EDUCATION
Virginia Tech sued by three more former cadets over blood pinning punishments
By Henri Gendreau henri.gendreau@roanoke.com 540-381-1679
Virginia Tech is being sued by three more former cadets over how the university disciplined them in a blood pinning ritual last fall.
The lawsuits, filed in federal court this week, allege university officials “created fake emails, withheld documents, and misled accused students about the basic facts of their case.”
In December,
the university suspended a dozen students for at least a semester after a student conduct hearing determined their actions violated Virginia Tech’s hazing policy.
The three new lawsuits, following one settled in February, stem from an incident in October, when members of the Corps of Cadets “Bravo company” took part in a sophomore initiation rite. Cadets did calisthenics, hiked a mountain and held a bonfire, where they gave out small military pins for participating. The pins were tapped into the chest in an exercise known as blood pinning. Afterward, they went to Cook-Out.
Joshua Gunther, a junior from Maryland, Kyle Williams, a junior from South Carolina, and a third plaintiff, identified only as “John Doe,” allege the university violated their due process rights.
On Friday morning, Montgomery County Commonwealth’s Attorney Mary Pettitt announced that her office would not prosecute the students for hazing under state law based on her office’s investigation of the October incident.
{snip}
Henri Gendreau covers Virginia Tech for The Roanoke Times.
= new reply since forum marked as read