from the perspective of someone currently at the academy, there are a few things i'd like to say.
first off, let me pretty much confirm the suspicion that no more setbacks are being offered. last term, we saw a suprising amount of setbacks, given the new Admiral's known stance on the issue. however, it seems that this term the axe is falling, and it's falling hard. it is not a class-dependent issue; last week, albeit only as rumor has it (fairly substantiated rumor, but rumor nonetheless- take it for whatever you will), somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 plebes were disenrolled for academic reasons, along with several 4/c setbacks, and a fair number of 1st classemen. I personally cant comment on the number of 2013 B-splitters that were separated last term on sea project grounds, but as far as i can tell the message is fairly clear- no failure will be tolerated, regardless of circumstances.
To me, this seems unfair. Let me be the first to admit that i thought the policy of the previous administration was far too lax. this is a difficult environment, and it is NOT for people who fail due to a LACK of effort or determination on their part. there is the necessity for a certain amount of drive and grit in order to succeed here. MANY times my plebe year, individuals who failed classes due to their own indifference or laziness were given astounding amounts of leeway. that kind of willingness to forgive a poor attitude or work ethic has a detrimental effect on the rest of the regiment, as it shows that those that work hard to succeed are treated little different than those who let the chips fall as they may.
Now, it seems, the pendulum has swung entirely too far in the other direction. as i previously stated, this is a difficult environment, and sometimes despite the near-herculean efforts of a student, they can be inundated by the sheer amount of classwork, regimental duties, and other assorted trials that KP is so adept at presenting. setbacks exist(ed) for a reason, and that was to give those students with the will and ability to succeed a second chance. as far as my analysis of the current trend goes, it seems that the students that have fallen behind as a result of circumstances beyond their control are being treated the same as the ones that simply do not care. this, in turn, also has a detrimental effect on the regiment, as it again shows that hard work is only valued so long as it produces success, regardless of the circumstances.
The most disturbing part of the new trend from my perspective is the percieved willingness of the Admiral to ignore the findings of the review boards and make decisions based entirely on his own perception of what is best for the Academy. while i realize that doing so is a certain part of his job, the review board system exists for a reason, which is to allow midshipmen to be first judged by a jury of their peers and a recommendation be given to the higher-ups based on what should by all rights be an objective consensus of individuals in similar situations to the accused. I offer an example: one of the plebes in my company, by all rights a good plebe, a good student, and who would most likely have been a good midshipman, fell behind in some difficult plebe year courses due to a combination of universally recognized poor instruction and family difficulties. During his academic review board, he recieved 100% UNANIMOUS recommendation for a setback. 100% unanimous review board rulings historically happen in only the most clear-cut of cases on either end of the spectrum. this ruling was overturned by the Admiral, along with EVERY OTHER setback recommendation, and this individual was disenrolled earlier this week. To me, this not only shows a stubborn inflexibility that is detrimental to nearly all decision-making processes, but an insulting disrespect for the midshipmen and the Academy system OF WHICH HE IS A PRODUCT.
I dont pretend to have the answers to this issue, but i do know this. the circumstances of each and every case of this kind will be different. they CANNOT be judged by a blanket policy that treats each one in the same manner, because they are not the same. i can only hope that the administration can recognize this, like the rest of the regiment has, and moderates their policy before irreparable damage has been done to the academy infrastructure that has historically handled the issues currently at hand.
as his parent. He becomes stronger with every set back. He will be fine. A little shaken right now, who wouldn't be?