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U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski grilled Naval Academy officials about food services and about creating a standardized definition of sexual assault at a meeting today on the Annapolis campus.</p>
<p>Mikulski asked whether the main dining hall on campus employs enough cooks -- there are 95 right now -- and why midshipmen have a $6.95 daily allotment for meals while sailors have a $9 allotment.</p>
<p>The $2.05 discrepancy is "a lot of money," Mikulski said at the quarterly meeting of the Board of Visitors, an oversight panel of civilians, lawmakers and retired military officials. "What we don't want is a shortfall in either nutrition or in the budget."...
<p>What idiots. Both the Senator and the reporter. Doesn't either know that the Congressional mandated BAS for officers is $202.76 per month and $294.43 for enlisted. Officers are expected to subsidize their BAS. Enlisted are not.</p>
<p>The wonderful mess bill. I am so happy I was never the mess treasurer. But, I guess her basic question is whether or not there is enough funding for the midshipmen food service program. I do not think that the same type of funds are used to pay for the cooks and food service personnel that are used to pay for the food. Are they the same type of funds? So, this might mean that increasing the budget for cooks might not provide more funds for food. Is this a chicken and egg situation?</p>
<p>This was written by a reporter??? I didn't know anyone was assaulting the food service personel or that congress was involved. Things are really getting out of hand.</p>
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Mikulski asked ………………………………why midshipmen have a $6.95 daily allotment for meals while sailors have a $9 allotment.
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<p>You may be right. The statement itself could be the misquotations of the reporter. The remainder of the article gives a small bit of credence to your position. However, Bradley would have done better.</p>
<p>However, there is still this absurdity about sexual assault reporting:</p>
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"What is so hard about getting a definition?" she asked. "This is not a treaty negotiation, though it seems like it."
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<p>She is placing the onus for standardizing the reporting of all four services on USNA. I still contend that she was just grandstanding.</p>
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. A Maryland senator said Monday she was frustrated by findings in a government report that the Pentagon has yet to establish uniform sexual assault and harassment reporting requirements for the nations military academies.</p>
<p>While Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski praised efforts at the U.S. Naval Academy to raise awareness and battle the problem, she said Defense Department leaders should be more out front on the subject.</p>
<p>What can we get out of the powers that be at the Pentagon? This is not a treaty negotiation, though it seems like it, Mikulski said at a quarterly meeting of the academys Board of Visitors, of which she is a member....
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The Naval Academy is looking to modernize its kitchen and hire more cooks, academy leaders said yesterday while briefing the school's civilian oversight board.</p>
<p>Stories about the quality of food and food shortages at the academy began to emerge in late summer. That's when the school's new superintendent, Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, changed the number of required meals the entire 4,400-member Brigade of Midshipmen must eat in the mess hall each week. He changed it from six to 15. </p>
<p>"Since last August, the admiral and I have received e-mails and phone calls and letters from loving mothers ... The reality of it is, we did get ahead of ourselves in moving up from the six to the 15 meals a week," the board of visitors' chairman, Craig J. Duchossois, said during the meeting yesterday....
<p>if you ask me (and i eat 15 meals a week in king hall, and my sponsor is the assistant food services officer) king hall needs to be totally redone and the work completely contracted out. this is also what my sponsor says. they are overwhelmed, understaffed, and the whole place is a total fiasco. plus, the food is abysmal. the only things i eat out of that place are cereal, fruit and pb & j.</p>
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"Since last August, the admiral and I have received e-mails and phone calls and letters from loving mothers ..."
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<p>What an <em>#!</em>$# insult! The food has been substandard and grossly lacking in nutrition for years but they point the finger at overzealous moms and 'whining mids' instead of accepting responsibility for the problem. What ever happened to "No Excuses"?</p>
<p>No offense, but it's stuff like this that makes me happy my son chose WP over USNA...I know they will fix this soon, but at least it's one less thing for a "loving mom" like me to worry about!</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son on accepting WP!! He had fantastic school options to choose from, what a blessing. All my best to him and your entire family as you begin the WP journey.</p>