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NOW calls VMI's stance on women "vindictive"

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Virginia Military Institute is being vindictive in its unbending response to a court order that the historically all-male academy must admit women, the National Organization for Women said Tuesday.

VMI's Board of Visitors voted 9-8 Saturday to allow women to enroll. It was the last state-supported military academy in the United States to bar women. NOW maintains that the school's harsh requirements for women create a deliberately hostile environment for the new women.

Like the men, women cadets at VMI will have their hair shaved off, will live in barracks, and must maintain the same fitness standards as their male counterparts. And while they will have their own showers, there will be no locks on the doors.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• VMI to accept women - September 21, 1996
• VMI refuses to send women applications, despite court ruling - September 10, 1996
• VMI considers going private to keep female cadets out - June 28, 1996

Related sites:

• Virginia Military Institute
• NOW

Would-be Simpson jurors break down along racial lines

SANTA MONICA, California (CNN) -- Potential jurors in the O.J. Simpson civil suit went through a second round of questioning Tuesday, this one focusing on their opinions of the case and their exposure to the media coverage.

Responses fell along racial lines. Two men, one black and one white, were excused from the panel because they had formed strong opinions on Simpson's guilt -- the former said he believed police may have framed Simpson, and the latter said he was certain Simpson was guilty of the killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

But a black woman surprised the courtroom during her questioning, saying that because she worked and had two children, she didn't have time to watch the trial. She was held over, and asked to complete another questionnaire for the final phase of jury selection.

Related stories:

• Simpson makes first appearance at civil trial - September 20, 1996
• Simpson must hand over key videotape in civil trial September 19, 1996
• Judge has no-excuses attitude in picking Simpson jurors September 18, 1996

Related sites:

• CNN Interactive's O.J. Simpson main page
• Simpson Court Transcripts

Fund established to aid Olympic bombing suspect

ATLANTA (CNN) -- The man at the center of the Olympic bombing investigation now has a support fund in his name. The Richard Jewell Fund is raising money to help pay legal expenses for the former security guard.

Jewell, the security guard who discovered a pipe bomb in Atlanta's downtown Olympic park during a popular concert, was hailed as a hero, then branded a suspect, but never charged.

Friends have established a toll free number to solicit checks, money orders or letters of support. Among the initial contributors was celebrity TV basketball commentator Billy Packer.

Correspondent Art Harris contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• Olympic bomb probe focuses on 12-volt battery - September 20, 1996
• CNN - Olympic Park Bombing

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