**UPDATE**
We have been informed that prior to receiving our letter, the Board of Visitors has stated that VMI will not appoint a commission/committee, and that the Superintendent will make a statement outlining his decision in the coming weeks. We still intend to collect signatures for this letter, and present them to the leadership of VMI through the Alumni Association to demonstrate the range of alumni and classes that support thoughtful and forward looking action. We have signatures of members of 64 classes of the 76 classes from 1948 to the present day. Please share with your fellow alumni and bring them into the dialogue about how VMI will move forward while faithfully executing its mission and values.

---

Dear General Peay, President Boland, and Members of the Board of Visitors,

We write to you in the spirit of affection for the Institute, concern for its future, and a sincere desire to help VMI move forward in purposeful unity. VMI has served Virginia and our nation for over 180 years, and now faces a historic inflection point regarding how institutions have memorialized their history. Over the past month, Alumni across all generations have engaged with each other about the future of the Institute. We recognize that change is coming; and we believe we must act together to shape these changes with and through your leadership.

Though we understand that, in this era of pandemic, the VMI administration must prioritize the health and safety of current Cadets and focus on crafting a plan to safely reopen in the fall, we fear the nation will not give VMI the patience or latitude it may desire. While the Superintendent's letter of 4 June was an important first step in recognizing the seriousness of the issues at hand, further action will be necessary. We believe that this is a moral imperative and that tangible action must be taken to prevent parties outside the VMI family from determining the course of change. We acknowledge that there is no panacea to fix VMI’s past, nor do we possess a clear set of remedies. These are complex issues of historical and modern interpretation, which are emotional for many Alumni.

To this end, we believe the following statements represent the sentiment of the VMI Community:

-We believe VMI is in a position to lead on this challenging issue.
-We do not believe this issue can be addressed by arguments to retain the status quo, which is untenable.
-We believe that proactive measures are required, and that remaining reactive to public opinion, political decisions, or the threat of civil unrest will diminish VMI’s reputation for wisdom and courage.
-We believe that every element of VMI that possesses direct or indirect connection to the Civil War, the Confederacy, or the defense of slavery must be reviewed and reconsidered.
-We believe that the prominent graduates and achievements of the last 155 years (post-Civil War) of VMI’s history should become the symbolic centerpiece of Post, which will embody the modern spirit of the Institute.
-We believe that the collective VMI community should determine the fate of these traditions and monuments.
-We do not desire to have our traditions and monuments unceremoniously removed from the Institute; rather the commission should deliberate on an appropriate method of change.
-We do not believe our history should be white-washed or completely removed, but must be preserved, studied, and placed in context.

In order to directly address these pressing issues, we request and recommend that VMI form a cross-generational and racially-diverse commission of Alumni and Cadets, which reflects the broader VMI community, supported by faculty and advisors, to examine, reassess, and address all traditions, monuments, and building names on Post. The commission's mandate should be to identify these elements of VMI and determine whether they comport or conflict with VMI’s mission and values. The commission should further determine which of these elements can be intelligently modified and contextualized to ensure they provide a positive representation of VMI’s values for future Cadets. This course of action would both demonstrate the seriousness with which VMI is approaching this matter, as well as providing the Institute the opportunity to construct and execute a responsible plan.

Our signatures to this letter affirm our support for the foregoing principles of action and willingness to support VMI leadership in the execution of the commission’s ultimate recommendations. We urge leadership to take the crucial step of forming and announcing this commission, or other appropriate steps, without delay.

Consilio et Animis

//Signed//

Drafted By Donnie Hasseltine ('97), Conor Powell ('99), Mike Purdy ('99) and Shah Rahman ('97).