Air Force Academy - 19 cadets admit cheating on weekly test

[Woodmonkey]

19 cadets admit cheating on weekly test


Nineteen freshmen at the U.S. Air Force Academy have admitted to cheating on a weekly test, and as many as 28 students total may be implicated in the incident, according to an academy spokesman.

A press release from the academy Wednesday announced an investigation into the matter. The cheating was reported to officials by cadets Feb. 2 in regards to a Jan. 31 test, according to director of communications Johnny Whitaker.

“That’s the good news part of this,” Whitaker said. “That’s the way the [honor] system is designed to work. We hope the cadets turn themselves in, or if they suspect someone else … they turn somebody else in.”

According to The Associated Press, 19 of the 28 cadets investigated are athletes, but the school declined to identify which teams may be affected, citing privacy issues.

The test was a Fourth Class Knowledge test, a weekly test administered as part of cadets’ military training. The test could include questions on military roles or facts, or current events, Whitaker said.

Pressure to pass such a test would not likely be high, Whitaker said, since failing would likely only result in “some extra instruction.” The tests do factor into a freshman’s becoming a full-fledged cadet in the spring, he added.

The freshmen who have admitted to cheating will go in front of a cadet sanctions recommendation panel made up of cadet honor representatives, who could recommend punishment including honor probation, a six-month “very intensive program” of instruction and journal-keeping, Whitaker said.

Cadets who do not admit to cheating but who are suspected will go in front of a full wing honor board, which is composed of cadet honor reps but overseen by active-duty airmen and lawyers. Cadets can resign at any point during the process, and if found guilty, can face punishments from probation to being kicked out, Whitaker said.

All of the cadets under investigation are freshmen, Whitaker said.

“We take this very seriously — any incident, any honor violation,” he said. “It’s the foundation of this institution, the honor, the integrity.”

The last cheating scandal at the academy was in April 2004. Twenty-nine freshmen were investigated for cheating on a higher-stakes certification test. Twelve admitted to cheating, seven of whom resigned voluntarily. Seven others were found in violation, Whitaker said.

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[Carnage_59]

Crapola. The AF Academy is supposed to the highest and best school of training for AF officers. Given the recent spate of scandals over the last three years, the AF has lost its moral compass. I've already posted on this and a lot of AF people have poo-pooed it. I think it's an utter travesty and the LEADERSHIP of the AF needs to learn to deal with it, apply discipline and standards WITHOUT FAVORING ANYONE, and quit covering up.

[EdNigma]

I bet back in the 'day' these cadets would have been PT's until they pooped blood. But hey, bleeding hearts rule now-a-days.

[Carnage_59]

Originally Posted by EdNigma

I bet back in the 'day' these cadets would have been PT's until they pooped blood. But hey, bleeding hearts rule now-a-days.

Ed, bleeding hearts were ruling the AF when I was in Basic Training over 28 years ago. Carter was prez, and Training Instructors were not even allowed to swear at the troops. On top of that, one TI said a certain airman was as "useful as a dildo without batteries," and the squadron commander made him apologize to the entire squadron.

On top of that, it was during the Lew Allen days (when he was Chief of Staff of AF) that officers were no longer being called "leaders," but "managers." It was pathetic. You wonder why the AF has no moral compass today??? The stage was set for this almost 30 years ago.

[Scrappy]

Originally Posted by Carnage_59

Crapola. The AF Academy is supposed to the highest and best school of training for AF officers. Given the recent spate of scandals over the last three years, the AF has lost its moral compass. I've already posted on this and a lot of AF people have poo-pooed it. I think it's an utter travesty and the LEADERSHIP of the AF needs to learn to deal with it, apply discipline and standards WITHOUT FAVORING ANYONE, and quit covering up.

I love the USAF and hate that this may sound to some as poo-pooing on it. A leader is resposible for the actions of those he leads otherwise he's not a leader, he, instead, is a director of actors playing poorly in their roles.

[Carnage_59]

Originally Posted by Scrappy

I love the USAF and hate that this may sound to some as poo-pooing on it. A leader is resposible for the actions of those he leads otherwise he's not a leader, he, instead, is a director of actors playing poorly in their roles.

I love the USAF also but I have to admit it's not nearly what it used to be.

Examples:

During the Carter days, officers were no longer thought of as leaders but "managers". Officers and senior NCOs were actually called managers in AF literature and even in regulations.

Another thing that caused problems is the fact that, in the past, as airmen progressed through the ranks, they could be leaders (managers ... UGH!) or super-techs, basically heavily experienced people in their particular technical fields. In other services, this is usually filled by Specialists or Warrant Officers, depending on which service and the type of field. In today's AF, there's only ONE TRACK for enlisteds and that's being a manager.

The AF succumbed to the 1980s MBA theory that managers don't have to be as technically competent as the people below them. But "managers" in technical fields NEED TO BE AS COMPETENT in their fields as the people below them for two reasons:

1. Serious technical decisions must be made by heavily technical people, not by a paper pusher.

2. How does the "manager" know or not know if he's getting bad advice or worse yet, a "snow job" from someone underneath him?? [I've seen the consequences of this first-hand. What a disaster.]

I've gotten off track here, I'm sorry but the BIGGEST question I have is, HOW CAN THE AIR FORCE MAINTAIN LEADERSHIP INTEGRITY IF THE ACADEMY, THE SCHOOL TASKED TO MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP, ITSELF IS SO RIFE WITH INAEDQUACIES??????

[Woodmonkey]

Originally Posted by Carnage_59

I've gotten off track here, I'm sorry but the BIGGEST question I have is, HOW CAN THE AIR FORCE MAINTAIN LEADERSHIP INTEGRITY IF THE ACADEMY, THE SCHOOL TASKED TO MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP, ITSELF IS SO RIFE WITH INAEDQUACIES??????

Yes, yes, and yes!