ROANOKE, Va. – A Virginia Tech student is suing the university after he was suspended for hazing after a “blood pinning” ceremony last fall.
Darrien Brown claims he was denied due process because he couldn’t confront his accuser during a hearing. His suspension arose out of a “constitutionally flawed process,” according to the lawsuit.
A student accused Brown and other members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets of hazing at a team-building event in Oct. 2019, according to the lawsuit.
“Blood pinning” is when pins are placed on the body, sometimes the chest area, and sometimes through an item of clothing. A student involved in the incident brought it to the attention of Virginia Tech officials.
The lawsuit claims the team-building event, at which there were about 20 “leaders" and 20 “participants,” was voluntary. It also claims that drugs and alcohol weren’t involved in the event.
Brown was supposed to graduate this May and then be commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. Virginia Tech suspended him for two semesters. According to the lawsuit, Brown had an “exemplary academic record.”