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FactsSlang
- Blackboard - An online message board for professors to communicate with the students in their class.
- BT - Blacksburg Transit, the bus system that will get you around campus and around town.
- Cadets - Members of Tech’s Corps of Cadets.
- Drillfield - The central point of Tech’s campus. This grassy expanse provides a place for undergrads to run and play. During the winter, crossing the Drillfield means having a cold windy trek to class.
- Drunk Bus - The name for Blacksburg Transit buses that run after midnight.
- Empo - The Math Emporium. This computer lab contains about 500 computers and is a quick bus ride away from campus.
- Hokie - Hokie refers to Tech’s mascot, but also to Tech students. If you ask a Tech student what a Hokie is, they may reply, “I’m a Hokie.”
- Hokie Passport - A card with your picture and ID number on it. A few things you use this card for are to get on the bus, buy lunch, and get in the gym.
- Hokie Stalker - The people finder on Tech’s Web site.
- Hokie Stone - A type of limestone used on the outside of buildings on campus.
- PID - Your personal identifier. Your PID is used to access your e-mail, register for classes, see your grades online, and more.
- RA - Resident Advisor. Every hall in the dorms has an RA to keep an eye on the students living there.
- Reading Day - Day off before finals start.
- The Cage - If you bring a car your freshman year, this is probably where you’ll park it; a parking lot on the outskirts of campus that students have lovingly named “the cage.”
- TOTS - Top of the Stairs, a popular bar downtown.
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
- Go to the Student Organization Fair; there are so many things to get involved in.
- Keep your dorm room door open when you’re there, it’s a good way to meet people.
- The Career Center doesn’t just help you find a career, it helps you pick a major, too.
- Wear sunblock to football games.
Tips to Succeed
- Don’t be afraid to speak up in class.
- Don’t push yourself when deciding on a major; start off as University Studies and explore all your options.
- Get to know your professors; sometimes it can make the difference between a B and an A. Also, they can help you find internships and write recommendations.
- Go to class; sometimes attendance counts as half your grade.
- Learn how to navigate the library.
- Make friends in class; they’re future study partners and can tell you what you miss if you take a day off.
- Open your book at least a few days before your first test. This isn’t high-school; it’s going to take some time and effort to learn the material. Though you’ll probably have to pull an all-nighter every now and then, start early, and avoid them whenever possible.
- Sit near the front (especially when you’re one student out of 300 in a class).
- Try not to get too caught up in the party scene. It’s OK to get out and have some fun, just don’t let it get in the way of your school work.
Urban Legends
- The opening scene of the movie Slackers was inspired by a student at Tech. In the scene, a student tries to avoid getting an F by throwing his test and his fellow students’ tests into the air. Since the class is so large, the professor doesn’t know this student’s name and therefore won’t be able to figure out which test is his in the pile.
- There is a secret society that explores the steam tunnels below Virginia Tech.
Traditions
- Corps of Cadets - Remnant of the school’s military past, the Virginia Tech Corp of Cadets is still a very prominent group on campus. Students who join the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech may choose from four ROTC options——Army ROTC, Navy ROTC and Marine Corps, and Air Force ROTC. Some cadets participate in the program without being interested in future military service, but many cadets join the Corps to prepare them for their future military careers. Cadets are very visible on campus because of the uniforms they wear and the drills they do.
- Fireworks - Virginia Tech loves to celebrate many occasions with fireworks displays on the Drillfield. Events including Ring Premiere, Ring Dance, Founders’ Day, and Military Ball are all followed by major fireworks displays. Many freshmen are surprised when they walk out of their dorm on a March night and it looks like the Fourth of July.
- Hokies - Virginia Tech students are Hokies, the buildings here are made of Hokie stone, and students’ IDs are called their Hokie Passports. But what’s a Hokie? The term “Hokie” came from a cheer made in 1896. The term was probably just made up to rhyme, but somehow it stuck. Now everyone at Tech uses the word.
- Orange and Maroon - Tech students embrace their school’s official colors of orange and maroon. To be more specific, burnt orange and Chicago maroon. To outsiders, these may seem like funny colors to wear together, but most Tech students truly believe these colors look good. However, orange and maroon weren’t always Tech’s colors. When the school was still young, its colors were black and gray. Unfortunately, the color combination (and the use of stripes) made Virginia Tech athletes look more like prisoners than ball players.
- Ring Dance - Every spring, students who are in their junior year take part in the Ring Dance. Ring Dance is actually a two day event. Friday is the night of a banquet, and Saturday is when the dance and exchanging of rings takes place. As couples walk into the dance, they are given their date’s class ring, which is kept till an exchange ceremony takes place at the end of the night. As Ring Dance concludes, fireworks are set off on the Drillfield.
- Ut Prosim - Virginia Tech's motto, Ut Prosim, "That I may serve," represents a long-standing tradition of Hokies striving to give back to their community. This tradition began with Virginia Tech's cadets serving their country and continues today as students find new ways every day to get out and make a difference. With food drives and charity concerts, almost weekly blood drives, and programs like Big Event and VT Engage, Virginia Tech students continue to live out their motto and uphold the university's tradition of service.
School Spirit
When you’re a Hokie, you let everyone know it. Most students at Virginia Tech own a Virginia Tech T-shirt, in fact, most students own five or six Virginia Tech T-shirts. Not to mention Virginia Tech sweatshirts, skirts, hats, sweats, shoes, bumper stickers, blankets, chairs, and notebooks. However, the outer appearance of students’ spirit is weak compared to their real feelings. Students’ spirit is best observed on football game days. Yelling, blowing whistles, honking horns—students get outside and let everyone know how devoted they are to their team and to their school. There are, of course, students who don’t care about football, but even these students tend to show some pride when it comes to talking about their school.
Most Recent Contributing Author
Name: Heather Priestley
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Contributing Author Internship
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