Raimius,
yes, I expect more from the honor code, because ....silly me, my DH and DS, took the idea of breaking the law for anything the same as violating the honor code. They ddin't parse the definition into...you are not violating the code if you broke the law, you only violated it if you lied about breaking the law!
What exactly is USAFA telling cadets if they believe that is acceptable for officers?
~ To me it is saying what I said to my kids when they were teens. Lie to me, but don't let me catch you in the lie?
I know for a fact that this is an assumption and you know what they say about assumptions... These types of posts are what fuel these stories and blow them out of proportion. This really damages the image of all cadets because whenever these stories predominate the headlines with all the speculation and negativity, the other side of the cadet wing, where there are so many cadets doing amazing things, gets swept under the carpet.
I am in no way diminishing the severity of what happened. These men are reaping the consequences of their actions. There are many details, however, that the vast majority of people aren't privy to. Snap judgments and raising false speculation never really help the situation, IMPO.
You all can say what you want, however, please consider the impact of what you say.
This is the way different scenarios were handled when I was a cadet as well. So its not a new way of handling or interpreting the Honor Code. Breaking a reg was one thing, but lying about breaking the reg to cover it up turned it into an honor violation, with stiffer punishments. Cadets were and are expected to own up to their mistakes and take the punishments they deserve. It seems like this is happening in the case with the Gymnastics Team. (FWIW, I was on the women's gymnastics team, and we worked hard and played hard. Luckily for us, Colorado had 3-2 beer at the time, so we were all legal at 18 )I'm not saying USAFA accepts criminal or regulatory violations, I'm saying it will not be taken up as an honor issue, unless it involves one of the four categories mentioned in the Honor Code.
Again, USAFA's Honor Code is not all inclusive. It is a specific baseline where specific violations are punishable via an administrative process.
Possessing a car on base as a sophomore will not get you kicked as an honor offense. It will probably get you in some trouble though.
Lying to your commander about having a car on base can get you kicked out.
One shows a disregard of administrative rules, and will be punished accordingly. The other shows a tendency to lie to avoid accountability, and will generate a tougher punishment, as USAFA considers lying a very serious offense.
That has happened.
One person I know left base without signing out (regs violation). They put a note on their door stating they were in their room and asking not to disturb them at Taps (0130 that night, I think). The regs violation would get them in trouble (20 demerits and 20 2.5hour "detentions"). The honor violation of lying about their whereabouts got them 6 months of honor probation and significantly more demerits and detentions, but they were not kicked out (fortunately for them). Their roommate was brought up on an honor charge for tolerating the lie, but was not convicted because they believed their roommate was going to return and go to bed before Taps.
When I was a firstie, one of my 3-degrees was caught drinking underage in C-Springs. He did not lie about it, did not steal anything, cheat anyone, or tolerate one of those, therefore it was not dealt with under the USAFA honor system. The commander could choose to prosecute him for disobeying an order under the UCMJ, give him non-judicial punishment in the form of an Article 15, or utilize the Cadet Disciplinary system (conduct probation, marching tours, demerits, and being restricted to base, etc). Since the cadet's offense began and ended with underage drinking, with no compounding offenses, the commander chose to use the Cadet Disciplinary System and put the cadet on probation, with the associated punishments that generally went with that. Under the policies of the time, his cadet element leader and cadet flight commander (me) were also restricted to base for two weeks for not preventing his alcohol related offense. (hooray! )
A late afternoon thought...
A careful reading of these responses would reveal that many of these posters are defending positions that are not being contested. Quick assumptions are causing the authors to spin their posts supporting their personal position but fail to address the actual comments of those they believe they are in disagreement with.
Way too many electrons being burned up here. Let the AFA investigate and handle the resolution. Nothing said here will change that anyway.