Parade to mark entrance of Class of 2018 into the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets set for Aug. 23
More than 330 new members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets reported to the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg on Aug. 16 for New Cadet Training, one week before the rest of the campus.
For the third consecutive year the overall Corps of Cadets will number more than 1,000 cadets with the addition of these newest members of the Class of 2018.
Virginia leads the way with 57 percent of the new class coming from in-state. Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, and New York are the next five states with the largest numbers of cadets in this class. Numerous siblings of current and former cadets are also in this group and 23 percent of the class have a parent, grandparent, or sibling that attended Virginia Tech. More than half of the class is majoring in engineering or science, with 30 percent of the new members in the College of Engineering and 26 percent in the College of Science.
Throughout the week these new cadets will be taught by approximately 130 upper class cadets on how to march and perform military drill with precision, how to properly complete a military obstacle course safely, how to rappel down a 40-foot tower, and will also compete in an athletic team-building competition along with many other experiences. During drill this week cadets may be seen with demilitarized (no firing pin) rifles.
In recognition of their completion of the challenging training, a parade marking the acceptance of the new cadets into the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will be held Aug. 23 at 10 a.m. on the Drillfield. It will be centered on Burruss Hall. The incoming Class of 2018 will join a long-standing tradition at Virginia Tech which began with 132 cadets in October 1872, when all students were cadets and Virginia Tech was known as the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College.
University President Timothy Sands, Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Perillo, and Virginia Delegate Joseph Yost will join the Commandant of Cadets Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart in the reviewing party on Saturday.
During the parade, the Highty-Tighties, the regimental band, will play and Skipper, the Corps of Cadets cannon, will be fired when the cadets first enter the Drillfield, at the first note of the national anthem, and the first note of "Tech Triumph."
There will be three shots total, the first shot will be at approximately 9:50 a.m. and the final shot will be at approximately 10:45 a.m.
In addition, Skipper will fire two shots at the final parade practice on Aug. 22 which will begin at 10 a.m. on the Drillfield.
Everyone is welcome to come and watch the Class of 2018’s first parade. Parking is available around the Drillfield and no visitor’s pass is necessary on weekends. However, please be aware that move-in for non-corps first-year students is on Saturday and parking may be limited around the Drillfield. Parking is also available in the Perry Street Lots and the Perry Street Parking Garage near Prices Fork Road. Find more parking information online or call 540-231-3200.
