Dear Editor:
David Roberts' "All-male military institutes not for female cadets" column in Thursday's issue asked "what was the point" of women applying "to these particular institutions, anyway?"
The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute integrated men and women into the institutions because it is illegal to use public funds in a discriminatory manner. What he failed to recognize is that the Citadel and VMI are public institutions. According to the Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, "it prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion or national origin."
Therefore, the primary issue he was so confused about is discrimination. If these two schools were private institutions, then the issue of women applying to an all-male military institute would be a different story.
However, his case attempted to build against the "girls (who) thought they wanted to be big and bad" by applying to the institutions is discriminatory because he suggested to exclude a part of the American society from a public funded organization.
Any merits of his other arguments concerning this issue may or may not be discussed by other readers, but the main argument is clearly a discriminatory one.
Tara Burkhart
health promotions senior