X-Town DET Question

dreinecke

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
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Jan 10, 2009
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Good Evening! Long time since I've been on and I'm happy to report that my son is graduating this coming Spring! Hard to believe it has gone this quickly.

I have one question that has just come up this evening. He is a X-Town Cadet that travels 1.5+ hours to get to the DET for LLAB one afternoon/evening per week.

He was just informed that the Cadre and Wing Staff are looking to possibly move the next semester's LLAB to the morning and coincide this with PT, which would start at 6am. This means some young Cadets would be on the road around 4 am to arrive on time. I won't even touch the fact that for graduating Seniors, this will completely destroy a mandatory major class/lab that takes place on this morning that they cannot get out of by either the school's demand or the AFROTC change.

He was given the very strong impression that the Cadre and Wing do not care for the X-Town Cadets and do not care that there is a potential safety issue here.

He is looking for guidance based on the reaction he has seen thus far: should he contact his Officer in command to request that this not be done, realizing it may fall on deaf ears and land him in trouble, or is this something better handled through AFROTC at a higher level, which could land him in more trouble for going outside the chain of command?

Thanks for your advice in advance.

David
 
Good Evening! Long time since I've been on and I'm happy to report that my son is graduating this coming Spring! Hard to believe it has gone this quickly.

I have one question that has just come up this evening. He is a X-Town Cadet that travels 1.5+ hours to get to the DET for LLAB one afternoon/evening per week.

He was just informed that the Cadre and Wing Staff are looking to possibly move the next semester's LLAB to the morning and coincide this with PT, which would start at 6am. This means some young Cadets would be on the road around 4 am to arrive on time. I won't even touch the fact that for graduating Seniors, this will completely destroy a mandatory major class/lab that takes place on this morning that they cannot get out of by either the school's demand or the AFROTC change.

He was given the very strong impression that the Cadre and Wing do not care for the X-Town Cadets and do not care that there is a potential safety issue here.

He is looking for guidance based on the reaction he has seen thus far: should he contact his Officer in command to request that this not be done, realizing it may fall on deaf ears and land him in trouble, or is this something better handled through AFROTC at a higher level, which could land him in more trouble for going outside the chain of command?

Thanks for your advice in advance.

David

Just my opinion, but I would address it through the chain of command. Keep in mind, based on your statements, they are only considering this. I'm sure other students face the same issue and if they all speak up it might sway things. Also, it's possible they my offer the opportunity for an LLAB make-up at another time. I know my DS's NROTC unit does this for MIDN who have conflicts due to required classes that are not available at another time. From what I've read on the threads here this appears to vary by unit so that option might not be available, but its certainly worth discussing. I would think the unit would work with him but then I'm a kind hearted soul.
 
Our DS's AFROTC det did exactly what your DS's school is proposing. They had students driving that far too.

I would do as kinnem suggested, but as you expect it may fall on deaf ears. I am sorry he feels the way he does, but I would interject that they have to look at the good of the det., not just the few. Someone will always feel slighted because they can never make 100% of the cadets happy 100% of the time.

I would also suggest when he speaks to his advisor, that due to his major he knows already he will have a class conflict if it is moved. This issue is the one thing that will not fall on deaf ears especially since he is a C400 and cannot commission until he fulfills his academic requirements.


It is important for candidates of 17 to pay attention to this issue, because X-Town will wear on you when you are doing a long commute. It also makes it more difficult when scheduling your academic classes since you need to place that travel time into the equation.
 
Kinnem and Pima -

Thank you both very much for your advice. I've always appreciated how this forum has helped so many Cadets out.

His actual issue with the entire possible change is that he has first year Cadets that are fairly young and may have issues with the drive and his Squadron has several other Seniors that will have the conflict with the class.

The change won't actually affect his schedule other than making him drive at 4:00am. His X-Town Cadets carpool, so they can cover the younger drivers.

His level of concern for the other Cadets is what makes him a good leader. He looks out for his folks and is constantly helping them.

He is going to write a memo and use his chain of command.

Thank you all again for your input!
 
Kinnem and Pima -

Thank you both very much for your advice. I've always appreciated how this forum has helped so many Cadets out.

His actual issue with the entire possible change is that he has first year Cadets that are fairly young and may have issues with the drive and his Squadron has several other Seniors that will have the conflict with the class.

The change won't actually affect his schedule other than making him drive at 4:00am. His X-Town Cadets carpool, so they can cover the younger drivers.

His level of concern for the other Cadets is what makes him a good leader. He looks out for his folks and is constantly helping them.

He is going to write a memo and use his chain of command.

Thank you all again for your input!

Thanks! Your comments are what makes hanging out here worthwhile. It sounds like your DS will make a great officer and (as far as I'm concerned) his speaking up on behalf of others it to be commended. Please let us know how it all works out.
 
He was given the very strong impression that the Cadre and Wing do not care for the X-Town Cadets and do not care that there is a potential safety issue here.

David

It is hard to gauge how serious a safety issue this is without knowing where the schools are. I would not be concerned if my son needed to drive across Miami at 4 AM, but Vermont, Michigan, or North Dakota, would be a different story. To me, the safety issue would all depend on the driving conditions. There is no easy solution to Black Ice. Lost sleep can be reconciled by going to bed earlier.
 
I think he is doing the right move by going up the chain. I just expect that their decision will be made regardless of the memo. The dets. reply may be along the lines that the cadets knew this commute might be an issue when they joined the program, plus as they always say SERVICE BEFORE SELF.

I am not saying it is right. I am just saying from the unit's perspective, 4 a.m. means they need to go to bed earlier. From my position as a parent, I do see it differently because most of these kids live in dorms, and dorms are incredibly loud, so even if they tried to go to sleep early, unless they use ear plugs and a sleeping mask, it will be hard for them to fall asleep at 8-9 p.m.

They may also be changing the schedule time for logistic reasons. I know that at our DS's unit they pay rent to the university for the space. Yrs ago AFROTC trained in a different building, but now that AROTC is larger, AROTC is in that building. The university moved them, it was not the units choice. It may also be because of cost constraints they are moving the location and that is the only time they can get it, or the university has decided to increase the rent for the time they already have, but will keep it lower if they moved to the a.m. (Supply/demand for the university). There could be behind the closed doors real reasons why it isn't a should we do it, but can we afford not to do it?
 
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