23 Women Endure VMI ‘Rat’ Hazing

The first coeducational class at the once all-male Virginia Military Institute celebrated the end of seven months of hazing that transformed the “rats” into full-fledged cadets. Twenty-three of the 30 women admitted to the Lexington military college last year crawled up a mud-soaked hill in near-freezing temperatures in a tradition known as “breakout,” marking the end to months of torment by upperclassmen. Members of the VMI Class of 2001 said their “rat line” was little changed by the addition of women.