"Alternate Nominee"

Cptn.Boca

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So I am applying to both the USAFA and USNA. I live in Florida and I applied to Senator Nelson for the AFA and Senator Rubio/Congressional rep for the Naval Academy. I just received mail from Senator Nelson that I have been selected as an alternate nominee for the AFA. It says that my name isn't submitted to the academy now, but if a nomination becomes available through "cancellation, medical or academic disqualification" I will be reconsidered. Does anyone have any experience with this or can shed any light on to the chances of a nomination becoming available? Thanks!
 
There is no such thing, as far as I know, at least not as you describe it. Perhaps you, or the person informing you, misunderstood something.

A MOC can nominate up to 10 people on their slate. There are various types of slates and the MOC gets to pick the type. One type is a competitive slate, where the academy will pick the appointee. Another type is a principal nomination slate (I may be calling it by the incorrect name but you'll get the point). If a slate has a principal nominee designated by the MOC, then that nominee, if fully qualified, will receive the appointment (there are sometimes exceptions for Navy as allowed by law). The other nine nominees on such a slate are referred to as alternates. If the principal nominee is DQed for some reason then the academy will select someone else off the slate of names they have.

The point here, is that although there is something called an alternate, all the names on the slate are submitted to the academy.

If you think your own understanding is correct then perhaps you should reach out to the MOC for clarification.

Of course a MOC can hang onto their slate and not submit it to the academy until the final deadline. In that case, the MOC is free to modify the slate, for example if someone was DQed and they were aware of it, prior to submitting it to the academy.
 
This is a new one to me as well. Normally an alternate nom means you are on a slate and either ranked below #1 or not the principal. Regardless, in these cases, you still technically are on the slate and have a nom. Saying that your name has not been submitted lends me to believe that your name is not on the slate they are submitting but on a list they are keeping in case they modify the slate. A call or email to the MOC coordinator might help clear things up.
 
I agree with the other posters. My guess is that you did not make the cut, and this is their way to soften the blow. If it was me, I would contact the MoC liaison that deals with the SA nominations and ask them directly several questions for clarification.
1. Do they do principal and ranked alternate?
~ If so, where do you stand on the ranked alternate list.
2. Are they saying, as myself and the other posters assume, that you did not make the slate of 10?
~ If so, how does that even work, are they going to wait until Jan. to submit the slate?
3. Has anyone in their recollection ever been taken off the alternate list and made the new slate?

I know FL is competitive and it is not uncommon to spread the wealth with the MoCs. Just saying keep that in mind too.
 
Ditto the others. Sounds like your MOC keeps a "backup" list. MOCs can certainly change their slates until they are submitted. They MAY be able to substitute nominees until Jan. 31 if for some reason a nominee is no longer viable. I don't believe they can make changes to their slates after Jan. 31 for any reason.

I think it would be very rare for a nominee to come off the list prior to Jan. 31. Most medical issues aren't resolved (negatively) that early. It could be that a candidate has a Pres nomination, is 3Q, and receives an LOA prior to Jan. 31. However, that person would need to notify the MOC and that might not be the first thing they think of.

So, I'd say your chances are very, very slim but, until the Jan. 31 deadline passes, there is always some hope.
 
So I am applying to both the USAFA and USNA. I live in Florida and I applied to Senator Nelson for the AFA and Senator Rubio/Congressional rep for the Naval Academy. I just received mail from Senator Nelson that I have been selected as an alternate nominee for the AFA. It says that my name isn't submitted to the academy now, but if a nomination becomes available through "cancellation, medical or academic disqualification" I will be reconsidered. Does anyone have any experience with this or can shed any light on to the chances of a nomination becoming available? Thanks!
My DS got the same exact thing from Nelson for USMA. I keep seeing others reply that "alternate nominee" does not exist but It clearly does...perhaps Nelson is the first to do this but the letter clearly states that he selected 10 nominees and 10 alternates and that if a space opens up he will fill them with the alternates and you will then be notified that you have the nomination. I believe he did this as a way of letting competitive candidates know that they are indeed competitive. Florida is a highly competitive state and knowing you are in the top 20 in the state is meaningful. In the case of my DS, he had already received a nomination from our local congressman for he got the letter from Nelson. We are hoping this means he is pretty competitive in our district and still waiting and hoping for a Rubio nomination as I am sure you are too. Best of luck to you!
 
Here is something to understand from a different view, i.e. someone with no bone in the fight.
As stated earlier, the slate must be submitted by the end of Jan. due to the regulations set forth by the govt.
Here's how I see it being rare from a nom on the original 10 getting knocked off that slate prior to the official cut off date when discussing a competitive state. It comes down to the 3 Qs for an apptmt.
1. Academics
~ I highly doubt that any of the 10 on that slate are not deemed academically competitive. Think about it. This MoC has a back up slate, do you think that anyone on their top 10 submitted did not meet the min SAT or ACT?
2. CFA
~ The slate must be submitted by the end of Jan., but the candidate has until end of Feb. to submit their CFA. Hence, USNA can't and won't scratch them off their slate just because they have yet to submit their scores, especially since they have 1 more month before the drop date.
3. DoDMERB
~ If a candidate is DQ and has a nom., the SAs are going to start the waiver process. Waivers can take months. AGAIN see above regarding when by law the OFFICIAL slate must be submitted.
~~ They can't scratch off a candidate because they have yet to hear from the board that waives the DQ. The commissioning source, not DoDMERB determines if they will waive.

So, jmpo, I am still in the soften the blow lane. I would move on and expect NO nom.

Finally, let's go with his 10 alt. slate. I would have your DS call and ask how they are ranking on the 10 alt slate. IOWS, if the liaison says they are number 9 on that back up slate, chances are really slim they will make his slate that must be submitted by Jan. 31st. I don't want to be Janie Raincloud. I think Sen. Nelson should have done that instead of the BS option you didn't make my top 10, BUT IF... Too many candidates don't understand the system and really believe there is a lot of hope left, since they don't understand the system. If 1 got picked from the alternate slate to get on his official slate I would be shocked.
 
Since you applied for the Navy, you might be interested in this:
For the Merchant Marine Academy, a candidate does not have to reside in the same Congressional District as his/her nominator (a Member of the U.S. House of Representative CAN nominate a candidate who resides in a District other than their own, as long as it is in their (the nominator's) State/Territory). This differs from nominations to the USMA, USNA, and USAFA.

https://www.usmma.edu/admissions/apply-nomination
 
Hope I can add at least another piece to puzzle. My DS received nomination to USNA from Senator Nelson mid November. The slate has been submitted to USNA as nomination appears in DS USNA portal. The nomination notification letter he received from Senator Nelson asked that he notify his office immediately if he decides not to accept nomination so that he can offer nomination to another candidate. As to the the ability of MOC to replace a candidate on their nomination slate after it has been submitted, this is probably a question for admissions.
 
Hope I can add at least another piece to puzzle. My DS received nomination to USNA from Senator Nelson mid November. The slate has been submitted to USNA as nomination appears in DS USNA portal. The nomination notification letter he received from Senator Nelson asked that he notify his office immediately if he decides not to accept nomination so that he can offer nomination to another candidate. As to the the ability of MOC to replace a candidate on their nomination slate after it has been submitted, this is probably a question for admissions.

This is the part that has me scratching my head. Although the MOC used alternate language it’s really not, it’s more a stand by list or something like that. Never heard of it changing, but maybe if a candidate already accepted an appointment to another SA or something along those lines they are hoping they can remove them from the slate before submission? Any of the BGOs ever see a slate change after being submitted?
 
Hope I can add at least another piece to puzzle. My DS received nomination to USNA from Senator Nelson mid November. The slate has been submitted to USNA as nomination appears in DS USNA portal. The nomination notification letter he received from Senator Nelson asked that he notify his office immediately if he decides not to accept nomination so that he can offer nomination to another candidate. As to the the ability of MOC to replace a candidate on their nomination slate after it has been submitted, this is probably a question for admissions.
That does shed some light on the issue. Additionally, we heard of several others who got nominations from Nelson mid November, but then someone on this forum said that they just received a Nelson nomination two days ago. I am willing to bet that is someone who came off the alternate list because someone decided not to pursue that option.
 
Definitely could be. Also could be he has two slates to submit this year and they were spread out. Could be they submitted skates for the different SAs at different times. So many variables in this process and I know that leads to frustration in some cases. Best of luck to your DS.
 
Since you applied for the Navy, you might be interested in this:
For the Merchant Marine Academy, a candidate does not have to reside in the same Congressional District as his/her nominator (a Member of the U.S. House of Representative CAN nominate a candidate who resides in a District other than their own, as long as it is in their (the nominator's) State/Territory). This differs from nominations to the USMA, USNA, and USAFA.

https://www.usmma.edu/admissions/apply-nomination

Thanks for the input. I am just more concerned about Air Force Academy because Nelson was my only nomination source. I got a nomination from Rubio for USNA and am waiting to hear back from Congressional rep for USNA as well.
 
Hope I can add at least another piece to puzzle. My DS received nomination to USNA from Senator Nelson mid November. The slate has been submitted to USNA as nomination appears in DS USNA portal. The nomination notification letter he received from Senator Nelson asked that he notify his office immediately if he decides not to accept nomination so that he can offer nomination to another candidate. As to the the ability of MOC to replace a candidate on their nomination slate after it has been submitted, this is probably a question for admissions.
Thanks for the insight!
 
Here is something to understand from a different view, i.e. someone with no bone in the fight.
As stated earlier, the slate must be submitted by the end of Jan. due to the regulations set forth by the govt.
Here's how I see it being rare from a nom on the original 10 getting knocked off that slate prior to the official cut off date when discussing a competitive state. It comes down to the 3 Qs for an apptmt.
1. Academics
~ I highly doubt that any of the 10 on that slate are not deemed academically competitive. Think about it. This MoC has a back up slate, do you think that anyone on their top 10 submitted did not meet the min SAT or ACT?
2. CFA
~ The slate must be submitted by the end of Jan., but the candidate has until end of Feb. to submit their CFA. Hence, USNA can't and won't scratch them off their slate just because they have yet to submit their scores, especially since they have 1 more month before the drop date.
3. DoDMERB
~ If a candidate is DQ and has a nom., the SAs are going to start the waiver process. Waivers can take months. AGAIN see above regarding when by law the OFFICIAL slate must be submitted.
~~ They can't scratch off a candidate because they have yet to hear from the board that waives the DQ. The commissioning source, not DoDMERB determines if they will waive.

So, jmpo, I am still in the soften the blow lane. I would move on and expect NO nom.

Finally, let's go with his 10 alt. slate. I would have your DS call and ask how they are ranking on the 10 alt slate. IOWS, if the liaison says they are number 9 on that back up slate, chances are really slim they will make his slate that must be submitted by Jan. 31st. I don't want to be Janie Raincloud. I think Sen. Nelson should have done that instead of the BS option you didn't make my top 10, BUT IF... Too many candidates don't understand the system and really believe there is a lot of hope left, since they don't understand the system. If 1 got picked from the alternate slate to get on his official slate I would be shocked.
You do make very valid point. I'm going to call Nelson's office and get some more information about this. I don't expect to get anything from anyone, but I have faith that whatever happens is for the best.
 
Hope I can add at least another piece to puzzle. My DS received nomination to USNA from Senator Nelson mid November. The slate has been submitted to USNA as nomination appears in DS USNA portal. The nomination notification letter he received from Senator Nelson asked that he notify his office immediately if he decides not to accept nomination so that he can offer nomination to another candidate. As to the the ability of MOC to replace a candidate on their nomination slate after it has been submitted, this is probably a question for admissions.
That does shed some light on the issue. Additionally, we heard of several others who got nominations from Nelson mid November, but then someone on this forum said that they just received a Nelson nomination two days ago. I am willing to bet that is someone who came off the alternate list because someone decided not to pursue that option.

My DS received an LOA to West Point (August 6), LOA to USNA (August 21), and LOA to USAFA (October 27). His interviews for both Senators were for WP. He placed WP as his #1 choice for both.
Bill Nelson's application clearly stated that the candidates could apply for nomination to only one academy.

However, Marco Rubio's application gave you a choice to list the academies in order of preference. Therefore, DS contacted the staffer at Marco Rubio's office and explained he had LOAs to the three academies and asked for his advise. He was told that he could only interview with one board as the senator would only give one nomination. He explained that he had already interviewed with Bill Nelson for WP and he was advised that if WP was his first choice to keep his Rubio interview also with the WP board as the senators coordinate the slate.

He received a nomination from Senator Bill Nelson to WP November 6, he was notified by his WP RC via email and it appeared in his USMA portal on the same day. Was he in the alternate list or not? I don't know. But we are definitely not expecting a nomination from Senator Rubio. The screenshot below is from Senator Bill Nelson's application, the last paragraph explains the alternates selection process and submission.
Screen Shot 2018-12-08 at 7.45.21 PM.png
 
The most likely way for an alternate to make the list is for someone on the primary nominee list to receive an appointment as a Presidential nominee prior to Jan. 31. Note, however, that the alternates are those the MOC considered not a strong as the 10 nominees. While it's true that USNA may have a different view, it's not likely that the alternate will be considered super high on the list. Also, USNA is likely to ask for an alternate only if they have major issues with the 10 nominees. In a state such as FL, that's unlikely.

To the OP, being an alternate in a state such as FL means the record was super-competitive. If you still want to attend a SA and it doesn't happen this year, definitely consider reapplying.
 
The most likely way for an alternate to make the list is for someone on the primary nominee list to receive an appointment as a Presidential nominee prior to Jan. 31. Note, however, that the alternates are those the MOC considered not a strong as the 10 nominees. While it's true that USNA may have a different view, it's not likely that the alternate will be considered super high on the list. Also, USNA is likely to ask for an alternate only if they have major issues with the 10 nominees. In a state such as FL, that's unlikely.

To the OP, being an alternate in a state such as FL means the record was super-competitive. If you still want to attend a SA and it doesn't happen this year, definitely consider reapplying.
Bill Nelson's nomination was for the Air Force Academy, my second choice behind USNA. He was my only chance for an AFA nom. I was fortunate enough to get a Senator Rubio nomination for USNA and am waiting to hear back from my Congresswoman.
 
He received a nomination from Senator Bill Nelson to WP November 6, he was notified by his WP RC via email and it appeared in his USMA portal on the same day. Was he in the alternate list or not? I don't know. But we are definitely not expecting a nomination from Senator Rubio.

I would like to clarify my previous post. DS's senatorial nomination was received on December 6th, not on November 6th. DS had thought that the nomination had come from Senator Bill Nelson because his portal showed FL61 and Bill Nelson is the senior senator, but this week he received a letter in the mail from Senator Marco Rubio, the letter is dated Nov 28, 2018, and stated that he had nominated DS to the United States Military Academy at West Point.
 
Hope I can add at least another piece to puzzle. My DS received nomination to USNA from Senator Nelson mid November. The slate has been submitted to USNA as nomination appears in DS USNA portal. The nomination notification letter he received from Senator Nelson asked that he notify his office immediately if he decides not to accept nomination so that he can offer nomination to another candidate. As to the the ability of MOC to replace a candidate on their nomination slate after it has been submitted, this is probably a question for admissions.
UFDMD, are you a ufcd grad?
 
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