FALCON FAMILY NEWS
JANUARY 2008 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
CLASS STATISTICS (as of 31 Dec 07)
Men |
Women |
Cum |
|
2008 |
843 |
188 |
1031 |
2009 |
898 |
180 |
1078 |
2010 |
906 |
209 |
1115 |
2011 |
952 |
240 |
1192 |
WING |
3599 |
817 |
4416 |
CADET PAY
CLASS OF 2011
* Advance pay: $6500
* Fixed monthly pay: $115
* Book allotment: Nov: $600; Jun: $600
* BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence (Mitchell Hall dining)): $218
* Total pay to bank: $2,798
CLASS OF 2010
* Fixed monthly pay: $225
* Book allotment: Nov: $600
* BAS: $368
* Net Pay NLT Jun 08 (Currently the Class of 2010 is on Scheduled Pay, once the Advance
Pay has been repaid, the Class will flip as a whole to Net Pay NLT June 2008.)
* Total pay to bank $3,668
CLASS OF 2009
* Net Pay: $864 (basic pay less deductions)
* BAS: $368
* Average: $606 month
* Total pay to bank: $7,279
CLASS OF 2008
* Net Pay: $864 (basic pay less deductions)
* BAS: $368
* Average: $592 month
* Total pay to bank: $6,517 (11 months)
VALENTINE’S BALL
The annual Valentine’s Ball will be held Saturday, 9 February (date changed from 15 Feb), from 8:30pm until midnight, in the Arnold Hall Ballroom. The ball is free to all cadets and their guests, but is not mandatory.
Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be available and the Falconaires and KAFA DJs will provide the entertainment. Four degrees are required to wear service dress and the upper classes should wear civilian formal attire. (Note: If a cadet does not have formal attire, service dress is always appropriate!) RSVPs should be made by 1 Feb to Jeanne Hollander, 333-2710 or jeanne.hollander@usafa.edu. Questions should also be addressed to Ms. Hollander.
Dress code: Gentlemen: Tux, mess dress, service dress or dark suit
Ladies: Long (or short) gowns, mess dress or service dress for 4o
SPRING BREAK
Spring Break begins after LMD on 20 March and sign in is no later than 7:00 pm on 30 March. LMD will be after noon meal (12:30-ish) or last class or training, whichever comes later. Cadets are advised to make flight departure reservations no earlier than 2 hours after LMD from Colorado Springs Airport or 3 hours out of Denver.
CADET/FLIGHT MEDICINE CLINIC SOARS WITH SYSTEMATIC IMPROVEMENTS AND AWARD-WINNING STAFF
It is with great excitement that the Cadet/Flight Medicine Clinic announces early successes with their transition to an “appointment only” system. After many months of preparation and planning, this Clinic transition took flight on 7 January 2008 after return of the USAFA Cadets and Prep students. The feedback received so far from the student population has been remarkably high. Is the cattle-call system, with its long waits, gone forever? Early successes bode well that the walk-in sick call system may be a thing of the past.
Transformation not just transition. The transition to the appointment system has actually transformed the Clinic. Reports from students and Clinic staff have been even better than expected. Patients note less waiting time, greater flexibility in making appointments, and little difficulty navigating the appointment system. Clinic personnel note smoother operations, more time to spend with patients, and less stress. All this is expected to enhance medical care and patient satisfaction. Reassuring comments from cadets like, “oh yeah, this is way better” have been heard repeatedly since the transformation, and it is being said with relief in their voice. Similar comments echo through the halls from the Clinic staff, “It’s a lot less frenetic now; I can take more time with the patients.” The benefits have even been seen beyond the Clinic proper. Ancillary services such as pharmacy and lab have noted a more even flow of patients and less back up. Add this all up and the transformation equals improved services and less wasted time for cadets (leaving more time to study).
The USAFA leadership and the Clinic personnel understand the physical and mental demands placed on the Cadets. They also appreciate and respect the high quality of the cadets. Clearly, the cadets balance rigorous academic schedules, athletics, and military trainings while demonstrating the highest core values and integrity, honesty, and character. The USAFA and 10th Medical Group leadership are dedicated to providing the very best medical service to this elite group of individuals. The Clinic staff exemplifies their leadership’s commitment. For example, many providers are prior graduates of the Academy or dual residency trained. The two Clinic nurses (Maj Jones and Capt Neylon) won both of the Medical Group’s “Nurse of the Quarter” awards in a clean sweep. Our family practice nurse practitioner (Capt Krbec) not only won “Company Grade Officer of the Year,” but has garnished performance recognitions at the national level, provides a Woman’s Health Clinic alternative, and masterminded the new Clinic website. This is truly a Clinic team that is highly talented and motivated, and their dedication and commitment to the cadet population is palpable.
The Clinic acknowledges that this is not the time to rest on prior successes. Many scheduling challenges still lie ahead and there is still much to accomplish in the transformation. In the days before cadet physical fitness and aerobic fitness testing, the already busy demand for care often swells to twice the amount. Then there are the somewhat predictable swells of flu, gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis and other such illnesses that love the university population. Strategies for handling such swells in demand are in place. Increased staffing during these times, as best predicted by data from previous years and regular coordination with the cadet’s academic calendar, will be the mainstay. It is important to note that “Walk-In” services are still being provided for many types of care (see website for details). The self-care process has also been streamlined so that there is quicker access to free, over-the-counter medications for cadets and preppies having milder illnesses that do not require appointments. The transformation continues as the Clinic rolls out its exemplary customer feedback system. A more assertive and localized customer survey system starts this month, and links for feedback directly to clinic staff are being provided through our website. We strongly encourage feedback so that we may continue to shape our services during the transformation. To provide comparative data, another “patient tracking study” will be done in February to compare the length of time it takes us to process patients now versus in October. Stay tuned for details in upcoming newsletters and web postings.
We at the Clinic are honored to take care of such a talented and unique group of individuals, and the staff is charged by the early successes of the appointment only system. We invite feedback and look forward to challenges and adjustments as the needs arise. We aim for the day when graduated cadets long for the care they had at the USAFA Cadet/Flight Medicine clinic.
Please visit our new website at http://www.usafa.af.mil/10abw/10mdg/cc/index.cfm?catname=Cadet%20Clinic
Thomas R Piazza, MD, MPH
Family Practice & Aerospace Medicine
Chief, Cadet/Flight Medicine Clinic
CONGRATS MESSAGE IN YEARBOOK
In March, the Cadet Wing Media staff will send to cadets’ home of record an order form for the graduating class’ parents to order congratulatory messages for their cadets in the 2008 yearbook. They also hope to have that form available on the CW Media website or a link on the USAFA Graduation website by March.
Parents’ clubs can order congratulatory messages in the 2008 yearbook by contacting cwmedia@usafa.edu or calling 719-333-4644 in March.
Both of these messages will have an April 15, 2008 deadline for submission.
HONORS LISTS – WHAT IT MEANS
Dean’s List. Consists of cadets who have a minimum course load and whose current SGPA (Semester Grade Point Average) is at least 3.0, excluding Physical Education grades.
Fourth class cadets who do not successfully complete accelerated or advanced courses and who are awarded “W” or “WF” grades in those courses are not eligible for the Dean’s List.
Only grades for courses completed during the semester will count for the Dean’s List.
DEAN'S LIST REQUIREMENTS. Cadets who earn a semester GPA of at least 3.0 in academic courses and are not on honor probation will be on the Dean's list. These cadets are authorized to wear the Dean's pin on their uniform for the next semester. Physical Education grades are not included in Dean's list calculations. It is possible for a cadet to have a semester GPA over 3.0 and still not be on the Dean's list if the Phys Ed grades pulled the GPA over 3.0. Likewise, it is possible for a cadet to have a semester GPA slightly less than 3.0 and be on the Dean's list if the Phys Ed grades were low. Also note that only the semester GPA determines the Dean's list. Therefore, cadets cannot be placed on the Dean's list based on Prog (mid-semester) grades or Cum GPA. However, cadets may be removed from the Dean's list at Prog if their mid-semester grades put them on Academic probation. Prior to spring 2006, any probation precluded placement on an honor list. Beginning with spring 2006 end-of-semester performance averages for the classes of 2007 and beyond, probationary status, with the exception of honor probation, does not preclude a cadet from earning placement onto an honor list.
Commandant’s List. Consists of those cadets whose current semester Military Performance
Average (MPA) is 3.00 or above.
Cadets removed from probation at mid-semester who meet all other established criteria will be placed on the Commandant’s List.
Fourth class cadets who received an Air Officer Commanding (AOC) rating of A+ or A for basic cadet training (BCT) will be authorized to wear the Commandant’s pin for their fall academic year semester.
Athletic Director’s List. Consists of cadets whose current semester Physical Education Average (PEA) is 3.00 or above and who meet all other established criteria.
A cadet must pass all physical education courses, the physical fitness test, and the aerobic fitness test to be eligible for the Athletic Director’s List.
A cadet who is removed from probation at mid-semester who meets all other established criteria will be placed on the Athletic Director's List.
Superintendent’s List. Consists of cadets who are on the Dean’s, Commandant’s and Athletic
Director’s Lists.
PINS – WHAT THEY MEAN
Dean’s Pin: A star for receiving above a 3.0 GPA
Athletic Pin: Lighting bolt for receiving above a 3.0 PEA
Commandant’s Pin: A wreath for receiving above a 3.0 MPA
One can also get any combination of the pins (any 2 or 3)
Receiving all three, (A star inside the wreath with two lightning bolts on the bottom) means the cadet is on the Superintendent’s List.
The three averages are figured separately.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE AVERAGE (OPA). The graduation class standing is based on cadet cumulative Overall Performance Average (OPA). Beginning with the Class of 2009, OPA is the weighted combination of 60% cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA), 30% cumulative Military Performance Average (MPA), and 10% cumulative Physical Education Average (PEA). The top 10% are selected Distinguished Graduates. GPA normally includes Phys Ed grades. For the calculation of OPA, Phys Ed grades are removed from the cum GPA.
OPA = 60% GPA + 30% MPA + 10% PEA.
GRADUATION RECOGNITION
RECOGNITION GRADUATING CLASS BASED ON
Distinguished Graduate: Up to top 10% (OPA)
Preference for Graduate Education: Top 15% (OPA)
With "Academic Distinction:" Top 10% (GPA)
With "Military Distinction:" Top 10% (MPA)
With "Athletic Distinction:" Top 10% (PEA)
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
BCT Basic Cadet Training
CGPA Cumulative Grade Point Average
CMPA Cumulative Military Performance Average
COPA Cumulative Overall Performance Average
CPEA Cumulative Physical Education Average
SGPA Semester Grade Point Average
W Withdrawn from the course with a grade of “W”
WF Withdrawn from the course with a failing grade
WP Withdrawn from the course with a passing grade
.
CADET BARBER/BEAUTY SHOP & DAY SPA
What
a great gift for a birthday, holidays, or any special occasion. Give your
cadet the opportunity to feel pampered and well taken care of. The coupons
will be sent directly to the cadet.
If you have any questions call: (719) 333-4563, or email: connie.graff@usafa.af.mil
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ORDER FORM FOR CADET BARBER AND BEAUTY SHOP
All coupons expire 31 July 2008. Not redeemable for cash.
Beauty Shop /Female Cadets
Deep
Conditioner ________x $10.00= ______ Pedicures
________x $11.00 = _______ |
Sijan Day Spa/ Male Cadets
No. of Manicures _______x $7.00 = ________ |
PLEASE SEND COUPONS TO:
Cadet Name__________________________
Squadron____________________________
Occasion_____________________________
Date to be delivered____________________
From________________________________
Telephone____________________________
Please mail check or money order to:
Cadet Barber/Beauty Shops
PO Box 6027
USAFA CO 80840