Letter: Some people need to learn what it means to be a Hokie
Wednesday, September 3, 2008; 12:00 AM
Hokie respect is more than just a term thrown around at football games; it is a way of life for all Virginia Tech Hokies.

At football games, you have fun, you go nuts, but, most importantly, you respect yourself, your fellow Hokies and the opponents. I am not one to usually write a letter to the editor, but after what I saw last week, I felt compelled to. I live off-campus and was meeting a friend for lunch when I saw a freshman by DXpress say to a freshman cadet, "Don't look at me." Then, a freshman member of the corps was running (probably late to class), and the kid said, "Slow down." Tech takes a great deal of pride in being one of only two universities in the country that hosts its corps of cadets on campus. We honor their service to our university, but, more importantly, we honor their service to our country. War Memorial is in honor of any Hokies who have died in service. The Corps of Cadets has its own way of dealing with the freshmen, but to disrespect someone fighting for our freedom is appalling. These are the kinds of people who enjoy making other people feel inferior. He laughed, looked around, and tried to get that sense of accomplishment from his friends. I just hope that as Hokies, we speak out against this kind of behavior. Also, I was walking back from Student Services on Friday and I saw a girl with some friends from East Carolina. I was near Slusher Tower and they were about to enter the building when a kid in front of me went out of his way to say to the girls from ECU, "Hey, you all suck." I said, "Dude, come on man, what are you doing?" This is not only immature; it is just plain uncalled for. East Carolina University donated $100,000 to the Hokie Memorial Fund last year, which is a lot of money coming from a state-funded school. I really hope that the freshmen do not think that this is what it takes to be a Hokie. A Hokie is compassionate, serving, honest and school-spirited. A Hokie is not degrading, rude or hostile. I hope that if anyone sees this kind of behavior, they are willing to speak up. Don't let the kid that disrespected our Corps of Cadets feel like he is superior, when in reality, he just needs to grow up.

Brandon Carroll

junior, finance

You might be interested in... Related Topics: hokie respect, letter to the editor
Posted by: Sean at Sep 10 Brandon Carroll, why didn't you say anything to the freshman dbags that were insulting the kids from the Corps? Flag Abuse
Posted by: Hokie_Cadet_Alum at Sep 8 The sad part is very few civilians even understand what a unique institution the Corps is, or how instrumental it was to the founding of this university. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Hokie_97 at Sep 8 I graduated from VTCC in '97 - was in all four years. I can tell you that in my time we never took disparaging remarks from civilians very seriously, mainly because the folks who said them looked and acted like typical college dirtbags. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Chris at Sep 5 Great article, but I would like to point out on here that not all members of the corps are perfect upstanding Hokies either as I have seen corps members say disrespectful things as well. Not many but a few in my time here (4 years). Flag Abuse
Posted by: hokievt09 at Sep 4 all you people should just take a step back and think what a corps member goes through. The first week as a freshman is one of the most stressful points in their college career and most have to work hard though 4 years for the honor of serving their country. Most of these cadets will have to worry about the soldiers under their command and braving a warzone where the rest of us spend time fretting over what clothes to wear or bills to pay. They deserve our respect and nothing less Flag Abuse
Posted by: Taylor at Sep 3 It's not about glorifying the military. It's about their service, dedication, and sacrifice. Get over it. There is no reason to disrespect or not like the Corps. They're hokies too. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Cookie Monster at Sep 3 Never does it say anything about glorification of the military. It is simply asking to respect us for what we are doing both here at school and later in our careers. We are all Hokies so why is it so hard to respect each other no matter race, creed, religion, nationality, or career choice. Maybe all of you bashers need to take a trip to the pylons and read the names engraved upon them. They were all Hokies and they gave the ultimate sacrifice. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at Sep 3 Glorification of the military is a key characteristic of a fascist state. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Jason T at Sep 3 Not that this is cause to disrespect anyone, but as a point of clarification, not everyone in the Corps is in ROTC. Not all cadets are necessarily going to the military once they leave VT. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at Sep 3 It should be pointed out that only one person said something negative about the Corps. If you read them you will see everyone is supporting the Corps! Flag Abuse
Posted by: John at Sep 3 to all you brave Anonymous posters, i can't believe you would disrespect someone who's willing to give his or her life for you. you people are disgusting. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at Sep 3 OMG, first of all its the corps not the core you moron. The corps always had somewhat of a bad rep when I was in school from 03-07 for some reason. I don't know why because they're doing a great service to our school and the country. Also, never met anyone in the corps I didn't like. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at Sep 3 who cares its the core, brandon you suck Flag Abuse
Posted by: charlie at Sep 3 Messing with the Corps is not okay. They should be respected and looked up to by all civilian students. Dissing football fans outside of a game is pretty lame too, they made the trip to VT to have fun and visit friends, not to get yelled at by an obnoxious child. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at Sep 3 This reminds me of the time I was on the upper quad around the time of the cadets' afternoon/evening retreat ceremony. An award-winning prominent professor* made some disparaging comments under her breath and walked right through the middle of their ceremony. I was never a member of the corps but I always made sure to respect their space and ceremonies. They're an important part of our history, and while being a cadet isn't for everyone, respecting all Hokies is a must. *This happened about 7-8 years ago, I just checked her department's website. She still has an office in Lane and is probably still disrespecting the Corps on a regular basis. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Brandon at Sep 3 Well saying "slow down" to a cadet when you are a non-cadet is disrespectful. The way he said it was degrading and it was to be cool. The cadet thought he was getting yelled at by an upperclassman, but he was getting yelled at by a fellow freshman that was trying to be cool. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at Sep 3 I am confused by this? What's wrong with saying slow down? Also, the "you suck" isn't that bad. I have heard a lot worse, not that I am condoning it. Also, it's so moronic b/c we must suck really bad if they suck and still beat us. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at Sep 2 Anyone demeaning the Corps should be ashamed of themselves. As for ECU, thats football --- trash talking is inherent. And by the way, we paid ECU somewhere near $450,000 to play us last year. Flag Abuse
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