Cheating Scandal at the AF Academy

[DeHavilland]

Seems there might have been be some improprierty taking place at the Air Force Academy. News of such is coming across the web.

[Baseops.Net]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17037305/

Just read it on MSNBC. Sexual Harassment, porn, booze, and cheating at the Air Force Academy & Convent? I'm sure the Naval Academy and West Point cadets would never dream of such things.

... and to reward the drunken stupors and sexual assaults, I heard they give out F-15E incentive rides!

[Eeyore]

WOW!! Lt Gen Regni decided to restrict everyone to academy for this weekend to discuss and find solution for cheating problem and of course measure the solution. Sounds like elementary school punish all for the sins of the few. I'd boot out the cheaters as an example. I'm sure most will just get 1 year probation and tours to march.

[Guest Jimmy]

They took away internet privileges from cadets who look at porn.

Great: restrict all social relationships that may be perceived in any way as romantic with cadets of the opposite sex and make it as difficult as possible for a cadet to ever release his/her sexual tension.

No f*cking shit they're gonna be jerkin it to porn.

They're gaddam cadets, not frickin superhuman androids that can turn off bodily needs for an indefinite period of time.

Not saying they shouldn't be held to higher standards, but the management shouldn't be surprised that shit happens, and in a way I guess they do if all they do is "ground" them from the interweb instead of giving them the boot.

[FallingOsh]

They took away internet privileges from cadets who look at porn.

Great: restrict all social relationships that may be perceived in any way as romantic with cadets of the opposite sex and make it as difficult as possible for a cadet to ever release his/her sexual tension.

No f*cking shit they're gonna be jerkin it to porn.

They're gaddam cadets, not frickin superhuman androids that can turn off bodily needs for an indefinite period of time.

No sympathy from me. They chose to go to "college" at the academy. If they didn't know what they were getting into then they didn't do enough research. If you want to look at porn and drink your weight in beer then go to a normal university.

As far as the cheating, there's no excuse at any school. 1) you're dumb for doing it 2) you're dumb for getting caught. I don't know if the academy will do something like this, but i think most colleges suspend the student for a semester and yank scholarships. Hopefully a semester at home will be a good enough slap in the face.

my $.02

[Guest Dunce]

No sympathy from me. They chose to go to "college" at the academy. If they didn't know what they were getting into then they didn't do enough research. If you want to look at porn and drink your weight in beer then go to a normal university.

As far as the cheating, there's no excuse at any school. 1) you're dumb for doing it 2) you're dumb for getting caught. I don't know if the academy will do something like this, but i think most colleges suspend the student for a semester and yank scholarships. Hopefully a semester at home will be a good enough slap in the face.

my $.02

Fallin I don't think you know the academy at all than. They are 18-25 years old, and they ARE college students. To me, I see 43 cadets looking at porn out of 4300 and I see 1 of 100. For kids in that age group that is terribly impressive! And if you knew what they were "cheating" at than you would probably cget a chuckle out of it.

People drink beer, and people do that age group too. To tell 4300 college age students to not drink is naiive. Reading your post upset me because it does show what some people think.

I Gaurentee that this stuff happens at Westpoint and Annapolis yearly, but for some reason AF likes to broadcast everything that KIDS do wrong.

Are they held to a higher standard? yes. Should they be? yes. But half those cadets that get kicked out just go to ROTC and are still officers anyways.

[osulax05]

I'm not sure of the exact wording of the zoo's honor code, but if it contains language along the lines of "we will not lie steal or cheat" then they should get kicked out. Guarantee if a ROTC or OTS guy/gal got caught cheating on something they'd be out like a fat kid in dodgeball.

Not too fond of the whole "take time to fix the problem amongst yourselves" deal either. Pretty sure some upperclassmen are gonna get pissed at some underclassmen who are gonna cry hazing which will bring on even more sh!t.

Just my .02 I guess

Edit: Saw Dunce's post right after I posted, "But half those cadet that get kicked out just go to ROTC and are still officers anyways."

Thats a big problem. If you get kicked out of one commissioning source why should you just be able to go to another one? I know that if you get kicked out of ROTC then you become ineligible to be commissioned into the AF. Not trying to get into a ROTC vs Academy pissing match but its def BS for an Academy kid to be able to do that.

Still just my .02

[FallingOsh]

Fallin I don't think you know the academy at all than. And if you knew what they were "cheating" at than you would probably cget a chuckle out of it.

So they should change the honor code to say we will not lie, steal, or cheat on important things? Maybe the leadership is taking it overboard, but they broke the rules and got caught. Sucks

People drink beer, and people do that age group too. To tell 4300 college age students to not drink is naiive.

I completely agree. Whether or not they should be allowed to drink is irrelivant. That decision has already been made. My point was that the rules are strict and if you don't like them then don't go to the academy. If a person chooses to go then they accept the rules and don't have room to complain when they break them.

for some reason AF likes to broadcast everything that KIDS do wrong.

Every scandal in the AF is publicly broadcast. Read the threads on the A-10 fratricide and the TI in playboy. Nobody is specifically picking on the kids.

[Guest clouddawg]

1 mistake and you're out was the way it used to be with the honor code. However now they do have a process of a year long probation that ends up teaching alot not only to the person going through it but to those they know as well. I know to some that might seem like a worthless notion that it should be if they cheat they are out. But then how would that person learn from the experience? Getting kicked out would be a bad day, but if you can help them refind that intergrity within themselves then you just helped the AF get a better officer. An officer that has learned from a mistake and maybe someday pass on some of that wisdom to those under their command or working at by their side. It may seem like crap to some but I have seen it work. $0.02

IMO I agree that most of those who are booted from the Academy do not end up in other commisioning sources. ROTC and OTS still have very high standards on who makes it through their programs to become quality officers.

[zrooster99]

make it as difficult as possible for a cadet to ever release his/her sexual tension.

Not difficult, get a subscription to Penthouse (or your spank mag of preference). No upload time, easily transportable, and the comm nazi's can't watch you. Of course that worked 8+ years ago...not sure if they're checking cadet mail these days.

[brabus]

Or you could have buddies send you DVDs, especially burned ones. Then the only way they could know is if they open the mail and put the CD in a computer. Are academy kids too dumb to figure this shit out? I keed I keed!

[drewpey]

or, falcon goggles + mspaint = busy weekend!

[Boxhead]

I have been saying that all the academies should be shut down for years now. Not for this type of stuff...the lying and cheating is small potatoes as far as I am concerned. The real travesty of the service academies is that they have outlived their necessity, and no one seems to notice or care. The only reason they exist anymore is tradition and nepotism.

Now before USAFA folks get all bent out of shape about this opinion...it has nothing to do with you all. I think it's great that you got into a very competitive college and got what I can only imagine it is at the very least an above average education.

Back in the "day" the academies were created basically to give the people chosen for a career as a military officer a place to get away from society and learn the craft. This is back when the enlisted force were uneducated and patriotic at best and often borderline (or not so borderline) criminals or people that (depending on the decade) were drafted, good and bad folks all together, but for sure not professionals that wanted to or volunteered to be there. I can see that the services would want a place to take their young officers and mold them how they want them.

Now that I have painted that nostalgic picture, welcome to the 2000s, where the services are all volunteer, it has never been more educated from E-1 through O-10, and the service academies, while great schools, are not producing a product that is required anymore. A good your officer today could have gone to any college, come from any background...they can learn basic AF stuff in ROTC or OTS...and learn how to be a good officer like everyone does, from other officers and SrNCOs.

I am looking at it purely fiscally, there is no reason for the service to spend money on an institution that has outlived its usefulness. Spend the money elsewhere, have people get their educations at civilian institutions...the quality people the AF wants will still rise to the top...and good officers (and bad ones) will continue to come form all sources, but why spend extra money to end up with the same product?

And then...we could all be spared about hearing how some college students did what every other college student does and gets all kinda crap for it. I feel bad for em, but then again, they did sign up for it.

I hope my opinion did not upset anyone to bad, if it did, remember, this is a conclusion I came to based off money spent vs. required product received...not you all personally. It's institutional, not personal!

[brabus]

That's an interesting point, and valid to an extent. But, the fact is the AFA produces roughly 1000 officers a year. That's a big amount. I suppose you could say those 1000 a year could just be spread around to other schools, but that's just something that's not going to happen. Maybe it has come down to more a prestige "I went there" kind of thing, but despite that, it stills play a big role in officer production. It's true that good/bad officers come from every source and no source produces better officer than any other, but why not have 3 AD sources instead of 2? And, this comes from a ROTC guy who has no attachment to the zoo whatsoever.

[Boxhead]

I hear ya brother, it would be tough, but I think it would work and be way cheaper, then again, I was a Sociology Major...money is just thing thing my wife tells me I make, I really don't have to much to do with directly at a micro or macro level, so my idea may just be a big fat crazy, implausible thing. Could very well be. But I know my ROTC Det was anywhere between 60 and 200 cadtes depending on the semester, I am pretty sure all Dets can flex that way, and I think the approx 1000 folks can find spots somewhere. Plus, it was always a bit more fun with more anyway.

[Guest Jimmy]

Looks like the Naval Academy has some problems of its own:

http://www.vimeo.com/clip:129723

Haha that's some disturbingly funny shit.

[Coasta]

Admit nothing...deny everything...and always counter accuse. I absolutely love hearing people talk about what they have never done, never will or never understand. While there are plenty of weasels at the Zoo or that have graduated from the Zoo, just about everyone who has graduated from there or any service academy is a resiliant son of a bitch. Unfortunately for me, it is the 21st century and I can't run around punching people in the mouth. STFU and get back to work.

[Boxhead]

Were you drunk when you poted this or just typing in a huff? God knows that if my pay depended on spelling and grammar, I would be poor, but I can't even figure out what exactly you are trying to say. It's almost tough to respond, but since I am bored while waiting for class to start I will pass some time and reply, since I am thinking your post and associated vauge threat were aimed at me, at least in part.

Admit nothing...deny everything...and always counter accuse.

Wow, do you really believe that? That must be a tough way to live. Most social case studies would say that is pretty typical of someone who has zero self-esteem and continualy does and says things that they feel are "bad". You can go talk to a counselor for free on AD, just FYI.

I absolutely love hearing people talk about what they have never done, never will or never understand.

There are lots of things that I have never experienced and don't really understand that I have opinions on. I would venture to say that I am not alone on that. As a matter of fact, just a quick glance through these forums will let ya know LOTS of folks do that. For instance, gay butt lovin, mass murder, drug use, etc....I have never "been there done that"....I don't understand them and I am OK with that and my negative opinions on them.

While there are plenty of weasels at the Zoo or that have graduated from the Zoo, just about everyone who has graduated from there or any service academy is a resiliant son of a bitch.

Hey, we agree! (always look for the positive!) "weasels" are everywhere. Luckily, they are the minority. Now what a small group of weasels have to do with "being a resiliant SOB"...I am not sure. Whoever, I am pretty sure that "resiliant SOBs" are created by a person experienceing prison, POW camp, abbusive famillies...etc....that is some great company you are putting service academy people in. Hell, even with my negative view on the academy as an institution, I would never be that harsh the the thousands of good produtctive folks that are are graduates of those good (just unnessasary, IMHO) schools.

Unfortunately for me, it is the 21st century and I can't run around punching people in the mouth.

Again, there are people to talk to if you are really lugging around all that pent up anger and violence. Plus, I am pretty sure that laws against that sort of anti-social response to a conflicting viewpoint have been around a bit longer than the 21st century. The laws are around for those that don't grow out of that befre they enter the real world and are resposible for their actions.

STFU and get back to work.

Work is done, the test is studied for, and now I am just enjoying time doing this...and as far as the STFU part, well in combination with your pent up anger, low self esteem and penchant for violence, I suppose throwing out vulgarities to people you don't know just adds icing to the cake! You are a stellar example of whatever commissioning source you went through.

[Guest sleepy]

[Boxhead]

Rats, I have overthought my post. While I don't want to change it or retract it, I admit that it is WAY off topic and should not be continued. So, to those who are cursing why they had to read that in an aviation forum, sorry.

__My portion closed___

[HU&W]

Here we go again...

The Air Force Academy is investigating whether about 40 freshman cadets cheated in a chemistry class last month, the academy said Monday.

The incident involved portions of a lab report that may have been copied and not documented, the academy said in a statement. The assignment is worth 50 points out of the 3,000 for the class.

[Highside]

Glad to see nothing has changed since I took chemistry there over 20 years ago. I think we lost 20+ freshmen in a single chemistry cheating event.