By Carmen D. Villani Jr.

In recent weeks, the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) has come under attack by politicians in the Virginia Legislature through House Bills #1374 and #1377. These baseless bills attempt to once again falsely portray the problem at VMI as being an institutionally racist and sexist school that resists change. The ill-advised corrective action being called for is a potential radical modification to the VMI Board of Visitors (BOV) make-up and another investigation.

With Bill #1374, the proposed changes enable the BOV to be composed of zero VMI graduates, just six total members residing in the Commonwealth, and a mere five members with “United States military experience.” VMI has proudly identified itself as “No Ordinary College.” Having fewer than a majority of board members who are VMI graduates who understand what makes it that way, places that reputation in jeopardy. Additionally, Governor Abigail Spanberger has already appointed five new members to the board and will be appointing an additional six in a few months, thereby giving her appointees a majority (11 out of 16).

Bill #1377 calls for a task force to be created to once again look into nonexistent problems — institutional racism, sexism, and VMI’s unwillingness to change. Additionally, the bill establishes a “fishing expedition” while calling for the task force to make a “recommendation” on funding and to evaluate whether VMI should “remain a state-funded institution of higher education.”

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) data reveals that the “student of color” percentage in the Corps of Cadets has increased from 24.1% in the fall of 2021 to 31.6% in the fall of 2025. That is an increase of over 31%.

In a recent interview on Fox News, VMI Regimental Commander Devin Auzenne ‘26 (African American) stated, “I can say VMI is the most inclusive environment that I have ever been a part of” and “a third one (conduct of a cadet) would be a cadet that productively communicates, lives and works with people from many backgrounds and, in my personal experience, not only is this what has been taught here, this has been what has been taught here for decades.”

From the fall of 2021 to the fall of 2025, the number and percentage of women in the Corps increased slightly. Presently, all three battalion commanders are female, and nearly 38% of Regimental Leadership are women while only making up approximately 16% of the Corps.

Regarding VMI making changes after the 2021 Barnes & Thornburg (B&T) audit, VMI Superintendent Lt. General David Furness (Ret.) appeared before the Virginia House Rules Studies Subcommittee on January 23, 2026 and stated, “The Barnes and Thornburg equity audit recommended 38 changes to VMI’s program, 34 have been accomplished to date, with three more in progress.”

So if these aren’t the problems at VMI, what are? Evidence points to DEI and two student newspapers identifying division within the Corps between NCAA athletes and non-athletes.

DEI promotion is at complete odds with current federal policy, yet at the recent VMI Board of Visitors meeting, an Inclusive Excellence Update presentation was provided. It describes two activities related to social identity. The first is called “Label Activity,” where a cadet is required to place a “label” on their forehead. Another is called “Four Corners Activity,” in which a “facilitator reads a series of statements,” and the cadet is to go to a corner of the room that depicts an opinion that closely aligns with their own.

Other examples of DEI at VMI include General Order #15, which uses the term “diversity, equity, and inclusion” in reference to the composition of the “Hiring Committee.” At a farewell event for VMI’s former Superintendent in May of last year, then-VMI Professor Tinni Sen commented, “Celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion is normal,” and in reference to graduating cadets, they “will take that lesson with them.”

Regarding a divide existing in the Corps of Cadets between the NCAA athlete and non-athlete, one article appearing in the The Cadet, the editorial staff wrote the following:

What began as a tension between athletes and non-athletes has now evolved into a deep chasm affecting VMI’s core values. … Alumni, donors, and current cadets should recognize that the current system undermines equality and merit and creates unnecessary divisions within the Corps.

The other article appearing in The Ring-tum Phi described the “crisis” as also being the divide between athletes and non-athletes. The newspaper’s opinions editor notes:

I believe that the divide described in the report (B&T) is not one sourced strictly from racial or sex-based bigotry. Rather, the consistently acknowledged tension is between athletes and non-athletes, particularly around athletes’ perceived preferential treatment and uneven adherence to institutional rules.

In the pilot world, incorrectly identifying a problem and initiating the wrong correction leads to disaster. If VMI’s leadership chooses to take corrective actions based on the problems incorrectly identified in both bills they support, the results are likely to be disastrous for the VMI Experience. On the other hand, taking corrective actions to eradicate DEI and bridge the divide within the Corps could likely restore the VMI Experience to its pre-2020 state.

(VMI Class of 1976; Air Force veteran, having flown the KC-135; Retired Captain of American Airlines.)