More than 50 chapters were represented in 43 rat send-offs during summer 2019, giving incoming cadets and their families the chance to interact with and receive advice from alumni, family and friends of VMI. Of the more than 500 cadets who matriculated Aug. 17, more than 260 attended a rat send-off. Including the incoming cadets, more than 1,800 people attended this summer’s rat send-offs.
“Rat send-off season 2019 was a success! Alumni Agencies staff had the opportunity to attend a number of these events, and there were many, many positive interactions between the incoming rats and their families and the VMI folks in their local areas,” said T.J. Lighton ’15, Alumni Association director of alumni outreach. “A special thank you goes out to all volunteers who made these events special. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into making sure rat send-offs go well, and none of it would be possible without the help of our alumni volunteers and others who generously give their time to make the rats and their families feel welcomed into the VMI community.”
