Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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A Year of Change In a system where tradition and permanence are the rule, and change the exception, it is indeed a difficult task to put forth a detailed summary of the events which set one year apart from the tens of years preceeding it. In the year 1984, however, the exception, in the eyes of the Corps, became the precedent as the Corps felt many of its cherished traditions, such as a barracks run by the First Class, were thrown to the wayside by the administration. The Ratline, which all Cadets hold as a true testimonial to the spirit and fortitude of those Cadets who have been able to overcome it, was so changed as to leave what many Cadets considered to be a mere shadow of its former self. It seemed to many that the traditions and values which for so many years had been passed on from dyke to dyke wound up as useless memories and ideas of an era past. The year began as any other with the usual intense level of academics, military regimen, and seemingly pointless military duties. The Cadre period, it was felt, had gone very well, and the First Class, confident in its ability to sup- port a strong Ratline, saw little or no trouble on the horizon. It was only a month into the semester, however, when pro- blems began to appear. Changes in administrative policies ' T 4 Prologue

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Prologue 4 Social 12 Events 32 Classes . ... 48 First Class 50 Second Class 152 Third Class 174 Fourth Class 198 Corps 222 Activities 248 Sports 288 Institute 328 Outrage 358 Ads 368 VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE 1984

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Prologue 5