”
While the alumni m the audience
could not get on stage because o f the
construction o f the theater, according
to Gibson, forty to fifty alumni in the
audience stood to sing, demonstrating
the presence of alumni support.
The theater, although
needing restoration, serves to
entertain the community in more
ways than one. Not only can
concerts be held there, but films are
played there as well, drawing large
crowds, especially in the summer
months.
“We’d like to thank the
Richmond community and the
commandant’s staff for working so
hard,” Gibson said, “It was one of
the best concerts o f my cadetship.”
Academy o f ^
Motion Picture
Arts and
Sciences
Review of Oscars
(Page 7)
The Humor Page
(Flip Over and Find Out)
“To Inform the VM Community
By Mary Kathryn Osborne
Cadet News Writer
ihis summer marks the
fourth year VMI has supported
students who choose to stay at VMI
and participate in undergraduate
research. Col. James Turner, director
of undergraduate research, explained,
“Research provides cadets exposure
to real-world problems and helps
them to get a head start on skills and
leadership. The students become
experts in a small field within their
discipline.” Summer undergraduate
research provides cadets an
opportunity to leam one on one with
a faculty mentor. The research many
of the cadets participate in is cutting-edge,
and VMI is unique in the fact
that so many cadets are afforded
the opportunity to do research with
faculty members.
The Summer
Undergraduate Research Initiative
(SURI) has experienced a dramatic
rise in numbers since its inception
four years ago. Col. Turner attributes
this to “the energy and enthusiasm
of the faculty and students.” In
its first year, the program received
sixteen applications for the Jackson-
Hope Summer Scholarship, and all
sixteen were awarded flm^. In the
second year, there were eighteen
proposals, and again all eighteen
were offered scholarships. Then
last year, there was a sudden peak
of interest in the program and
there were 46 applications for the
Jackson-Hope Scholarships. There
the Living’s Easy...”
were eighteen full scholarships
awarded out o f the Jackson-Hope
funds, but through negotiation with
different departments and the Dean’s
Office, the Undergraduate Research
Initiative was able to offer full and
partial scholarships to 35 cadets.
In this fourth year there has
been a record 52 proposals. There
are actually 55 cadets competing,
but because o f teams, there are 52
applications. Col. Turner hopes
to offer 20 full Jackson-Hope
Scholarships and possibly more
depending on the budget and how
much negotiation can take place. '
This program is not
limited to the sciences, providing an
opportunity for cadets o f all majors.
Unique to VMI is that most o f the
proposals actually come firom the
liberal arts arena. The first year, the
program was heavily science-based,
but by the third year, there was an
equal distribution o f presenters with
slightly more liberal arts projects.
This is probably because there are
many more liberal arts majors at
VMI than science majors. This
participation by all departments is a
job well done in Col. Turner’s eyes.
At the beginning o f this program,
he envisioned SURI as a post-wide,
interdisciplinary endeavor, and the
word has definitely spread. There
are two interdisciplinary proposals
this year. One is a combined MA/
CS/LIB project and the other is a
MA/CS/EE proposal.
Despite the fact that
See SURI on page 2