Following the creation of our office, there have been many questions from the VMI community about DOI both in general and at the Institute specifically. Here are some of the most frequent questions and answers.

What is DO&I?

Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion is a set of values that VMI uses to promote the fair treatment and full participation of the people within VMI’s culture. It is a commitment to providing what all stakeholders need to be successful within this environment. We respect the diverse range of experiences people bring with them and want to create opportunities for everyone to share their talents and be successful. Lastly, we want to have an environment where everyone feels that their personalities, ideas, and contributions are included.  

VMI has a commitment to civility. Isn’t that enough? Why does VMI need a DO&I Office?  

Often civility is conflated with terms like respect, compassion, and empathy. However, civility is merely polite behavior and the bare minimum standard in our interactions with people. It should be noted that one of the original definitions of civility was: 

I.1.† The position or status of being a citizen; citizenship. Obsolete. (Oxford English Dictionary)

This original definition of civility as the status of a citizen hints at the ways in which civility as an overarching value can fail and where DO&I can be successful. Our behavior can change when we consider someone to be a member of an in-group or an out-group. Often civility is the standard of treatment for the people we feel belong in our environments. Acceptable treatment for those we deem to be outsiders can fall short of politeness. The patience we show to someone we believe belongs in our society is greater than that shown to those we believe to be interlopers. When we hold diversity, opportunity, and inclusion as values, we move beyond polite formalities and actively seek ways to turn strangers into friends. 

When was the DO&I Office established? 

Summer 2021 

Why did you remove ‘Equity’ from the Office’s name? 

The change from DE&I to DO&I was to help clear up some of the misinformation about the objectives of our work at VMI. Some people believe that the word equity means ensuring equal outcomes for everyone without regard to the level of effort they put into the process. That is not the definition of equity in the dictionary or in diversity education. In fact, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the meaning of the word equity has been relatively unchanged since its first recorded use in the English language circa 1315. However, to eliminate this misunderstanding as a point of contention, we replaced ‘equity’ with ‘opportunity’. DO&I at VMI ensures that every cadet and employee has the opportunity to do well and that no unjust or unintentional barriers to success are placed on individuals based on immutable characteristics. It is then the responsibility of each person to take advantage of the opportunities that VMI provides.  

Doesn’t DO&I, DE&I, or whatever you want to call it teach people that the world is divided into oppressed and oppressors and that you’re a perpetrator or a victim based on the color of your skin? 

I’m sure that point of view is taught somewhere but that’s not what we believe, teach, or learn at VMI. For our cadet education, we use Inclusive Excellence as our framework.  

What is Inclusive Excellence? 

Inclusive Excellence is a framework developed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) for diversity and inclusion on college campuses (as opposed to other organizations). The framework was developed in the early 2000s in response to a report called “Greater Expectations” that outlined the changing face of American college campuses, and the potential challenges and opportunities institutions would encounter as they adapted to enrolling a more diverse student body.  

There are four principles of Inclusive Excellence. They have been modified for our senior military college environment. You will see ‘cadet’ instead of student and ‘post’ instead of campus.  

• Achieving academic equity in inclusive, welcoming settings. 
• Teaching and learning the skills, knowledge, and mindsets cadets need in order to make constructive contributions in an increasingly diverse society. 
• Creating a climate in classrooms and on post that supports all cadets. 
• Developing learning opportunities that assume difference is an asset to problem-solving. 

How often do cadets complete Inclusive Excellence training? 

All VMI students attend Inclusive Excellence training one time per academic year. Our trainings are on Friday mornings from 0800 to 0850. Because we believe engaging in dialogue is important when discussing diversity, opportunity, and inclusion we try to keep class sizes small (between 20-25 cadets per room). During our first year of Inclusive Excellence training, Rats attended two sessions in an academic year. However, since that time everyone just has one training per academic year. We also offer a variety of events throughout the Fall and Spring semesters that cadets may attend as often as they choose.  

Who leads Inclusive Excellence Training sessions? 

Cadet Inclusive Excellence Training is conducted by cadets. VMI strives to be a cadet-led institution. The Inclusive Excellence Program is one of many opportunities cadets have to assume a leadership role at VMI. Cadets volunteer to work as an Inclusive Excellence facilitator and work hard throughout the academic year to refine their facilitation skills. VMI faculty and staff volunteer to provide support for our cadet facilitators.  

What topics does Inclusive Excellence Training address? 

Our Inclusive Excellence Training and events address topics that VMI cadets have expressed they wanted to discuss. These range from race, gender, sexual orientation, body image, women in the military, learning about diverse cultures, diversity of thought, and more. Given the limited amount of time we have to work with cadets (only 50 minutes), we can’t cover every topic during Inclusive Excellence Training sessions. We try to address all topics cadets are curious about in the events we offer and encourage cadets to make suggestions about what programming they’d like to see. VMI cadets are eager to learn, open to new experiences, and understand how being culturally competent will improve their leadership abilities.  

How many people work in the DO&I Office? 

Currently, there are two full-time employees working in the DO&I Office but we hope to add a third staff member soon.