By Carmen Villani, VMI ’76
Corps of Cadets, Alumni, and VMI Community:
As a 1976 graduate and having the privilege and responsibility of serving as President of the Honor Court (HC), I would like to share my thoughts regarding the recent Board of Visitors meeting surrounding the topic of the VMI Honor System.
One critical point in that discussion was the single sanction (dismissal). It is the piece that lends itself to “Don’t Do Ordinary.”
Since that meeting, I have spent a considerable amount of time speaking with other HC Presidents, Alumni that are members of the Class of 1979 (Rats when I served as President), and doing research. In reflecting on all I heard and researched, I believe there are five key factors to consider when examining the VMI Honor System. It is far more than merely “teaching honor or teaching compliance” as was asked during the meeting. They are:
Educate – To this day, I still remember the impact the speech by the Honor Court President and the first Drum Out had on me as a Rat. Additionally, the instruction sessions with HC members during Cadre, the Rat Bible containing a letter from the HC President, the New Cadet Handbook, HC sheets posted in cadet rooms and academic buildings, and the Dyke system all provide the means to educate on the Honor System. If a cadet doesn’t accept and embrace a mere 13-word Honor Code and realize the consequences of violating it at the end of the Rat year, that cadet should attend another school.
Embrace – From the book Lives Guided by Honor How VMI Shaped the Class of 1968 by Dr. Mayling Simpson: “If the VMI Honor Code were universally accepted, our country and the world would be much better.” (1968 graduate) To embrace also requires guarding. From the October 10, 2013 edition of The Cadet: “. . .the Corps still faces outside pressure to make changes that would undo the fabric of VMI’s culture. . .with our stringent Honor Code and ‘Spartan lifestyle’ demands, we have faced ever-mounting pressure to lower our standards. . .it takes every Cadet to remain ‘on parade’ (even online!) and maintain VMI’s reputation.”
Enforce – Unless there are serious consequences, the Honor System fails. The Bible is replete with such stories, such as Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden, Lot’s wife turning into a “pillar of salt,” and Moses not being able to enter the Promised Land.
Evaluate – As President, I never charged a cadet unless I was absolutely convinced that a violation had been committed and there was ample evidence to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Assess all cases, especially those that render a Not Guilty verdict or a motion to dismiss being granted. Learn, Adjust, Demand Excellence. Famed head coach Vince Lombardi put it this way: “Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”
Emulate – Don’t just “talk the talk, but walk the walk.” Upperclassmen must set the example for the Rats, and alumni must set the example for the Corps. From what I have observed since 2019, there is a need for improvement within the alumni ranks.
How to make the case for a single sanction
—The Honor System is the fabric that binds the VMI Experience together. Removing the single sanction would tear away a vital piece of that fabric, placing the VMI Experience at risk.
—In the 1996 Co-Curriculum report, no mention was made of the single sanction system as a factor in the honor scandal in 1994. It was noted that “the Honor Code is immutable, for the values underlying it are regarded as fundamental to the spiritual integrity of any young man, and therefore immune to the vagaries of public morality.” Unlike the yielding to “the vagaries of public morality” for the past 6 years, VMI MUST NOT yield to the doing away with the single sanction.
—“As long as the Single Sanction stands, there is a path, narrow though it may be, by which the Washington and Lee student body can return to the traditional Honor System which served generations of students so well.” – The W&L Spectator 02/19/2026
—“In the 1951 West Point scandal, 90 cadets were caught, and all 90 were expelled. In the 2020 Air Force Academy scandal, 245 cadets were involved, but only 22 were expelled. In some recent cases, the expulsion rate has fallen below 10%…What was once an automatic consequence is now negotiable. Accountability has been replaced by ambiguity, leniency, and concern for institutional optics.” – Cheating Without Consequences: The Rise and Tolerance of Mass Cheating at America’s Military Academies 04/22/2025
In closing, I would encourage everyone to take the time to watch the very informative presentation that Col. Gibson gave on the VMI Honor System titled – “Honor System: Pursuit Of The Ideal.” It is a story of “the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”
With the worst scandal of the VMI Honor System in the early 1990’s, he noted that as much as 60% of the Corps was complicit in Honor Code violations. He then went on to say that “the Alumni made it clear that they would rather suffer the consequences of half the Corps being drummed out, rather than have rampant dishonor continue in the barracks.”
Given the emphasis on retention and state funding, would that same sentiment exist today?
The single sanction Honor System at VMI must be guarded and defended. Why? In Col. Gibson’s concluding remarks, he states that “the Commonwealth, the Nation, the World have benefited immeasurably from VMI alumni who’ve taken into their professional and personal lives an unwavering commitment to integrity.”
Carmen D. Villani, Jr
VMI Class of 1976
Former Honor Court President
About the author: During his cadetship, Carmen Villani ‘76 received an Air Force ROTC scholarship, was awarded Distinguished Air Force ROTC Cadet and Graduate, received the Douglas C. France award, and Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. After graduation, he entered the Air Force. Upon graduating from pilot training, he flew the KC-135, completing his six-year career as an Aircraft Commander. In 1984, he was hired by American Airlines (AA) and served as a Captain for over 18 or his 24 years flying the MD-80, Boeing 757 & 767. Ever since graduating from VMI, Carmen has been actively involved in service to VMI in a number of capacities, including attending class reunions, serving on the 25-year reunion planning committee, and serving as Chapter President for the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, and serving on the Alumni Co-Curriculum Committee. In recent years, has done a host of radio interviews, had articles published, and engaged with the BOV, Administration, and Alumni Association, all in an effort to preserve the VMI Experience.
First published in VMI’s The Cadet newspaper.
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