After Cassell was filled to capacity, students were invited to watch the convocation from Lane Stadium.
Share
"Let's go, Hokies." I never realized exactly how much weight that simple three-word phrase carried until April 17, 2007.
It's the signature cheer at Virginia Tech athletic events, a gameday ritual as automatic as tailgating.
But on April 17, it served a much more significant purpose. It helped bring us out of the darkest period this university and its people have ever experienced.
Students, faculty, staff and parents milled around outside Cassell Coliseum before the convocation ceremony in a state of quiet shock, not exactly sure of what to make of what had happened over the course of the previous 24 hours.
Once inside, we all sat quietly and listened as President Bush, Gov. Tim Kaine and administrators and religious figures from the Tech community spoke. We soaked in the resilient prose of Nikki Giovanni, whose words helped spark the road to collective recovery.
And then, in the middle of the applause that followed, a lone voice on one side of the coliseum called out, "Let's go..."
Zenobia Hikes, Tech's vice president of student affairs, who gave numerous speeches that week, said she that she wanted to thank that person for helping to lift so much off her heart.
A small contingent on the other side responded with "Hokies," and then a larger group countered with "Let's Go..." to which more people lobbed back "Hokies."
It snowballed like this until all of the 10,000-plus people were chanting and clapping in harmony. "Let's Go, Hokies" reverberated all throughout Cassell for a moment in time, reminding us of our bond with one another.
It shook us out of our doldrums and melancholy state. The chills that traveled down my spine, and I'm sure everyone else's in attendance, were unbelievable. Never before have I been more proud to be a student at Virginia Tech.
Fast-forward to later that night. The same cheer broke out during the candlelight vigil held on the Drillfield. Just as at Cassell Coliseum earlier in the day, it was one of those few moments when you realize that you are part of something bigger than yourself.
Every person who has ever been a part of the Virginia Tech community knows the drill.
One person or group throws out the "Let's go," and another person or group reciprocates with "Hokies." Pretty much as basic a cheer as they come, but one with which all Tech people can identify.
Leave a comment 1 Comment Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
Photo manipulation is as old as photography itself, contrary to the idea of a photo having inherent verisimilitude. Though not obviously visible to human eyes, image manipulation can be detected by some sophisticated tools, like <a href="http://www.pskiller.com/">Photoshopped Image Killer</a>. Which tells you whether your image has been Photoshopped given the image or the image's URL.
Reply to this Top