but the academies already offer the 5 or 6 year plan to cadets on an individual basis...turnbacks and mentorship programs for certain regs and honor violations
AF Wants some 5 Year Sports Graduates - Stupid
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but the academies already offer the 5 or 6 year plan to cadets on an individual basis...turnbacks and mentorship programs for certain regs and honor violations
Just saying, if they are willing to give people more time to "correct" ethical shortcomings, what's the issue with giving someone who helps bring in millions of dollars (which fund plenty of other sports) more time to get back into service shape and catch up on a semester of academics they missed out on because of practice and travel?
raimius
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The academy is a 4 year institution. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but I don't think there should be an expectation that if you choose to take on more than you can handle, you'll automatically be given another year.
Priorities need to be set, and the first should be completing the basic program and commissioning. Other activities are a bonus.
As a parallel, people don't respect the pilot who writes great performance reports and puts together a great Christmas party but can't fly well. The baseline expectation is that you successfully perform your primary duties. For cadets, that is a minimum 2.0 avg in academics, military, and athletics, and completing all required courses. If you can't do that because your EXTRAcurriculars take up too much time, you need to re-orient.
Priorities need to be set, and the first should be completing the basic program and commissioning. Other activities are a bonus.
As a parallel, people don't respect the pilot who writes great performance reports and puts together a great Christmas party but can't fly well. The baseline expectation is that you successfully perform your primary duties. For cadets, that is a minimum 2.0 avg in academics, military, and athletics, and completing all required courses. If you can't do that because your EXTRAcurriculars take up too much time, you need to re-orient.
Not sure that's the best argument to lead with.
More like being a better steward of tax payers money.
When cadets are appointed, they are assumed to be capable of graduating and becoming an Army officer. No one is perfect and everyone is not mature enough to graduate in four years - although majority of cadets are able meet the requirements to graduate. One of my roommates went to summer school every summer and managed to graduate. I am sure he could have been easily separated for academic deficiency.
Options are
1 - give a second chance, spend some additional resource to graduate a cadet that is a borderline. Some famous graduates of WP were ranked low in their classes.
2 - separate a cadet to lose some of the investment tax payers made (in theory, cadets that get separated after 2 years have to pay back the Army, but won't recover the lost opportunity of cost of not graduating a cadet).
LG's points are well taken. I'd add that any extra time consideration be early in the 4 years (now 5?) and only after all participation in intercollegate athletics have been suspended. Said another way; I'm all for providing help for a kid struggling with calc - but not having enough time because of football should not be justification.
I doubt the coach would agree.
I doubt the coach would agree.
Christcorp
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+100
Unlike a "Traditional" D1 athlete who's got a scholarship tied to their athletic participation, the academies aren't like that. I know quite a few recruited athletes who decided "FOR THEMSELVES" that they couldn't do it all. "Academy academics/life AND Athletics". They quit the team and became a Non-IC cadet. I also know many recruited athletes at the academy who spent anywhere from 1-4 years doing the academy academics/life WITH doing their sports, who graduated top of their class and wound up in grad school. I know one particular football offensive lineman, "Starter", who majored in Chemistry, graduated high in his class "2012" and is at AFIT Wright Patterson.
FWIW: I am against changing the academy to a 5 year for anyone as a NORMAL option. I have no problem with the cadet who gets injured, ill, etc. who require an additional semester. I have no problem with the 1 year sabbatical for mission work, family emergencies, etc... I do have have a problem with 5 years being an "Option". I also don't believe that the "AIR FORCE" wants the 5 years. I believe certain athletic coaches; "Initials are: Troy Calhoun" want it because he uses this as an excuse for his losing 2013 season. People forget the FACT that in the last 31 years of Falcon Football, air force has a 25-6 WINNING SEASON RECORD!!! If the past teams could find a way to do the academy academics, life, as well as football, then so can the future classes. The reason the 2013 falcons had their WORST SEASON EVER, isn't because the players don't have 5 years at the academy. It's because the coaching sucked. Trust me, I'm probably the most DIE-HARD Falcon Football Fanatic on this website. (Ask anyone who knows me on this forum). And I'll be the first to say that the academy doesn't need to be a 5 year institution. Especially for the athletes. That's just an excuse. The thing that made falcon football competitive over the years; because we are smaller, lighter, and slower; is because of our work ethic, discipline, determination, pride, and team work. That is what's been missing in the last couple years. Not a 5th year to make up for academics so athletes can spend more time training/playing.
If USNA can have back to back winning season with their Mids being required to graduate in 4 years so can USAFA!
If my comment sounded sarcastic, it was not meant that way. I agree with your points, I only wish they would do the same with ROTC cadets. There is a lot of help offered but if they can't make it work in the time given they are shown the door. I agree that's sometimes a bigger waste of dollar's already spent.
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Because if there's any academy with as bad, or worse, press than USAFA.... it's USNA.
That maybe true LITS, but their football players graduate in 4 years.
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When they graduate, true.
Cough cough, kris proctor and trey miller
Christcorp
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As I mentioned, and easily found, Air Force has one of the winningest football programs in the entire country. Are they "National Championship" material? No, and they never will be. But having 25 of 31 seasons being .500 or better; (Basically bowl eligible), is an accomplishment that a large portion of D1 schools can not claim. If they can do this over the past 31 years, with a 4 year degree program, there's no reason whatsoever that it needs to change.
I'm glad the Mids have had back to back winning seasons. Not taking anything away from them. Simply pointing out that of all the academies, the air force has the LEAST amount to biotch about. The other service academies (D1 schools) don't even come close to air force's winning season record. Air Force (Rather Coach Calhoun), has no place to biotch.
#armystrong
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I'm pretty sure USNA is by far the most leniant when it come to their football players and adjusting the requirements so they are able to stay at the academy. Their's no way all of Navy's linemen fit the weight requirement and also the practice of giving some, obviously not all, easier PT tests, by making them not have to run 2 miles seems pretty unfair to me.
There are special athlete programs in place for particular positions (football and other sports) that require an athlete to be bigger than the regs allow, but they still have to get down to standard before they graduate.
Recently, this entire century, the past 14 years, 2000 and beyond, Navy has won more games than AF. Maybe this trend is Coach Calhoun's concern.
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In fact, the 4-year course of instruction for USAFA (and USMA and USNA) is federal law.