BLACKSBURG, Va. – No charges will be filed after the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets was accused of hazing in an incident described as “blood pinning”, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Mary Petit.
In order to file charges for criminal hazing in Virginia, the Commonwealth has to prove reckless actions, the intentional endangerment of someone’s health or safety, or that bodily injury took place as part of an initiation into a group, according to Petit.
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Authorities say that upperclassmen in Bravo Company organized an optional, unsanctioned event called “Sophomore Integration” in the fall of 2019 at Caldwell Fields. The event also included some juniors who were not able to attend the previous year.
Cadets were told to bring their company pins and when they arrived, they were told to do pushups, sit-ups and flutter kicks int the parking lot, according to the sheriff’s office. The pins were then reportedly collected, sanitized and put in a Ziploc bag.
The sophomores then had to do several different activities, including calisthenics in a knee-deep creek with their eyes covered, bear walks, crab crawls and burpees as well as jogging up a three-mile gravel road with shields representing the Bravo company.
During these activities, authorities say the participants were given water, allowed time to rest, followed by a car in case anyone was injured during the jogging portion and given gloves to protect their hands from gravel. According to the sheriff’s office, no one was hurt.
At the end of the jog up the gravel road, authorities say the upperclassmen formed a circle around a bonfire with the sophomores facing them and company pins were returned to their owners.
Sophomores say they were told that they could choose an upperclassman to “blood pin” them if they wanted, but that it was optional. Several declined.
Authorities say the company pin, a lapel pin with two small points, was then punched into the sophomore’s chest by their chosen upperclassman.
According to the sheriff’s office, no one described the blood pinning as painful and some said it was no different than a typical punch to the chest. Some cadets compared the “blood pinning” to other standard training they participate in, according to Petit.
Before the event, participants say they were told that the event was optional, but strongly recommended.
According to juniors who participated, they were not treated differently because they didn’t attend the previous year. In addition, out of those who declined to be “blood pinned,” no one reported repercussions because of declining, and several who declined were ranked highly on the promotion process list.
Petit says that because of all the factors involved, this incident doesn’t fall under the umbrella of hazing. She notes that the only bodily injury was the “blood pinning,” which she says didn’t appear to rise to the level of “reckless” or “endangerment.”
“In addition, there is no evidence that participation was required for continued affiliation with the group. For those reasons, I have declined to prosecute anyone for hazing in connection with the event,” Pettitt said.
This comes after a Virginia Tech student, Darrien Brown, sued the university for his suspension due to the alleged hazing.
According to Brown, 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.
Below is a portion of the statement from Petit:
“From the perspective of a criminal prosecutor, the facts were insufficient to prove criminal hazing beyond a reasonable doubt. During a student conduct investigation, Virginia Tech is required to consider the facts in the context of University regulations and not the criminal Code of Virginia. The facts could constitute hazing according to University regulations but not constitute hazing according to criminal law.”
