Billet Night

There are only two times each year that Chase Hall is open to outsiders. There are many aspects of cadet life off limits to parents.
 
USCGA_2018 said:
The immense popularity of this will not likely sway those that are vehemently opposed to the idea of livestreaming Billet Night, but it should certainly raise some eyebrows.
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The immense popularity? The vast majority of the comments on the Academy's FB page & the Parent's FB page are negative. Was the class of 2017 involved in this decision? Did the class of 2017 have an expectation of privacy for Billet Night like the class of 2016 and those before?
 
Like 98% of the other parents dropping off their swab on R=Day, we were encouraged to pay to join the USCGA Parents Association. For $400 they make us a member for the duration of our child's stay at the academy. We were added to the local chapter and receive a few publications a year and access to the various websites.

The Parents Association directly solicited parents to watch the Billet Night. They sent emails to presumably all current members.

The Alumni Association sponsored and promoted the livestream of Billet Night.

The Official website of the Coast Guard Academy is promoting the 2017 Billet Night livestream at CGA.edu

As much as I respect the decision of others to not watch the livestream event, I also respect the guidance, leadership and proper communication channels of the USCGA that are clearly in favor of publicizing the Billet Night. Folks on FB and SA Forum can continue to voice their displeasure. I trust they will do it maturely and respectfully.
 
With all due respect to the Parents Association (which my parents were a part of) or the Alumni Association (which I am a part of), there's also some incentive to keep parents involved and paying.

I'm also not sure if the Alumni Association's programs always align with the interests of the cadets.

I would be interesting to see if they get any feedback from alumni.

I get parents want to be a part of each big moment, but I don't think that's really always in the best interest of cadets.

I'll see what some of my classmates think too.
 
Interesting to read all this. Thanks for the info. At USNA our "Billet Night" is generally done during the middle of the day (or at least has been for the last 15 years) and done by each company. It is done with your Company Leadership and 1/C only. The rest of the classes are eagerly waiting outside the wardrooms to hear what happened. I watched my best friend and another close friend break down in tears when they didn't get their first pick (SEALs - both chosen at the two alternates). The emotions of that room were extremely high and low. I was thankful it was done in private among those I had spent nearly all my time with it over the years. I know ship selection is a big blow out event with live streaming and I have no issue with that. Mids have had months to process to if this wasn't their #1 pick and have a good idea what will be available to them when they select.
 
USNA probably does it differently. At CGA, billet night and ship selection are the same thing. It all happens at billet night.
 
LineInTheSand said:
USNA probably does it differently. At CGA, billet night and ship selection are the same thing. It all happens at billet night.
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USNA used to do it all same time, after winter break. In the 2000's though, the service selection was split out from ship/school date selection, so mids had a chance to breathe and thoroughly research options, especially if they didn't get first choice. It seems to have settled into a fall and winter cycle now, the new norm.
 
rjb said:
USCGA13STN said:
Thankfully I'm stationed close enough that I'll be able to attend with my wardroom. It's always a fun time.
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Someone at the academy has decided to livestream this historically private Firstie event. I think it's a poor decision.
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For what it's worth, I think they did a good job at balancing requirements here. While they showed billets being presented, they did not live stream the traditional "roasting" and pre-ceremony speeches that contain some "class specific" items that parents probably shouldn't see. So not the best thing in the world, but they didn't live stream it all.

And since I was there in person I must say, it was still a blast for everyone.
 
NavyHoops said:
Interesting to read all this. Thanks for the info. At USNA our "Billet Night" is generally done during the middle of the day (or at least has been for the last 15 years) and done by each company. It is done with your Company Leadership and 1/C only. The rest of the classes are eagerly waiting outside the wardrooms to hear what happened. I watched my best friend and another close friend break down in tears when they didn't get their first pick (SEALs - both chosen at the two alternates). The emotions of that room were extremely high and low. I was thankful it was done in private among those I had spent nearly all my time with it over the years. I know ship selection is a big blow out event with live streaming and I have no issue with that. Mids have had months to process to if this wasn't their #1 pick and have a good idea what will be available to them when they select.
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Interestingly enough, most companies at USNA did a facebook livestream of the event this year. This was the first time to my knowledge that it had been videoed, although for the two years prior that I've been here we've always had the Company PAO (typically a 2/C) in the room during the event taking a million pictures and putting them on facebook afterward. I'm not sure the video is that much worse than the pictures. It's not very hard to look through and pick out who didn't get what they wanted based of off facial expressions.

I will say that they have moved toward letting people know before hand if they aren't going to get what they want. Most people that get "volunteered" into nuclear power are told weeks before hand (Although apparently a few of those individuals decided to fail their interviews on purpose this year, so they had to "volunteer" a few more people two days before service selection .... but that's a story for the USNA forum). As for the others, like people that didn't get SEALs or got NFO drafted, or whatever it was, most Company Officers will send a "come see me" email the morning of service selection, where they're told what they got. Even if you aren't surprised by your service selection during the ceremony, it is still a very hard time for those that don't get their first choice.

I'm sure there's perks to having the whole class together for billet night, but I can't imagine having to walk up on stage and receive your billet in front of everybody and be disappointed if it wasn't what you asked for.
 
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