<p>Did you people miss this?</p>
<p>"Answers to some discussed topics. </p>
<hr>
<p>Topic: Food Service in King Hall Our focus is better aligning the Naval Academy with the Fleet, where our midshipmen will soon serve as leaders. Food service and quality is important in the Navy and Marine Corps. Eating together on messdecks, wardrooms and in ready rooms helps officers, Sailors and Marines develop and maintain the relationships and unit cohesiveness so important to units in the Fleet. This is why the Superintendent and Naval Academy leadership are committed to ensuring that the Brigade receives the best food service available. Some food distribution issues have come to our attention over the past week and we are aggressively working to correct them. Feeding more than 4000 people at a single sitting is a significant and complex evolution. It has been well over 10 years since the Naval Academy has required all midshipmen to attend 15 mandatory meals per week. To address these issues, we’re now obtaining instant feedback from midshipmen regarding the quality of food and using their suggestions to improve our level of service. We are encouraging midshipmen - particularly first class midshipmen as leaders - to report problems to our Food Service Team so they can correct issues as they arise. We’ve also developed a revised menu which will be implemented in early September. The menu changes reflect our goal of providing midshipmen with the proper diet to support both academic and athletic goals and to educate and expose midshipmen to foods that are part of a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. </p>
<p>Topic: Use of “Beat Army” At a recent official dinner, during which our second-class midshipmen committed themselves to the service of our country, we did not say ”Beat Army” after the singing of Navy Blue and Gold. With our nation at war, and out of respect for the Soldiers engaged in combat, we appropriately refrained from the use of ”Beat Army”. On the athletic field and during Pep Rallies or other “spirit of competition” events, we will continue to say ”Beat Army” as loud as we possibly can. </p>
<p>Topic: Revised Liberty Policy The Superintendent and Academy leadership want midshipmen to remain focused on their moral, mental, and physical development and want fewer distractions and fewer excused absences from important developmental events, like study hour. Any activity that doesn’t fully support this development is considered secondary, optional, and conditional. While most midshipmen will still have weekend liberty, we are limiting weekday liberty to ensure they observe mandatory study hour and to promote increased accountability. First Class Midshipmen may have an opportunity, later in the semester, to earn some weeknight liberty for outstanding performance. </p>
<p>Topic: Revised travel by midshipmen to away football games The decision to limit away football game travel by the Brigade is intended to ensure midshipmen remain focused on moral, mental, and physical development. All other activity is secondary, optional, and conditional. To this end, the Superintendent intends to remove distractions and guide development. Upperclass midshipmen in a liberty status may attend away football games on a voluntary basis. Because the Temple, Rutgers, and Pittsburgh away games occur during times where travel would result in missed classes or conflict with mandatory study hours, and because of the distance for the November game against North Texas, Brigade attendance to those games will be limited to eligible Midshipmen in liberty status. The Naval Academy plans to send a large contingent of Midshipmen to South Bend, Ind., for the Notre Dame game in November, and the entire brigade will be present for the Army-Navy game in Baltimore in December. </p>
<p>Topic: Support of Athletics/Football The Superintendent is very pleased with the Naval Academy athletic program. It remains a vital element of the Academy’s mission of moral, mental and physical development of midshipmen. The Navy Football team and Coach Johnson will continue to receive strong support from the Superintendent, the staff and faculty, and the Brigade of Midshipmen. The Superintendent and members of his Senior Leadership Team, as well as select members of the Brigade will attend away football games. </p>
<p>Topic: Reviewing status of Extra Curricular Activities The Superintendent’s intent is to ensure midshipmen remain focused on moral, mental, and physical development. All other activity is secondary, optional, and conditional. The Superintendent intends to remove distractions and guide development. To this end, the Academy is currently reviewing all extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>Topic: Wearing of Khaki uniforms Midshipmen first class are wearing Khaki uniforms to class in lieu of the working blue uniforms worn by other midshipmen. This is to emphasize better alignment with the Fleet, and to more clearly distinguish first class midshipmen as leaders in the Brigade. Finally, the wearing of Khakis serves a reminder that these midshipmen will soon be joining the fleet; a fleet at war.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usna.edu">www.usna.edu</a>"</p>
<p>Reading this thread as an "outsider", this post nails it.</p>
