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2022 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 453
Commending The Cadet and The Cadet Foundation.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 11, 2022
Agreed to by the Senate, March 12, 2022

 

WHEREAS, The Cadet newspaper at Virginia Military Institute, one of Virginia’s oldest independent college newspapers, is celebrating its the 115th Anniversary in 2022; and

WHEREAS, The Cadet was created by cadets and alumni as a magazine in 1871 with the founding principle of “Let The Cadet be the printed reflex of the men who support it. Let it subserve the living interests of the corps of cadets”; and

WHEREAS, according to Henry A. Wise’s definitive history of Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Drawing Out the Man: The VMI Story, The Cadet began and thrived as a monthly magazine from 1871 to 1873, after which it paused and was revived briefly in 1890–1891, then restarted fully in 1892; and

WHEREAS, the cadets who, with alumni support, re-established The Cadet in 1892 continued to base it on a founding principle of independence, and wrote “We believe the cadets and alumni should support alone a magazine published ostensibly in their interests”; and

WHEREAS, The Cadet in its 1892 restart also reaffirmed that “…we enjoy the unique distinction of being the only college journal in the United States, so far as we know, which is not wholly or in part supported by the college itself…we wish to remain entirely free in this matter”; and

WHEREAS, The Cadet transitioned to newspaper format in 1907, making it one of the oldest independent student newspapers in the Commonwealth and the United States, with its founders setting the laudable goal to “rank among the first in college weeklies”; and

WHEREAS, The Cadet was known by several variations of its name such as The Keydet (a southern pronunciation of cadet) and the VMI Cadet, but all retained the original The Cadet name, and so the newspaper in its form today has an unbroken chain to its origins in 1871; and

WHEREAS, The Cadet and its alumni have made great contributions to journalism in the Commonwealth and the United States, including those by Jesse Frank Frosch of the Class of 1964, who was captured and murdered by insurgents while covering hostilities in Cambodia and was honored in the Newseum’s Journalist Memorial; and

WHEREAS, James Hanney of the Class of 1956 wrote the first opinion piece in The Cadet condemning segregation and calling for VMI to integrate, which it ultimately did in 1968; and

WHEREAS, Jere Real of the Class of 1956, a journalist and teacher with the Jackson Daily News, taught at Lynchburg College from 1969 through 1999 and is renowned for his teaching and coverage of human rights issues; and

WHEREAS, The Cadet ceased publication in 2016 due to market and other pressures until cadets, again with support from alumni and others in the VMI family, restarted The Cadet in May 2021 and reaffirmed its commitment to independent, objective, balanced journalism in its editio princeps: “It is the foundational and unwavering principle of The Cadet that the corps and alumni must be trusted as the tellers of their own stories, the conscience of their institution and guardians of VMI’s ethos in relating why the experience is both different and of great value to those who open themselves and embrace it”; and

WHEREAS, cadets today continue to maintain total editorial control of The Cadet’s contents, independent of administration or other influences as they strive to publish “The Voice of the Corps”; alumni and other mentors advise, assist, and enable cadets to continue publishing their independent student newspaper; and

WHEREAS, The Cadet today remains the student-produced and alumni-supported medium of news and information published by cadets and alumni under The Cadet Foundation, a nonprofit corporation; and

WHEREAS, The Cadet and The Cadet Foundation continue to support journalistic pursuits in publishing the student-produced and alumni-supported medium of news and information by cadets and safeguarding the newspaper’s positive and proud traditions to enhance the bonds between cadets and alumni; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth has a long and proud history of leading the nation in protecting the rights of free speech, especially for independent student newspapers in public schools and institutions of higher education; and

WHEREAS, independent student publications where students have complete editorial control of content separate from influence or control are essential voices of independent free speech; and

WHEREAS, the year 2022 marks the 115th anniversary of The Cadet in its current newspaper format, as well as its record of developing and enhancing open mindedness, ethics, persistence, research skills, technical skills, and storytelling among the cadets who participate in its operation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend The Cadet and The Cadet Foundation for preserving the newspaper’s legacy as one of the oldest independent college newspapers in Virginia and for their service and commitment to the development and support of independent student journalism, exercise of student free speech, and defense of the independence of student free press under the First Amendment; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the cadet staff of The Cadet as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the newspaper’s service to students and the Virginia Military Institute community.