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Academy honor cases focus on redemption, not expulsion
Commandant stepping up enforcement; some graduates contend standards not high enough
By EARL KELLY, Staff Writer
Published 11/01/09
Despite its reputation for setting high standards, the Naval Academy rarely dismisses anyone for lying, cheating or stealing, according to thousands of pages of documents obtained by concerned graduates under the federal Freedom of Information Act.
It's a disturbing trend, these graduates contend, because Naval Academy midshipmen, as junior officers, become responsible for weapons systems, national security and the welfare of the young men and women who enlist in the Navy and Marine Corps.
Academy officials counter that the honor code, or Honor Concept as it is called at the Naval Academy, is alive and well.
Commandant of Midshipmen Navy Capt. Matthew Klunder would not go so far as to say that standards had eroded before he arrived in early June 2008, but he said he found some changes needed to be made.
"I just got the real feeling inside my gut and on the back of my neck that we were missing the real core understanding of what honor was all about," said Klunder, a 1982 academy grad.
"We have brought increased energy and increased focus, and I am pleased with that. ... I want the alumni to know (the Honor Concept) is important to the commandant," he said.
The academy's focus on cases of lying and stealing saw two midshipmen court-martialed this year. Both mids in these unrelated cases were booted out of the Navy and sent to prison for stealing from their fellow midshipmen.
After the first sentencing, in late April, a longtime academy spokesman said he could not recall the last time a mid had been tried for theft.
Still, the number of honor cases and the lenient punishments remain a concern for many academy graduates.
(Read the rest of the article.... CLICK HERE)
Commandant stepping up enforcement; some graduates contend standards not high enough
By EARL KELLY, Staff Writer
Published 11/01/09
Despite its reputation for setting high standards, the Naval Academy rarely dismisses anyone for lying, cheating or stealing, according to thousands of pages of documents obtained by concerned graduates under the federal Freedom of Information Act.
It's a disturbing trend, these graduates contend, because Naval Academy midshipmen, as junior officers, become responsible for weapons systems, national security and the welfare of the young men and women who enlist in the Navy and Marine Corps.
Academy officials counter that the honor code, or Honor Concept as it is called at the Naval Academy, is alive and well.
Commandant of Midshipmen Navy Capt. Matthew Klunder would not go so far as to say that standards had eroded before he arrived in early June 2008, but he said he found some changes needed to be made.
"I just got the real feeling inside my gut and on the back of my neck that we were missing the real core understanding of what honor was all about," said Klunder, a 1982 academy grad.
"We have brought increased energy and increased focus, and I am pleased with that. ... I want the alumni to know (the Honor Concept) is important to the commandant," he said.
The academy's focus on cases of lying and stealing saw two midshipmen court-martialed this year. Both mids in these unrelated cases were booted out of the Navy and sent to prison for stealing from their fellow midshipmen.
After the first sentencing, in late April, a longtime academy spokesman said he could not recall the last time a mid had been tried for theft.
Still, the number of honor cases and the lenient punishments remain a concern for many academy graduates.
(Read the rest of the article.... CLICK HERE)