One day after the Virginia Military Institute’s top leader resigned, Gov. Ralph Northam did not indicate whether he would remove any members of the board of visitors.
While in Roanoke to campaign for Democratic candidates on Tuesday, Northam said he expects the 17 members on the board “to listen and be open-minded and to realize that we have some issues that we need to address at VMI.” The state is preparing to launch an independent investigation at the nation’s oldest state-supported military college following allegations of racism.
“The allegations are very disturbing. As you know, I’m a graduate of VMI, and it’s something we’re taking very seriously,” said Northam, a 1981 graduate of VMI.
Retired Army Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III resigned Monday as superintendent following pressure from Northam and some state legislators. On Friday, Northam’s Chief of Staff Clark Mercer “conveyed that the Governor and certain legislative leaders had lost confidence in my leadership as Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute and desired my resignation,” Peay wrote.
Republican legislators have criticized Northam for overstepping the authority of the board of visitors in pressuring Peay to resign. Governing boards are responsible for hiring and firing college presidents.
“He made the decision to resign,” Northam said about that criticism. “I accepted that resignation along with the board of visitors. Now it’s time to move forward.”
The state is in the middle of interviewing firms to conduct the investigation, which is expected to examine all facets of the college, including the policies and culture.
“I’d also make the point that we want to make sure that every college and university in Virginia is open, that they’re welcoming, that our students and their families feel comfortable on those premises,” Northam said. “While VMI is under the spotlight right now, this is something that is statewide, and we’re going to look at all of our colleges and universities and make sure that we really do everything we can to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Northam also avoided answering — when questioned twice — about the monthslong delay in requesting an investigation of VMI.
The Roanoke Times first reported in June about alumni’s push for change at the nation’s oldest state-supported military college. That story did not elicit responses from Northam or legislators. It wasn’t until the Washington Post published a story this month that Northam and lawmakers reacted. Northam and his office haven’t answered repeated questions about whether the state communicated with VMI prior to the Washington Post story.
“At the end of the day, we want VMI — I went to VMI, I care deeply about VMI, and I want VMI to do well — but we’ve got to plan for the future, and we’ve got to be inclusive and welcoming to all people who go to VMI,” Northam said.
Democratic lawmakers have expressed support for the independent investigation. Some have mentioned leveraging state funding at the college, which received $19 million in state aid during the last fiscal year.
On Monday, members of the House Armed Services Committee, which includes Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Fairfax, wrote a letter to Northam relaying their support for the third-party investigation. They wrote that that any cadet or faculty member who breaches the VMI Honor Code through racist or discriminatory conduct should be sanctioned with an immediate dismissal. They also said VMI should conduct regular climate surveys of current cadets and recent alumni “to gauge the prevalence of racist beliefs, experiences of discrimination, and harassment within the institution.”
The representatives also wrote that VMI should remove all Confederate monuments and symbols from campus. VMI has a long history and association with the Civil War and Confederate leaders. Multiple buildings are named for Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson as well as other alumni and faculty who fought for the Confederacy. A statue of Jackson also stands in front of the barracks.
“It is incumbent on VMI leadership to ensure that our future officers are trained in an environment that embraces diversity and inclusion, that the cadets embody such values in their character, and that every student is able to attend VMI without being subject to racism or discrimination,” House Armed Services Committee members wrote. “We stand ready to assist you in advancing these objectives within the institution and will consider legislative options to do so.”
Republican legislators have come to the defense of Peay and the college, urging patience until the investigation is complete. They’ve said that’s something that Northam should appreciate, having gone through his own scandal.
Last year, he took took responsibility for a photo on his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page that depicted a person wearing a Klan robe and another in blackface. He later said he wasn’t in the picture, though he acknowledged he had at one point worn shoe polish to dress as Michael Jackson. An independent investigation into the yearbook photo was inconclusive, and it’s still unknown who is in the photo.
It also became public that Northam’s nickname in the 1981 VMI yearbook was “Coonman.” Northam has maintained that he didn’t know why his friends gave him the nickname.
“When Gov. Northam admitted to wearing blackface and appearing in a racially offensive photograph, he sought the grace of the public’s forgiveness,” House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, wrote in a statement. “If polling is to be believed, the public has largely extended that grace to him. Now the Virginia Military Institute stands accused of accommodating racist incidents. It’s a shame that Gov. Northam couldn’t extend the same amount of grace that he’s been afforded with his own past, at least until we know all the facts.”
Del. Ronnie Campbell, R-Rockbridge, who represents the House district that includes VMI, said Northam went after VMI because of Peavy’s decision this summer not to remove Confederate monuments or rename buildings at the school.
Campbell said in a statement that Peay “took the high road, refusing to drag the board of visitors through the process of determining whether or not he should be fired.”
“Once again, in a testament to his extraordinary integrity and character, the General of 17 years put the wellbeing of the school and students above his own,” Campbell said.
