Admissions Insights: Hokie Spirit

The Hokie Spirit is epitomized by our motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). Being a member of the Virginia Tech community is more than accepting the fact that the colors maroon and orange truly do match. It's about learning both inside and outside of the classroom. It's about community service and helping your fellow man. To borrow from the spiritual and political leader, Gandhi, it's about expanding your horizons so that you can be the change you want to see in the world.

This means respecting your fellow Hokies – those who have also become Hokies by opting to learn, teach, or work at Virginia Tech. The university’s goal is to create a community filled with the Hokie Spirit. A community that nurtures learning and growing for all of its members. In orde r to do this, the university has adopted a few principles that we call the Virginia Tech Principles of Community.

As a new Hokie, we hope you too will adopt these principles and
embrace the responsibility that comes with calling yourself a Hokie.

Principles of Community
• We affirm the inherent dignity and value of every person and strive to maintain a climate for work and learning based on mutual respect and understanding.
• We affirm the right of each person to express thoughts and opinions freely.
We encourage open expression within a climate of civility, sensitivity, and mutual respect.
• We affirm the value of human diversity because it enriches our lives and the University. We acknowledge and respect our differences while affirming our common humanity.
• We reject all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including those based on age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, and veteran status. We take individual and collective responsibility for helping to eliminate bias and discrimination and for increasing our own understanding of these issues through education, training, and interaction with others.
We pledge our collective commitment to these principles in the spirit of the Virginia Tech motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).