Saturday parade will welcome 348 new Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets members
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets' 348 new members reported to campus in Blacksburg Saturday for New Cadet Training. The overall Corps of Cadets will number over 1,000 cadets for the fourth consecutive year.
A few facts about the Corps of Cadets' Class of 2019:
- Cadets from Virginia make up 57 percent of the new class;
- Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New York are the next five states with the largest numbers of cadets;
- Over 17 percent of this class is female, an increase of more than two percent from previous years;
- 33 percent of this class earned an ROTC scholarship, which will pay tuition and a stipend for these cadets;
- Languages spoken at home by the incoming class include Amharic, Oromo, Mandarin, English, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Russian, Uzbek, Spanish, and Thai;
- This class also includes four veterans and four new cadets who are participating in the Army National Guard while in college.
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, and how to rappel down a 40-foot tower. They 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 Corps of Cadets will be held Saturday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m. on the Drillfield. It will be centered on Burruss Hall. The incoming Class of 2019 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 D. Sands, Laura Sands, and Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Perillo 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 Friday, Aug. 21, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the Drillfield.
Everyone is welcome to come and watch the Class of 2019’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 students continues 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.
