A Case for MORE Regional Trustees

USNA-At-Large,

  A couple of weeks ago, I went back into the archives to dig out some of the posts that had to do with the Strawman Proposal and the long-running attempt to kill off the Regional Trustee Concept.

  Unfortunately, I overlooked one of the most critical of them all.

  Below you will find a post of last May 2 PRIOR to the BOT meeting last spring.

  This post will be put up on the blog along with most of the other relevant posts in this debate.

    Go Navy!  John Howland

 

=======================================================

 

From: BlackfinSS322@aol.com
Date: Mon May 2, 2005  9:14 am
Subject: A Case for MORE Regional Trustees


USNA At Large,
  One of the countless advantages of spending Four Years by the Bay was the fact that we were exposed to just about every sport in the book.
  I learned both athletic and life lessons from every one of them.
  Take wrestling for example -- one of the dynamics of a successful wrestler is the ability to pull off "reversals."
  In essence, that's when your opponent is thinking that he has you just where he wants you and is about to go for the pin, you use his own force/pressure to effect a reversal and the next thing your opponent knows -- he's the one being pinned.
  The Alumni outside of the Yard have a reversal opportunity here.
  The Powers inside Alumni House think that it would be a really swell idea to eliminate Regional Trustees altogether.
  I don't have a clue why they think that would be a good idea.  No one connected with the management or the BOT has released any sort of analysis of the dynamics within the BOT.  A small detail.  In the real world, one wouldn't be floating major reorganization balloons w/o some sort of supporting rationale.  But, I quibble.
  In the message I put out a few days ago, reprinted below, I said "the direction that the BOT should be going in is precisely the opposite direction -- MORE Regional Trustees!"
  So, for purposes of furthering the discussion, let's assume that we have agreement with the Powers that "increase Alumni voting participation" is a valid goal for any restructuring of the BOT.
  Right off the bat, w/o further discussion being necessary, that points in the direction of MORE Regional Trustees.
  No other class of Trustee is subjected to a DIRECT vote of Alumni!  Chapter Trustees are typically chosen via all sorts of mechanisms, the most common being some sort of loyal effort being expended over some period of time for the Chapter in question.  Laudable, but not really directly subject to any sort of significant vote of Alumni.
  The Class Trustees come from the Class Presidents' ranks.  And, Class Presidents are chosen for all sorts of reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with the concerns of the national Alumni Association.
  So, now that we have established that Regional Trustees best move the ball down the field to the goal of more voter involvement among Alumni, then the question becomes how many Regional Trustees is optimal?
  * Zero?  Nope, already demonstrated that number doesn't work.
  * Twenty three?  Naah!  Probably too much of a good thing.  Certainly there is always a legitimate concern re how big is too big for any governing board.  Besides this is a case for MORE Regional Trustees; not necessarily a case for eliminating either Chapter or Class Trustees.  A thorough discussion of those two categories might be a useful exercise for an in-depth analysis -- matter of fact, that might be an excellent chore for the existing Governance Committee to take on.
  * Four?  The existing number.  Four in this organizational context is a betwixt and between number.  It's not enough to make an obvious difference, but it is just enough, for those who don't think all this through, to easily throw brickbats at the Regional Trustee category.
  * Sixteen?  The current four could be bumped up by eliminating Chapter Trustees.  We're getting close to the right number.  Dramatically reducing the geographic territories of Regional Trustee representation will drive the Regional Trustees to being more closely tied to the major Chapters in their territory.  BUT, THEY WILL STILL NOT BE DIRECTLY TIED TO THOSE MAJOR CHAPTERS AND WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY ATTN TO THE SMALLER CHAPTERS IN THEIR REGIONS.  This point is the key to the success of the expanded Regional Trustee concept.  It has all sorts of beneficial dynamics associated with it.
  I'll stop, for the time being, at this point.
  Hopefully, the Governance Committee will roll up their sleeves and take advantage of this opportunity to do some really serious analysis of the concept of MORE Regional Trustees.
    Live for Life, John Howland
 
PS A small correction.  In earlier posts, I guessed that the Read Ahead material provided to the Trustees re the proposed restructure of the BOT had been vetted by the Executive Committee.  Apparently not.  In fact, it is not clear that it was vetted by the full Governance Committee.  Stay tuned.  JH

  
 
Subj: Re: [USNA-At-Large] Just Released - Proposed Change to BOT Composition 
Date: 4/26/05 6:58:14 PM Central Daylight Time
From:mailto:BlackfinSS322@aol.com


USNA At Large,
  As I reread the very brief "Read Ahead" that Trustee Wass sent along, I have a whole variety of reactions.
  o First, appreciation to Trustee Wass for getting this information out.  The vast body of Alumni have every right to see what is being contemplated and why it is being contemplated and to have the ability to advance their two cents into the process.  I am very hopeful that there is no one on the Governance Level who would dispute that premise.
  o Of necessity, the Central Region Trustee needed to be brief in his initial communique.  I'm wondering if there is more to the proposal.  IMHO, this is a crucial decision that may be taken by the BOT.  Accordingly, it is deserving of a pretty thorough vetting.  Certainly, that should come from Alumni as well as Trustees.  However, the Executive Committee must have already had some elaborative discussions leading up to their advancing these proposals.  Those discussions and the attendant pros and cons should be shared.
  o The "stated objective" set forth by the Executive Committee advances three components.  Of the three, the only one that has any serious merit on its own is "increase Alumni voting participation."  I'm from Missouri on the other two -- that would be the "Show Me!" state.
  o As for "increase Alumni voting participation," I don't see much of anything that moves the ball toward that goal.  Indeed, I see components of the proposal that will drive voting from minimal to zero.
  o Indeed the guts of the proposal are the complete elimination of the current four Regional Trustees and two of the Chapter Trustees all six of them to be replaced by six AT LARGE Trustees.
  o Now, a sage might opine the publisher of USNA At Large ought to be in favor of At Large Trustees.  Amusing, but nothing could be further from the truth.  A truism in free society dynamics is that an official who is responsible to everyone is accountable to no one.  The sole exception being, of course, the #1 job in a free society -- in our case, the Chairman of the Alumni Assoc.
  o The BOT backed away from At Large Trustees a long time ago and rightfully so.  In a less challenged era, they were a generally useless role reserved for "name" alumni, but not expected to really do anything, but the penalty for the At Large luxury in those days was minimal.  Those are bygone days.  The Alumni Association needs, for a whole bunch of reasons, to gear up for dramatically more challenging todays and tomorrows.  The At Large Trustee mechanism is a nonstarter.
  o Matter of fact, the direction that the BOT should be going in is precisely the opposite direction -- MORE Regional Trustees!  I can elaborate on that dynamic and may do so in coming days.  (But, sure would like to see what discussions have already taken place within the Executive or Governance Committees.)
  o Dropping the Immediate Past Chair and the two BOT appointed positions is entirely appropriate. 
  o But, would also drop the voting powers of the President/CEO.  He is a hired hand.  His counsel should obviously be sought, but the BOT is his boss and he should not be placed in the conflict of interest situation that now exists.
  That concludes a few preliminary thoughts.
  The Powers have put the structure of the BOT into play.  Alumni have available to them a rare opportunity to take advantage of this situation to effect the kind of restructuring that will position the BOT appropriately for the challenges ahead.  Don't miss this opportunity -- make your views known.
    Live for Life, John Howland
 
In a message dated 4/26/05 5:05:51 PM Central Daylight Time, BlackfinSS322@aol.com writes:

USNA At Large,
  I am turning around the communique from the Central Region Trustee immediately in the interests of getting the word around nationally asap.
  I have some very definite views that I will put out shortly.
  But, in any event, strongly recommend that those among the At Large who have some views on this proposal get them to your Trustee(s) soonest.  Please copy me for further promulgation to all of the At Large.
  The red highlighting is mine.
    Live for Life, John Howland
 
 

U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association
Central Region Trustee
Leonard R. Wass, CAPT (Ret.)

USNA Class of 1964


Subj: Proposed Change to BOT Composition

Refer to: Central Region Letter 10-05; April 26, 2005
***

 ****

 The “Read Ahead” has just been issued to the Board of Trustees (BOT) prior to next week’s BOT meeting (May 6).  In it the Governance Committee is proposing a potential change to the current composition of the BOT for discussion next week, and a vote in December.  I would like the views of Central Region alumni prior to the May 6 meeting to help me determine how best to proceed.  I will summarize the proposal below.

 

In December 1998 the BOT approved the comprehensive report and recommendations of a 14 person Governance Study Group to implement a new BOT composition. All At-Large Trustees were eliminated from the new BOT, and the new structure was implemented over several years—being fully implemented by May 2003.  The new structure had 29 Trustees, made up of: Chair; Vice Chair; immediate past Chair; President/CEO; 4 Regional Trustees (new); 12 Chapter Trustees; 7 Class Trustees (new); and 2 Board selected Trustees (new, but optional to implement).

 

As of the December 2004 BOT meeting the Chair and Governance Committee Chair reported that no change need be made to the composition of the BOT.  Subsequently, over the last few months, a “strawman” to change the BOT composition was raised by the Chair to the Governance Committee.  The stated objective was to balance Class and Chapter Trustees, reduce the BOT size, and increase Alumni voting participation.  The Governance Committee is mixed in its views on the “strawman”.  In fact, an ad hoc group of the Governance Committee tasked to study the “strawman” recommended against it and recommended no change be made to the BOT composition for three years.  The Governance Committee proposal in the Read Ahead said it “accepts it as a solid basis for continuing discussion and recommends that it be given broad distribution among alumni groups.”

 

The “strawman” proposal before the BOT now would reduce the BOT (by 4) to 25 Trustees by: a.) Eliminating all 4 Regional Trustees, 4 of 12 Chapter Trustees, 2 Board selected Trustees, and the immediate past Chair; and, b.) Adding 6 “elected At-Large” Trustees and 1 Class Trustee.  The Chair, Vice Chair, and President/CEO would remain unchanged.

Western Region Trustee Reports re Strawman

USNA-At-Large, this post speaks for itself, Go Navy!  John Howland

 

Sent: Friday, November 25, 2005 12:09 AM

Subject: USNA Alumni Association Board of Trustees Reorganization

 Greetings,

 

      The USNA Alumni Association Board of Trustees will hold its fall meeting on 1 December 2005.  Among the agenda is a vote to reorganize the Board as follows:

 

     The proposal before the BOT would reduce the BOT (by 4) to 25 Trustees by: a.) Eliminating all 4 Region Trustees, 4 of 12 Chapter Trustees, 2 Board selected Trustees, and the immediate past Chair; and, b.) Adding 6 “elected At-Large” Trustees and 1 Class Trustee.  The Chair, Vice Chair, and President/CEO would remain unchanged.

 

      My intent is to vote against the reorganization because it eliminates the Region Trustees and adds the At-Large Trustees.  My objection is that the elimination of the trustees divided by regions across the US will eventually end up with the majority of trustees representing the group of alumni that reside on the eastern seaboard.  I support increasing the number of Region Trustees to better represent our alumni.

 

      If you have a strong opinion one way or the other, please send me an email.  I have waited this late to address the proposal with you in order to ensure that the proposal was officially part of the agenda.

 

      BEAT ARMY!

 

      Bob Stevenson '60

      Western Region Trustee

tobac@cox.net

President Bush Visit on Wed

USNA-At-Large,

  Here's more detail received subsequent to the Seattle Times and Los Angeles Times report that we just put out.

  This was just put out by the Administration in the Yard.

    Go Navy!  John Howland

 

 

Staff, Faculty, Residents, Midshipmen and Friends of the Naval Academy,

 

   We are honored that President George W. Bush plans to address the Brigade

in Alumni Hall at 9:50 a.m on Wednesday, 30 Nov.  The President's remarks

are expected to address the War on Terrorism and be televised live on the

major news networks.  This is a great opportunity to host our

Commander-in-Chief and to showcase the Naval Academy to the nation and the

world.

 

   Available seating and security constraints will limit the number of

attendees in Alumni Hall to the Brigade of Midshipmen and invited guests.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend and our desire is to provide as

many seats as possible, given the space limitations of the venue.  However,

the event will not be open to the general public.  For those not able to

attend the event, we are working to simulcast the event over NADN TV.  More

detailed information will be provided on the availability of seats for

faculty and staff early in the week.

 

  For those attending, the uniform is Service Dress Blue and Service

Equivalent for military personnel and appropriate civilian attire for

faculty and staff.  All guests will need to be seated by 9am; plan to arrive

at least 45 minutes early in order to make it through the security screening

area and into your seats.  Only still cameras will be allowed in the venue.

 

  The Brigade will have a modified academic schedule on Wednesday, 30 Nov.

The schedule will be promulgated on Monday, 28 Nov.  The Superintendent also

intends to address the Brigade in Alumni Hall once the President departs the

Naval Academy.

 

  For everyone (DoD/USNA vehicles) on the Yard, heightened security that

morning will subject our gates, as well as traffic on the Yard in the

vicinity of Alumni Hall, to temporary closures from 8am - 11am.  Also, the

Naval Academy will temporarily be closed to the public (including tour

groups and pedestrians) from 5 am until 1200 pm that day. The Naval Health

Clinic Annapolis will have limited operations during this time.  Naval

Academy military and civilian employees not working in support or attending

the event can request annual leave.  Workload permitting, supervisors are

encouraged to allow the use of unscheduled leave for this purpose.  Please

consult with your supervisor.

 

  We appreciate everyone's support and planning ahead.   More information

will be provided as additional details are known.

 

r/

Helen F. Dunn

Capt, USN

Deputy Superintendent/Chief of Staff

BOT Strawman: Class Presidents Being Deployed

USNA-At-Large,

  The Alumni Association continues to be flushed out of their foxhole.

  Now, just five days away from the December 1 BOT meeting, we have the Class Presidents sallying forth to do battle.  Here is an example.

  Guess I've got to get picky again (sigh!):

  1.  This Class Prez says, "The purpose of the change is to open the trustee selection process to the entire membership of the Association"  Not quite true.  The Strawman gives EVERY alum the chance to vote for six out of twenty-five Trustees.  Add the Chairman and Vice Chairman to get eight Trustees subject to direct election.  That says that two-thirds of the Trustees continue to be selected via some form of "old boy" network.  Whoop de do.

  2.  (BTW, this missive was probably drafted in Alumni House for the use of the Class Presidents -- an important factor to keep in mind as you assess this missive and others like it.)

  3.  The Class Prez goes on to say, "the four regional trustees are each elected only by the members living within their respective regions"  What a crime against humanity that Regional Trustees are elected only by folks in their Regions!  IAW the Strawman, the eight Trustees will be elected by EVERYBODY which means that they will be accountable to NOBODY!  (This is all free society 101 stuff!)

  4.  The Class Prez then parrots the Alumni Association, "The purpose of the change is to ... stimulate more interest and participation in the activities of the Association"  George keeps popping up in this stuff (ORWELL, that is, along with Watt).  Just the opposite will take place.  What pathetic little interest there is now will notch down even more.  The Powers That Be cannot handle even the small spark of life that the Regional Trustee Concept has brought to the BOT.  The Strawman seeks total control of the BOT and the Alumni Association with zero, zip, nada inconvenient Trustees running around.

  5.  And if losing four Regional Trustees is not enough, the Strawman seeks to banish FOUR Chapter Trustees.

  6.  BTW, note that this missive drops the bit from George Watt of a few days ago that all of this has been brought about by the SUCCESS of the Regional Trustee Model!  We burned 'em on that one and that pretense has been popped down the memory hole.

  7.  Then this Class Prez goes on to say, "The recent emphasis on increasing representation of class presidents on the Board of Trustees began in 1998 -- it was in recognition of the increased role that the class leadership was being asked to assume in fundraising and support of the Alumni Association."  He fails to say that that major restructure event (which was based on very legitimate and thorough analysis, as opposed to this slipshod Strawman putsch) also set up the Regional Trustee Concept.  Nowhere in any forum has the Alumni Association set forth any AAR re what succeeded and what failed from the 1998 restructure.  In essence, we have the Class Trustee Concept killing off the Regional Trustee Concept and emasculating the Chapter Trustee Concept.  Small wonder that this Class Prez is in favor of the Strawman.

  8.  Bottom line -- we say again -- the Board of Trustees should take a wave-off on this "Strawman" proposal on December 1, go back to the drawing boards and do a SERIOUS study of governance issues, including the proposal that there be a SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF REGIONAL TRUSTEES.

    Go Navy; Beat Army!  John Howland

Make-up of the USNAAA Board of Trustees.  Our class President David xxxxx has asked that I forward his email below regarding an upcoming vote for the make up of the USNAAA Board of Trustees. 

"Dear Classmates,
During the weeks since the last Council of Class Presidents meeting, you may have heard or received emails regarding the upcoming vote at the December 1 Board of Trustees meeting on the proposal to change the composition of the Board of Trustees of the USNA Alumni Association.  The proposal is below.  I urge you to read it and let your Regional and Chapter Trustees know your position.  To help you do that, their email addresses are provided at the end of my email to you.  Plz copy me on your emails so that I may also know your position and can let the President of the Council of Class Presidents know how our class feels about this.

The key element of the proposal is to replace four Regional Trustees and two Board Appointed Trustees with six National Trustees elected by the entire membership of the Association.  Under the current structure, the four regional trustees are each elected only by the members living within their respective regions and each member has the opportunity to vote only once every three years.  Under the proposal, the six National Trustees will serve staggered three year terms so that two are elected each year.  Thus every member of the Association will have the opportunity to vote for two National Trustees every year.  The purpose of the change is to open the trustee selection process to the entire membership of the Association and to stimulate more interest and participation in the activities of the Association.

A secondary element of the proposal replaces the Past Chair of the Board as a trustee with the Chair of the Council of Class Presidents and phases out four Chapter trustees, thus balancing the number of Class and Chapter Trustees at eight each.

The overall result of the proposal is a Board with eight Class selected trustees, eight Chapter selected trustees and eight National Trustees (including the Chairman and Vice-Chairman) elected by the entire membership of the Association plus the President/CEO of the Association -- resulting in a board of 25 members, a modest reduction from the current 29 members.

The recent emphasis on increasing representation of class presidents on the Board of Trustees began in 1998 -- it was in recognition of the increased role that the class leadership was being asked to assume in fundraising and support of the Alumni Association.  While each of you will make up your own minds regarding this proposal, I have personally supported this initiative as I believe it will end up increasing the participation of our alumni in the voting process and provides an increased opportunity for the Alumni Association to reflect the desires of its members.

I urge each of you to express your position for this proposal to your Regional and Chapter Trustees.  A simple, brief email stating:  "I urge you to [support (not support)] the proposal to change the composition of the Board of Trustees to be voted on at the December 1 meeting," will suffice.

For your benefit, the following is a listing of the Regional and Chapter Trustees:

Eastern Regional Trustee Through Spring 2008
     CAPT William O. Rentz, USN (Ret.) '55
     billsuereentz@mindspring.com

Mid-Atlantic Regional Trustee Through Spring 2006
     RADM John W. Adams, USN (Ret.) '58
     jackannadams@cox.net

Central Regional Trustee Through Spring 2008
     CAPT Leonard R. Wass, USNR (Ret.) '64
     Len.wass@1964.usna.com

Western Regional Trustee Through Spring 2008
     CAPT Robert G. Stevenson, USN (Ret.) '60
     Bob.stevenson@1960.usna.com

Atlanta Chapter Trustee Through Spring 2008
     Mr. Carl P. McCallum '60
     cpmc@comcast.net

Boston Chapter Trustee Through Spring 2008
     Mr. Frederick J. Sheehan, Jr., '78
     fredericksheehan@verizon.net

Greater Washington DC Area Chapter Through Spring 2008
     CDR Edward J. Sullivan, USN (Ret.) '68
     ed_sullivan@1968.usna.com

Hampton Roads Chapter Through Spring 2008
     CAPT Daniel B. Lear, USNR (Ret.) '68
     omegadanl@aol.com

Knoxville-Oak Ridge Chapter Through Spring 2006
     CDR Arvel J. Popp, USN (Ret.) '62
     popp661962@aol.com

Los Angeles Chapter Through Spring 2008
     Mr. Joseph W. Koch, Jr. '57
     jwkoch@pacbell.net

Pensacola Chapter Through Spring 2008
     CAPT Glenn Harold Montgomery, USN (Ret.)
     monty4gb@aol.com,

Puget Sound Chapter Through Spring 2008
     CAPT Colin H. Saari, USN (Ret.) '60
     saari@apl.washington.edu

San Diego Chapter Through Spring 2008
     CAPT Thomas J. Hammons III, USN (Ret.) '71
     tjhammons@aol.com


Your vote counts -- let your Trustees know your position.
All the best,
David
BEAT ARMY "

Slot Back Whittaker Lost For The Season

eFootball Fans:

I was hoping the lack of news on Karlos Whittaker was good news; however, as
written by the Annapolis Capital, he is lost for the season.

R/Dave Leather '73
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Subject: Slot Back Whittaker Lost For The Season (Annapolis Capital)

Football: Slot back Whittaker lost for the season
By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer

Paul Johnson got a flat tire on his brand new Jaguar en route to the
Army-Navy media luncheon in Philadelphia on Tuesday morning.

Navy's head coach must feel as though his triple-option offense is suffering
similar breakdowns.
Navy officially lost another key offensive playmaker yesterday when team
doctors delivered the news that slot back Karlos Whittaker had sustained a
severe knee injury that will require season-ending surgery.
Whittaker, a plebe from North Chicago, has been one of Navy's most dangerous
weapons - particularly on the outside. The speedy 5-foot-11, 194-pounder has
rushed for 290 yards and set a Navy freshman record with six touchdowns.
"It's a tough loss, but we've got to move on," Johnson said. "I'm
disappointed for Karlos. He's a good football player and was having a fine
first season."
Whittaker was injured after being tackled awkwardly on a short run against
Temple last Saturday. A magnetic resonance imaging examination performed on
Monday showed that Whittaker had torn both the anterior cruciate ligament
and medial collateral ligament in his right knee. That is exactly the same
damage sustained by starting fullback Matt Hall during the Notre Dame game.
Johnson admitted it's tough to lose two key offensive starters in the span
of week, especially with archrival Army next on the schedule.
"Injuries are a part of football. You've got to expect to have some during a
season," he said. "You can't use injuries as an excuse. Every team loses
good players at some point."
Sophomore Adam Ballard filled in for Hall against Temple and performed
admirably, rushing for a career-high 167 yards and a touchdown. Johnson said
someone else will have to step up to replace Whittaker, who did not start
but participated in as many plays per game as any slot back on the team.
"We've got other guys and they're going to have to play," Johnson said.
"We've got plenty of time to get them prepared in practice."
Junior Eddie Martin saw considerable time in Whittaker's absence against
Temple, carrying twice for 11 yards. Johnson said Trey Hines, another junior
who has primarily played fullback this season, could switch back to slot.
Johnson is also considering using a pair of talented plebes in Shun White
and John Forbes, both of whom have played in junior varsity games.
"We've got plenty of options. We'll see who performs well in practice,"
Johnson said.


Published November 24, 2005, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2005 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

Rhodes Prep Not An Accidental Process

USNA-At-Large,

  Blue and Gold Officer Katherine Szerdy spotted this one for us.

  An informative article that takes a quick peek at the hidden mechanisms and inner workings of the Rhodes Scholarship process.

  BTW, one factor in the success of our academic results over the past approx. seven or eight years is our Academic Dean Bill Miller.  Bill is Class of '62 and brought a combination of bona fide military experience and significant achievement in civilian academic administration to our academic culture.  (In the interests of full disclosure I'm proud to say that I played a tiny role in helping to bring him aboard.)

  One last comment -- admittedly rough -- you can buy Prof Fleming's tales of academic woe or you can buy four Rhodes Scholars.  There is no such thing as perfection, but I view the Rhodes Scholars as more indicative of where we are academically.

  OK, OK, this is for real the last comment -- there is no conflict between producing Rhodes Scholars among the Brigade and developing core combat leaders.  M/M America want smart, educated people leading their sons and daughters in combat.  A few Rhodes Scholars along the way is just icing on the cake.

    Live for Life, John Howland

 

PS Check out http://USNA-At-Large.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.ar.academy24nov24,1,2428562.story

Colleges driven to take Rhodes

Academy, other schools prepare assiduously for award process

By Bradley Olson
Sun reporter

November 24, 2005

The U.S. Naval Academy's success in landing seven Rhodes scholarships in the past two years - more than in the previous decade - might have surprised some. But it was not for lack of preparation.

Before this year's four winners and another finalist trekked across the country for final interviews last weekend, they had met once a week for two months to read the classics and discuss current events. They had practiced interviews with faculty to hone their talking points and detail how they would use two years at Oxford to "fight the world's fight."

They had dined and held cocktail-party rehearsals with military bigwigs, including the academy's superintendent, Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt, to prepare for cocktail parties that the Rhodes selection committees hold the night before interviews.

The process is not unusual, with some universities prepping candidates from their freshman year for applications for prestigious fellowships. The academy, along with other elite schools, has been doing it for decades.

But the preparations reflect a growing focus at universities on winning Rhodes scholarships to enhance stature. A national association was formed to help smaller schools level the playing field, and several college presidents have added fellowship wins to strategic growth plans aimed squarely at college rankings in the news media.

Academy officials say they haven't changed their approach, and are not sure why the military college has won more Rhodes awards in two years than in the previous eight years, when the academy received four.

"I gave up a long time ago trying to find out what the Rhodes committees are looking for in any particular year," said Thomas Brennan, one of two history professors who shepherd the midshipmen through the process. "There is a sense of sympathy for the armed services right now, a pride in the armed services. I have to guess that played a role."

'Best and brightest'

Nick Allard, the secretary of the Rhodes committee district that includes Maryland and Washington, said post-9/11 fervor might play a role, but he also said he believes the Naval Academy might be attracting better students than the other service academies.

"The Naval Academy is justifiably attracting the best and the brightest," he said. "They're also offering a top-caliber university experience, not just military training, but a vigorous and challenging intellectual experience."

The Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point are perennial favorites for the Rhodes grants and other fellowships that provide a free ride to elite British universities.

Rhodes interviewers and Brennan, who has been involved in the academy's fellowship preparations for almost 15 years, say that's because the cadets and midshipmen are involved in challenging programs that force them to excel in academics, athletics and leadership, as well as commit to five years in public service after college.

The guidelines for the scholarships - set up when the Rhodes Trust was created more than a century ago by British diamond magnate Cecil Rhodes - call for academic excellence, leadership, integrity, physical vigor and commitment to public service. The grants provide for two or three years of study at Oxford, valued at $40,000 a year.

Most universities that regularly land Rhodes scholars, including the Naval Academy, have a thorough internal process to winnow prospective applicants well before the October application deadline. The academy's U.K. Scholarships Committee, made up of about 10 professors, interviews between 40 and 50 midshipmen to come up with a group of 20 who will apply for several highly competitive grants to study in England, including some sponsored by alumni.

Candidates are picked based on grades, seriousness about graduate school and commitment to a military career. This year, several of the 20 dropped out because they lost interest or didn't want to delay deployments to the Middle East.

West Point, which has had six Rhodes scholars since 2001 and 82 overall, has a similar internal application process. At Harvard University, which has had 19 Rhodes scholars since 2001 and 313 overall, applicants are coached by graduate students assigned to their dorms.

Rhodes applicants have to submit eight letters of recommendation with the application, along with a 1,000-word essay about their career goals - an essay often polished by applicants and faculty mentors.

Allard, the Maryland Rhodes committee member, said the Naval Academy has always sent detailed recommendation letters.

"That makes a difference," he said. "Unfortunately, there are some very fine candidates from some very fine institutions that we just don't get enough data about. The Naval Academy is extremely forthright and honest as well. If a candidate has a blemish, we hear about it. Frankly, having a blemish explained often helps a candidate."

The applications go to 16 regions, either where the applicants are from or where their university is located. Regional committees selected about 200 finalists this year from about 900 applicants, and those finalists were invited to interviews last weekend. After the Friday night cocktail party, finalists have 15-minute interviews the next day, and some have follow-up interviews. At about 5:30 p.m., they are brought to the committee and told if they have been chosen or not.

Mock cocktail parties

This year, the application deadline was Oct. 3, but the midshipmen prepared during September and October by poring over Reading Lolita in Tehran, among other books and publications, and discussing certain parts of it with professors, Brennan said. The process, which can sometimes include practice questions, helps Mids prepare to speak confidently about the classics, current events and, most importantly, their futures.

They also have a pizza party as an informal practice and then more formal get-togethers with top academy officials, Brennan said. The mock cocktail parties - which are held at most universities that prepare students for the Rhodes interviews - are frowned upon by Elliot Gerson, American secretary for the Rhodes Trust.

Allard said he didn't think such practices help.

"The committees are very good at peeling the wrapper off the packaged candidates," he said, noting that candidates from several Ivy League institutions - which he declined to name - often seem overly polished. "The candidates who are genuine and real do much better."

Brennan said he tells students that making it to the finals is a major accomplishment, reflective of a great college career and application. After that, because of a wide-open interview process, it's anyone's guess who's going to win. Several fellowship advisers said they have heard of questions as esoteric as "Beethoven or Wagner? Go."

"It's completely out of their hands," he said. "It's almost random, even a crap shoot. What we're talking about is a selection made on the basis of only 15 minutes of interviewing. There's no way a student can control that, prepare for that or have any influence at all. I just tell them to be relaxed and be as genuine as they can."

This year, Rhodes winner Paul J. Angelo, a senior midshipman from Ohio who focuses on Latin American studies at the Naval Academy, received questions about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, President Bush's visit to Argentina this month and U.S. military anti-drug efforts in Colombia, all areas in his specialty.

But senior Midshipman Nicholas M. Schmitz of Bethesda, who is majoring in political science and economics, got questions about whether torture is justified and on the merits of the Iraq war.

Schmitz said the questions were a little more focused than he expected, given his preparation.

Other academy candidates to win were Jacquelyn R. Hanna of Lisbon, N.D., and Ensign William R. Kelly of New York, who graduated in May. Two Potomac residents attending Duke University also were among the 32 winners.

Gerson said the trust discourages universities from using the fellowships to market their academic influence, because the awards are given to individuals based on their accomplishments, not to institutions.

But Schmitz, who turned down another prestigious grant to accept the Rhodes, was happy to praise the academy. Said Schmitz of the school: "Obviously, we must be doing something right."

bradley.olson@baltsun.com

Copyright © 2005, The Baltimore Sun

Leftwich Leadership Trophy to Capt. Bronzi

USNA-At-Large,

  It's Thanksgiving, here's another item to add to the long list of things to give Thanks for at this special time of the year.

    Semper Fi, John Howland

 

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 Camp Hansen captain awarded Leftwich Trophy for leadership Officer with 2-4 credits his Marines in accepting award By David Allen, Stars and Stripes Pacific edition, Thursday, November 24, 2005 Courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael W. Hagee, right, presents Capt. Christopher J. Bronzi the Leftwich Trophy for Outstanding Leadership. Courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Christopher J. Bronzi, center, then-commanding officer of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, speaks with Lt. Col. Paul J. Kennedy, left, battalion commanding officer, as Cpl. Matthew H. Hernandez provides security during a zone-clearing operation in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Capt. Christopher J. Bronzi says he’s not saying “aw, shucks” about receiving the Marine Corps’ Leftwich Trophy — given annually to a captain who shows outstanding leadership. “It really did have a lot to do with the outstanding young Marines I had under me,” he said Monday in a telephone interview from his Camp Hansen office, where he now serves as battalion operations officer for the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. “This award is a reflection on them, too,” he said. “More than anything, this award is a testament to the quality of the young Marines we have doing a tough job in Iraq.” The Leftwich Trophy is awarded annually to a Marine captain in the ground combat arms field. It is named for Lt. Col. William G. Leftwich, a recipient of the Navy Cross and the Silver Star who was killed in action in South Vietnam in November 1970. Bronzi, 32, was commanding officer of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, during a seven-month deployment in Iraq. From February to September of 2004, the company conducted operations in the city of Ar Ramadi. “We were in the Sunni Triangle,” Bronzi, of Poughquag, N.Y., said. “It was the most violence-prone province in Iraq. We had almost daily contact of some sort with the insurgents.” He said his men “always gave better than they got.” “We learned we had to fight and win with what we were carrying on our backs,” Bronzi said. “We couldn’t always depend on calling for backup. “The young men I commanded were very tenacious, relentless. They had a tremendous fighting spirit. I was very impressed with them. “I knew going in they’d be good — they’re Marines. But I had to marvel at how resilient they were. I was in awe at what these young guys did.” While Bronzi credits his Marines for the “humbling” honor he received, his Marines throw it right back at him. “Captain Bronzi’s number-one priority has always been his Marines,” said Gunnery Sgt. Winston Jaugan, according to a Marine press release. Jaugan, who served with Bronzi in Iraq as the company gunnery sergeant, said Bronzi’s leadership inspired the Marines under his command. “He is the best company commander I’ve ever served with,” Jaugan said. “I would love to serve in combat with him again. He never hesitates. He never once lost control of his company, even while under heavy fire.” Bronzi, in his 10th year as a Marine, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He said he’s always wanted to be an infantry officer and credits other officers under whom he’s served with making him the leader he has become. “Every battalion commanding officer I’ve had has been a great example,” he said. Bronzi recently returned from the Philippines, where he took part in training with Philippine marines during Amphibious Landing Exercise 2006. He is scheduled to leave Okinawa in a few weeks for Camp Pendleton, Calif., where his wife, Amy, and children are waiting. © 2003 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved.

Prof Fleming: Call Your Office!

USNA-At-Large,

  One of our At Large "Alert Readers" spotted this job opportunity for our Professor Bruce Fleming.

  How provident -- it's an opening in the Warren County CC ENGLISH Dept!

    ;-}  John Howland

 

PS It's not clear in this article, but Prof Daly is the fellow who apparently suggested that fragging would be a really good idea in Iraq.  JH

 

Provoked professor leaves WCCC post Wednesday, November 23, 2005 By SARA LEITCH The Express-Times The adjunct professor at Warren County Community College who sent a controversial e-mail to a student there resigned on Tuesday, before the board of trustees began an emergency meeting scheduled to address the matter. "As we prepared for that meeting, we received word from Mr. Daly that he had tendered his resignation from WCCC effective immediately," Board Chairman Ed Smith said. "The board has accepted his resignation." Some of the 30 people in the room gasped at the news, including student Rebecca Beach, whose invitation to a campus speech by a veteran of the Iraq war provoked an irate response from John Daly, a part-time English professor at the college. "Professor John Daly is (teaching) in a state institution and acting on behalf of the state, and I believe his comments to me is a restriction on my personal free-speech rights," Beach said. Beach founded the WCCC chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, a national conservative activist group. In his e-mail reply to Beach's invitation, Daly wrote that he would work to keep the group from "showing their face on a college campus." Daly did not respond to a call for comment Tuesday. Board Chairman Ed Smith said he called the trustee meeting to discuss the facts of the incident and "and certain safety concerns that arose as a result thereof." Smith would not explain what he meant by "safety concerns," or what he meant when he said the board planned to discuss the e-mail "and other facts and circumstances that came to the Board's attention subsequent thereto." The college has already assigned a faculty member to teach the rest of Daly's classes this fall, President Will Austin said. He pledged to include a tolerance training session at the college's next faculty in-service day, and to consider a broad range of student input in developing the session. "We will also rededicate ourselves to a review of our current policies and procedures to make certain that we continue to foster an open and collegial learning environment at our institution," Austin said. A Morris County resident who attended the meeting, retired Air Force Maj. Ted Sienicki, said he had never had any reason to stop by WCCC before learning about Daly's e-mail from military friends in other parts of the country. He congratulated the board for accepting Daly's resignation. "That's the end of his abuse of authority, and his self-serving abuse of his position," Sienicki said. One WCCC student, Jamie Lemelledo, spoke during the meeting and asked why the dispute couldn't have remained an internal college matter. "I think it's wrong what some people did, ruining this man's name," she said. "I don't think the man did anything wrong, I think it's too bad he had to resign." Beach said she forwarded Daly's e-mail to the national Young America's Foundation because she wanted the American people to know his beliefs. She said she did that at the same time she brought it to Austin's attention. Things might have turned out differently if the incident hadn't gathered national attention, she said. "I just wanted his intolerance exposed," Beach said. "I wanted the people of this country to see what he said." Reporter Sara Leitch can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by e-mail at sleitch@express-times.com. 1/3/à=(( 1/3/à=(( © 2005  The Express Times © 2005 NJ.com All Rights Reserved

It's Official: San Diego's Poinsettia Bowl Picks CSU

eFootball Fans:

From the Coloradoan - looks like CSU is happy to be going to a bowl game.
Note they beat AFA rather easily earlier this year so they should be a tough
team to beat.

R/Dave Leather '73
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Subject: It's Official: San Diego's Poinsettia Bowl Picks CSU (The
Coloradoan)

It's official: San Diego's Poinsettia Bowl picks CSU
Rams, Midshipmen to play for first time Dec. 22
By TONY PHIFER
TonyPhifer@coloradoan.com

Colorado State University football coach Sonny Lubick can relax. His Rams
are going bowling after all.

As expected, the Rams on Tuesday got an official invitation to play Navy in
the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. It will be CSU's sixth bowl game
in seven years and Lubick's ninth bowl game since arriving in 1993.

"I would have been devastated if we didn't get a bowl bid," Lubick said
Tuesday. "This feels so good, and I'm so happy for our players. It's really
so positive for the entire program and the entire university."

The Rams (6-5, 5-3 Mountain West Conference) put their postseason hopes in
jeopardy by losing back-to-back games to start November. But they got the
sixth win necessary for bowl eligibility Saturday, beating UNLV 31-27, then
took advantage of losses by New Mexico and Brigham Young to finish in a tie
for second place in the MWC.

The Poinsettia Bowl had been considering New Mexico (6-5, 4-4), but cited
CSU's higher finish in the standings and 35-25 win over the Lobos as primary
reasons for inviting the Rams. New Mexico settled for a conditional
invitation to the Fort Worth Bowl.

"When you leave it in someone else's hands, it's always a little risky,"
Lubick said of the bowl selection process. "But when I saw that we were in
second place, I felt we were in pretty good shape."

CSU never has met Navy in football. The Rams and Midshipmen do have a common
opponent - Air Force - and both teams beat the Falcons this season. CSU
knocked off Air Force 41-23, while the Middies beat the Falcons 27-24.

The Rams - particularly 14 seniors - are thrilled to get a chance at a bowl
after missing out last year following a 4-7 season.

"It feels good to be going back to a bowl," senior quarterback Justin
Holland said. "I definitely think we deserve to go. We are a talented team,
and when we come to play we are tough to beat. None of the seniors wanted
the UNLV game to be their last college game."

The bowl gives CSU 11 or 12 more practices and allows time for injured
players to heal. Senior offensive tackle Mike Brisiel, for example, should
be healthy in plenty of time for the game after missing all but a few plays
of the past two games with a reverse hip pointer.

"We've been pasted together with bubble gum for most of the season, so it
will be nice to go into a game pretty healthy," Lubick said. "This time off
should really allow us to strengthen ourselves at safety and on the
offensive line, where we really have been hurting."

The Rams, off this week for Thanksgiving break, will open practice Nov. 30.
Lubick hopes to have seven or eight practices here before the team departs
Dec. 18 for San Diego.


Originally published November 23, 2005
Copyright ©2005 The Fort Collins Coloradoan.
    

=================================================
USNA-At-Large's niche is to provide USNA-related news quickly and reliably to graduates and friends of the United States Naval Academy.

Perhaps someone was kind enough to pass this USNA At Large post along to you.

But, why wait around for the next post to meander your way courtesy of someone else's good graces? Get it direct from the USNA-At-Large source by going to this link --

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/USNA-At-Large/

Then click on "Join This Group."  (You will create a Yahoo ID, but you will be able to use your normal email address for delivery of the latest zippy posts.  If you have ANY questions with the process, immediately email BlackfinSS322@aol.com!)

Start getting USNA-related gouge faster (quickly and reliably) than through any other medium, bar none.

BOT Leadership Puts Out ISSUE PAPER re Strawman Proposal

USNA At Large,

Now comes George Watt with a last minute effort to put out an "Issue Paper" re the proposed BOT restructuring, aka, the "Strawman" proposal.

One doesn't know just where to begin, but since timeliness is critical here, we'll just set forth some random comments in no particular order of importance.

(Thanks to Malcolm Schantz for passing this along to the At Large.)

1.  We'll start with an "Executive Summary" -- this effort by George and the leadership of the Alumni Association is essentially pathetic in every sense.

2.  Unfortunately, the head of the Greater Washington Chapter terms George's effort as "rumor control."  Malcolm Schantz properly nails that one.  Golly!

3.  Matter of fact, why is this missive coming from the president in the first place?  This has to do with organizing and structuring the Board of Trustees.  Seems such communications should come from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees or perhaps from the Governance Committee.  George ought to be a bystander on subjects like this, not a cheerleader trotted out to bash those of us alumni who have access to the Internet and give a damn.

4.  But, since George is the fellow that has ventured out of the compound, we'll deal with his missive.

5.  He starts off gnashing his teeth -- stating that those that question the "Strawman" proposal are doing so "violently."  How in the world does he come up with a word like that?  Have there been some sort of acts of "violence" at Alumni House?  George needs to be reminded that there are a lot of our alumni, past and present, who know what the word "violence" means.  Trivializing such a word is not becoming of a president of the Alumni Association.

6.  BTW, George never says specifically who in the Internet is utilizing "violent" tactics.  As it happens, I'm not aware of any other Internet entity who has stayed as on top of this developing situation as well as USNA At Large.  You can see much of our coverage going back just the past couple of months at our new blog -- http://USNA-At-Large.blogspot.com/  To be sure, we have covered BOT issues for years.

7.  George then goes on to charge us with using "F.U.D." tactics.  (Have to admit that's a new acronym to me.)  In any event, this charge made me doubt that it was USNA At Large he was referring to since you will see communications on this subject from several current Trustees on the blog, including the CHAIRMAN OF THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE.  Gee whiz!

8.  But, not to worry, George then reassures us that it will take 2/3 of the Trustees to pass the "Strawman" proposal.  I guess George is implying that we can carry on as the Strawman proposal will probably not be passed.  As a Trustee for many years in days of yesteryear, I can assure you that getting a 2/3 vote out of the BOT is not a difficult feat, UNLESS WE RABBLE OUTSIDE OF THE WASHINGTON-ANNAPOLIS-BALTIMORE axis let our Trustees know what our views are.

9.  George then complains, "incomplete information that are being promulgated through the internet"  The fault for "incomplete information" falls 100% squarely in the laps of George, Carl Trost and Roy Snyder.  As an aside, it is always profoundly discouraging to me to find Naval Academy graduates behaving this way.

10. Whew!  This is hard work.  Now on to the second paragraph.  Gadzooks!

11. George proceeds to share, finally, 10 days out from the BOT meeting the "the only official version" of the Issue Paper.  I suspect that the only reason that this document has been generated in the first place and shared is because we among USNA At Large pressurized the BOT leadership to do a proper job.

12. George then goes on to cite the three benefits of the "Strawman" proposal.  Note that they are not cited in "the only official version".  Sort of tough to reconcile that logistic -- guess George's three benefits must be "unofficial."

13. George then goes on to do a really good impersonation of George ORWELL, "We build upon the success of the regional trustee model, now expanding it to six seats of "national trustees""  Here's how to read that Benefit #1 -- The Regional Trustee Model has been very, very successful.  The four Regional Trustees have some sense of responsibility to their constituencies because they were specifically elected by them.  As a result, some of the Regional Trustees have an annoying habit of asking inconvenient questions from time to time.  What would George do?  (Orwell, that is.)  Why, he would declare the Regional Trustee Model to be a success and then toss the Regional Trustees into the memory hole.

14. I don't know about the reader, but I've about had enough of this stuff.  We'll fast forward to the end here.

15. The "Issue Paper" is a sorry excuse for a document purportedly designed to seriously support a massive change to the structure of the Board of Trustees of the Alumni Association.  One could almost get a sense of the low regard that the Alumni Association seems to have for the vast body of Naval Academy Alumni outside of the Washington-Annapolis-Baltimore axis with a pathetic effort like this.

16. Finally, we call again for the Board of Trustees to take a wave-off on this "Strawman" proposal on December 1, go back to the drawing boards and do a SERIOUS study of governance issues, including the proposal that there be a SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF REGIONAL TRUSTEES.

  For The American Experiment, John G.B. Howland '64


   So at last, a position paper and official explanation are promulgated,
fewer than two weeks before the vote. It's like pulling teeth getting
info out of our Alumni Association.
   In the absence of straightforward communication from the Association,
rumors will naturally flourish.  Real "rumor control" involves getting the
full story before the membership early in the game.
  I continue to suspect that some at Alumni House hoped to slip this major
change through by quick and dirty vote without arousing undue alumni notice.
Well, mirabile dictu, it appears a few alumni have noticed!
  At this point I suggest that the motion proposing this change be tabled
until the membership has had a chance to study and provide feedback.

Malcolm Schantz '63
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Greater Washington DC Chapter President wrote:

Folks - here is a great effort in "rumor control" put together by George that is worth reading.

steve
Dr. Steve Hudock '69
President
Greater Washington Chapter
US Naval Academy Alumni Association
703-989-4606

  ==================================================

Shipmates,

I saw a note the other day from one of our members suggesting that the vote on the proposed change to the composition of the Board of Trustees is a "done deal". If that is so, then many of us are wasting our time. Unfortunately, there are a few who violently oppose the change as recommended by the standing governance committee. And what is most unfortunate is this group continues to employ F.U.D. tactics (fear, uncertainty & doubt) in order to stir up our alumni and the dues paying members of the Alumni Association. At the end of the day, it requires 2/3 of the voting members of the Board of Trustees to make a change to our bylaws. Thus, it is important that this issue be reviewed factually and thoughtfully. When we vote (and we will vote this up or down at the 1 December meeting), it is my hope our votes will be based on the merits of the proposed change and not on the myths and incomplete information that are being promulgated through the internet.

As you can see in the attached issue paper (and this is the only official version - presented to the members of the BOT through an agreed-to committee process), there are many benefits to the proposed change to the BOT composition model. Simply put, I see three basic and logical reasons for the BOT to accept the nominating committee's (and our Chairman's) proposal:



We build upon the success of the regional trustee model, now expanding it to six seats of "national trustees"
We balance the BOT among class, chapter and "at large" representation, thus moving toward a more effective governing/fiduciary model, and a cohesive and integrated board
We give all of our members a voice in the selection of their "national trustees" (which is the most important in my mind), thus engaging the entire membership in building an effective, representative board
Let me assure you this is not a done deal. I believe that if you, and our other 50,000 dues paying members are made aware of the facts and the benefits, and then we all in turn express our thoughts on the matter to all of the sitting members of the BOT, they will take your input into account and vote for the good of the association.

With Very Best Regards and BEAT ARMY!!!

G.P. Watt

George P. Watt, Jr., President and CEO

U.S. Naval Academy

Alumni Association & Foundation

247 King George Street

Annapolis, MD 21402

GPWATT@1973.usna.com


=============================================================


USNA Alumni Association

Issue Paper

Issue:  Composition of the Board of Trustees

Summary

The planned changes to board composition reduce the size of the board, balance chapter and class representation (which has been an issue of debate) and make the board more accountable to the entire alumni population.

Discussion

The Chairman has proposed a change in the composition of the Board of Trustees that addresses four key elements: (1) Election of six National Trustees by the entire regular membership of the Association that broadens the support role of current Regional and Board Selected trustees and makes the National Trustees elected by, and accountable to, the entire alumni community; (2) Balanced chapter and class trustee representation on the board; (3) A modest reduction in the size of the Board; and (4) An easy, and highly effective transition methodology. The majority of the standing Governance Committee supports this proposal.



USNA Alumni Association Board of Trustees Composition

Currently
Proposed

12 Chapter Trustees
8 Chapter Trustees 1

  7 Class Trustees
8 Class Trustees 1

  4 Regional Trustees
 

6 National Trustees 2

  2 Board selected Trustees

  1 Chair
1 Chair

  1 Vice Chair
1 Vice Chair

  1 President/CEO
1 President/CEO

  1 Past Chair
    Delete 3

TOTAL:  29
TOTAL:  25


1  Balances trustees between chapters and classes

2  National trustees to be elected by the total regular membership of the Association

3  The current Chair and the current Past Chair concur with this deletion



·        When implemented, six National Trustees will be created.  With staggered three-year terms for these six seats, the entire regular membership has the opportunity to vote each year to elect two National Trustees. 

·        With two National Trustees to be elected each year, the board-appointed Nominating Committee will have the opportunity to take into account the entire talent, experience and availability of all regular members across the entire geographic, generational, ethnic and gender spectrum. This assures a deep pool of mission oriented, qualified and willing to serve individuals.

·        The Chair of the Council of Class Presidents and seven Decade Representatives selected by the Council will comprise the eight class trustees. These trustees provide appropriate generational representation on the Board of Trustees.

·        An organization of Chapter Presidents will be asked to establish criteria for selecting chapter trustees not only giving consideration to chapter size but also providing the opportunity for smaller chapters to select trustees. The chapter trustees provide appropriate geographic alignment.

·        Each National Trustee will also be asked by the Chairman to be a communicator to a discrete sub-set of the national membership base. Thus, each member of the Association will have no less than four channels of communication with the board:  a class trustee, a chapter trustee, a national trustee and the officers (Chairman, Vice Chairman and President).

·        Finally, and most importantly, this new model will provide the opportunity for the entire membership to engage in the election of trustees each and every year, thus giving the members a voice.  

Muslim Midshipmen

USNA-At-Large,

  The article below is from the "Isn't that Special" files.

  It's probably just me, but I don't find this article particularly warm/fuzzy.

  For example, we find a Midshipman Ali agonizing over whether he can perform as a combat leader.  The best we get out of him is that he will do the "right thing."  Sounds nice, but when you think about it for a minute, just who's "right thing" is he going to do?  Allah?  And, how is it going to be revealed to him just what Allah wants?  Hint -- do not assume that Allah wants the same thing that we in Western Civilization think that our Judeo-Christian Supreme Being might want.

  But, Midshipman Ali reassures us in no uncertain terms that he would "defend himself and his men without hesitation."  With all due respect -- whoop de do!  Defense is nice in a pinch, but being a competent combat leader is all about offense.  Not a very satisfying answer.

  Then we relate the problems of former West Point Cadet Yee.  I thought that maybe the author of the piece would balance things out by also relating the story of the Army Muslim soldier that rolled a handgrenade into the tents of fellow soldiers early on during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Or, any of the other many stories of actual problems with Muslims in the military.

  Moving along, the author dutifully relates the standard speciousness disinformation of Muslim spokespeople, in this instance the Fiqh Council.  In the world of Islam, the only "innocents" are Muslims.  All the rest are fair game.  And, then we are supposed to be reassured that "noncombatants" will not be killed "without a justifiable reason."  Isn't that special -- wonder what the "justifiable reason" was to blow up the wedding party in Jordan recently?

  Matter of fact, as I think on it, the only tiny little shred of solace I came away with from this article was the fact that we have fewer Muslims than the other Service Academies.  Praise be.

  I suppose we'll wake up to the threat one of these days, but it looks like it is going to take lots more dead Americans before that happens.

    Live for Life, John Howland

 

 

 
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-id.mids20nov20,1,4222049.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

For Muslim mids, uniformity in duty - but not in beliefs

By Bradley Olson
Sun reporter

November 20, 2005

Before Maksudal Ali decided to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, he struggled with a few questions: If the time came, could he kill a fellow Muslim?

Would he be able to fit his faith's requirements into the rigid structure of a military academy? Would he face bigotry?

Eventually, he made his way to Annapolis and is now one of 10 Muslim midshipmen among 4,200 student officers.

Although Ali rates his experiences on campus as positive, he said there are pressures unique to Muslims at the academy. Chief among them is preparing for a military career at a time when the nation is suffering casualties at the hands of extremists who say they are acting in the name of Islam.

There are other challenges, such as the difficulty of fasting for Ramadan - which ended earlier this month - or meshing a Muslim's five-times-a-day prayer obligations with the busy schedule of a midshipman, or attending an institution where most of his peers have had little exposure to Islam.

Ali, who is president of the Muslim Midshipmen Club, said he hasn't faced any hostility because of his faith. Occasionally, he said, he was unable to conduct daily prayers because of his busy schedule, but academy officials respect Friday worship time for Muslims.

"I really appreciate the way the Naval Academy has treated me and all the Muslims here," Ali said. "I wasn't sure - because of the way the culture of the Naval Academy works - if the freedom of religion in America would be more like a freedom from religion. It's not like that at all. Faith is very much a part of our lives."

Civil-liberties groups have challenged the academy's mandatory lunchtime prayer tradition as a state endorsement of religion, but college officials have defended it as a practice that teaches midshipmen about different religions, because various kinds of prayers are offered.

Another Muslim midshipman, Chiraz Chakroun, said she and her family worried that ignorance of Islam in the United States would make an education at the academy a harsh and lonely experience.

She has had the opposite experience. Well into her second year here, her family is proud. Her father often wears a U.S. Naval Academy T-shirt.

Before he came to the academy, Ali said he had to search his soul to determine whether he could "push a button or pull the trigger on another Muslim." He said he decided he would do the "right thing" and defend himself or his men without hesitation.

In the run-up to war in Afghanistan, Maj. Abdul-Rasheed Muhammed, the most senior Muslim chaplain in the Army, asked the Fiqh Council of North America, a panel of Muslim scholars that issues fatwas, or decrees on Islamic law, for a ruling on whether Muslims can participate in a war against Muslims.

The council ruled that it was permissible, saying: "All Muslims ought to be united against all those who terrorize the innocents, and those who permit the killing of noncombatants without a justifiable reason."

The fatwa wasn't enough for some Muslims in the military. One Air Force sergeant spent about a year in prison after refusing to deploy to Iraq, noting his faith and prohibitions against fighting other Muslims.

During his court-martial, a Muslim Air Force chaplain defended the sergeant's decision, saying he had consulted several clerics where he was serving in Germany and believed it would be better to die than to bear arms against other Muslims, according to an account published in Stars and Stripes.

The religious environment at the Naval Academy has received scant attention compared with the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Last month a Jewish graduate of that academy and father of two cadets filed suit in federal court claiming that academy brass had illegally tried to impose Christianity on cadets at the school. In June, a Defense Department task force faulted Air Force Academy leaders for not doing enough to accommodate people of different religions.

Ali, 22, of Clarksburg, is a senior at the Naval Academy and one of the leading distance runners on Navy's cross country team. He fasted for Ramadan, which made his preparation for the Army meet in mid October especially challenging.

He had dreams of becoming a fighter pilot when he was in elementary school, something that led him to consider the Naval Academy, although after about a month on a submarine last summer, he chose to be a submarine officer instead.

"They were very professional and hospitable, and I realized that these were the people that I wanted to be among and that I wanted to lead," he said.

That experience led him to believe that being Muslim would not be an obstacle during his Navy career.

When he graduates, Ali will become one of about 15,000 Muslims in the U.S. military, about 1 percent of 1.4 million active-duty troops. Twenty-three self-identifying Muslim cadets are at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., and 13 are at the Air Force Academy, spokesmen at each school said.

Chakroun, 22, is a sophomore and one of three international students at the academy from Tunisia, a small North African country that borders the Mediterranean Sea. Like Ali, Chakroun is Muslim and has fasted during Ramadan.

She attended a military prep school in Tunisia and wanted to join her country's Navy. When she learned about exchange programs at U.S. military service academies, she took interest. After speaking with two other Tunisian mids, she picked the Naval Academy.

When she told her parents, they worried.

"Before I came here, my family, of course, was like, 'They don't know the culture in the U.S.,'" she said. "But I'm lucky that I have an open-minded family who told me that if I wanted to study in the United States, go ahead."

Muslim midshipmen attend services every Friday in a 225-square-foot room in Bancroft Hall, occasionally venturing out to the local mosque. The officer adviser of the Muslim Midshipman Club is Cmdr. Irving Elson, a Jewish chaplain.

Elson said most of the Muslim mids have responded well to his role, even though he was the first rabbi some had ever met.

"Some say it's a joke, but some say I've had an impact," he said. "I look at it as an honor."

Chaplains like Elson are charged with making sure the religious needs of Ali, Chakroun and other Muslims at the academy are accommodated. During Ramadan, for instance, Elson said he may have to go an extra step or two to make sure they're given adequate time and respect for traditions such as Iftar, a meal eaten to break the daily fast during the Muslim holy month.

"I counsel the institution as much as I counsel the mids," Elson said.

Muslims may not be able to make every religious observance, Elson said, but that's part of military life. "Muslim mids, just like all our mids, are asked to compromise," he said.

Chakroun said she has never felt ostracized or uncomfortable at the academy because of her faith.

"Most of the questions that I get concerning my religion were just curiosity from my classmates, like, 'Hey, you're going to fast, so what's that mean?'" Chakroun said. "They just want to know about a faith they're not used to."

One of Chakroun's close friends at the academy - a Buddhist - has helped her feel more comfortable. Chakroun said her friend's mother is a Southern Baptist and her sister is a Muslim.

"If I see a family like that, with so many diverse religions in one family, I know it's not a problem," she said.

Ali, who was born in Albany, N.Y. and went to Gaithersburg High School, said that one reason he wanted to serve is because of the opportunities afforded in the U.S. to his Bangladeshi parents.

His father works as a bio-statistician at a pharmaceutical company; in addition to supporting Ali and the immediate family, he also sends money to the extended family in Bangladesh.

"For me and especially for people coming from other backgrounds, we have a duty to give back to this country," he said.

For some Muslims in the military, fulfilling that duty has come with special challenges.

David Segal, director of the Center for Research on Military Organization, compared the hostility faced by some Muslim military service members today to what Japanese-American troops experienced during World War II.

"Back then you saw a lot of the same kinds of concerns about loyalty that we are hearing now about Muslims," he said. "But on the other hand, lots of Japanese-Americans served very honorably in World War II, including some who came out of relocation centers to do it."

One of the most vocal critics of the military's treatment of Muslims has been James Yee, a former Muslim Army chaplain at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center who was accused - and cleared - of spying.

A graduate of West Point, Yee said he and other Muslims face a great deal of suspicion in the military, especially while deployed to the Middle East or somewhere like Guantanamo Bay. And when at home, he has had to intervene for observant Muslims to be able to worship as Jews and Christians do.

"Even then, when a chaplain gets involved, it's not guaranteed," Yee said.

Ali said he's seen no indication of any problems so far, at the academy or in brief stints in the fleet.

During the academy's grueling initiation period, termed "plebe summer," where incoming midshipmen go through six weeks of boot camp conditions before enrolling in the fall, Ali met two "beautiful brothers" who showed him that being a religious Muslim and excelling at the academy were not incompatible.

"During plebe summer, it's very tough to get by," Ali said. "No one cares what your faith is, because you're stripped down to the bare bones. And then, when you see someone there who knows who you are, who can see your face and know that you're scared, and they come and tell you, 'Hey, I'm Muslim, let's go pray,' that's what you want to do. You want to go and worship by them, by their side."

bradley.olson@baltsun.com

Copyright © 2005, The Baltimore Sun |

Army-Navy: Some Perspectives

USNA-At-Large,

  Temple gave us a good run in the first half, but we pulled away in the second.  Way to go, Big Blue!

  Next, the game of the year -- Army-Navy.

  A couple of perspectives as we get ready to enjoy the back 'n forth over the next couple of weeks.

  At http://groups.yahoo.com/group/USNA-At-Large/ you will see a Beat Army poster.  I have a few more (sent along by Dave Leather) and my game plan is to put a new one up each day.  (Be sure to check each day as I probably will not send out a special notice each time.)  If you spot any other Beat Army graphics, don't hesitate to send it along.

  I also wanted to make note that the class that Notre Dame showed after our game with them was duly noted and appreciated among our West Point brothers in arms.  The below was sent along by Jim Backlin USMA '66.  Of course, we of Navy and of Army set the standard for class in college football.

    Go Navy; Beat Army!  John Howland

 

John,

 

For the first time since my West Point class of 1966 began using the Internet, we had a plethora of emails back and forth beginning when the Class of 2009 began Beast Barracks (our New Cadet Basic Training) in early July or late June talking about our horror experiences during Beast Barracks.  Then it extended into the Army football season as my classmates reminisced about some Army football games during our 4 years, especially the Army-Penn State games which we won at least 3 times during our time at West Point.  Special attention was devoted in the emails to the famous Army-Penn State rally in Washington Cadet Dining Room where the tables were stacked up to the very high ceiling of the mess hall. 

 

This week one of my classmates said he received a column by a Notre Dame senior about the Navy/Notre Dame game which I watched for awhile last weekend which was a very impressive column about Navy midshipmen spirit and the respect the 80,000 fans showed at the end of the game when the Navy sang the alma mater.  Two other classmates commented about it.  See below.  And note the response I received from this great young writer, Peter Schroeder.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Peter Schroeder" <pschroed@nd.edu>

To: "Jim Backlin"

Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 2:00 AM

Subject: Re: Peter: Awesome column;[distro66] Navy-Notre Dame

 

Thank you very much for your kind e-mail.  That moment was easily one of my most
special in my four years at Notre Dame, and I'm glad Navy was a part of it.
Believe me, an Army-Navy game is definitely on my "do before I die" list.  I'm
looking forward to a classy match up with Army next year.

Thanks again,
Peter Schroeder
Notre Dame Class of '06

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Stretch Dunn

To: Distribution List for USMA 1966

Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 8:55 PM

Subject: RE: [distro66] Navy-Notre Dame

*** This message is being distributed to all members of the Class of '66 with E-mail addresses on file at the AOG ***

I replied to the young man and he graciously responded. He’s going places.

 

Stretch

---

From: Dickens
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 7:08 PM
To: Distribution List for USMA 1966
Subject: RE: [distro66] Navy-Notre Dame

 

*** This message is being distributed to all members of the Class of '66 with E-mail addresses on file at the AOG ***

There are obviously at least two people at Notre Dame who get “it”.

Dickens

---

From: Norm Cooney
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 7:24 PM
To: Distribution List for USMA 1966
Subject: [distro66] Navy-Notre Dame

 

*** This message is being distributed to all members of the Class of '66 with E-mail addresses on file at the AOG ***

 

I have received this from a couple sources so decided to send to entire Class. Worth reading.

 

 

The Loudest Silence

The Observer Viewpoint

Notre Dame Newspaper

11/14/05

by Peter Schroeder

 

It was another Notre Dame-Navy game this past weekend, an affair that these days seems to be as fresh as Grandma's ubiquitous fruitcake. We all know the routine; these two teams face each other, Notre Dame wins, Navy loses, dance a jig, yadda yadda yadda. It's been that way for 42 years now, and Saturday's game was no different. Save a 7-7 tie in the beginning of the game, the Irish had their way with Navy, to the tune of a 42-21 final score. The weather was beautiful, the team looked great, and the home crowd at Notre Dame Stadium had plenty to cheer about on Saturday....

Two Naval Officers Shooting the Sun

USNA At Large,

The post below is art from the Naval Historical Center. (See link below.)

The artist is McClelland Barclay and the timing of the piece is from WW II.
(oil on canvas, 1941)


http://www.history.navy.mil/ac/artist/b/barclay/barclay%201.html

Print: Navigating

An Open Letter to Notre Dame

Originally posted November 13, 2005

 

USNA-At-Large, Jim Savard expresses the feelings of many of us post-game yesterday, if you feel moved to write a similar note to our friends at Notre Dame, I'm sure they would appreciate hearing from lots of us ALNAVs, Go Navy!  John Howland

 

John,

I just wanted to share a letter that I just forwarded to Charlie Weis, Head Football Coach at Notre Dame, and Father John Jenkins (C.S.C.), President of Notre Dame.

Warm regards,

Jim Savard

===========================================================

 

James F. Savard
10461 Tiger Run
Littleton, CO 80124
Saturday, November 12, 2005

Coach Charlie Weis
Head Football Coach
University of Notre Dame
Athletic Department
C113 Joyce Center
Notre Dame, IN 46556

Dear Coach Weis:

Permit me to thank you for your post-game ethical demeanor and conduct following the recent Navy-Notre Dame football game.  Your actions are the indicators of the principles of your soul.  Your act of taking your football team to the Navy sideline to honor the playing of my Alma Mater is a true tribute to your team, your fans, you, and the wonderful and honorable institution – Notre Dame. 

As a member of the United States Naval Academy’s Class of 1965, I was fortunate to be present at the last Navy victory over Notre Dame.  Every year we "leave it out on the field" in our duel with Notre Dame and it is an honor for our team to participate in games against Notre Dame; however, we have been on the losing side of the ledger in the last 42 games.  What Notre Dame Students, fans, your team, and you did today was pure class!

Navy will never "Give up the ship;" and by 2016, we will beat Notre Dame.  More importantly than a football victory are the principles, class, and elegance that you demonstrated today.  Your actions will be inculcated into the psyche of both Notre Dame Students and Naval Academy Midshipmen forever.  Respect is not something one talks about, respect is something one shows and does.  In Navy vernacular, there is an acronym – BRAVO ZULU (BZ).  BRAVO ZULU is hoisted in flags on the super structure when a ship or an individual does an outstanding job.

BRAVO ZULU Charlie Weis -- you are a true professional and a credit to the humanness of God’s creatures!

Respectfully,

James F. Savard
USNA, 1965

cc: Father John Jenkins, C.S.C.

ND Student Perspective re Navy Game

Originally posted November 17, 2005

 

USNA-At-Large, thanks to Mike Bennett and Charlie Norton, this will recharge your batteries, live for life, John Howland

 

http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&uStory_id=6ca7c482-e533-4684-81c8-9496f873db65

 

John,
A very moving piece from the Notre Dame student newspaper--The Observer. This young man seems far beyond his years in appreciation for what the Navy-Notre Dame Game really symbolizes.
Mike Bennett 
 
The loudest silence
By: Observer Viewpoint
Issue date: 11/14/05 Section: Viewpoint
Article Tools: Page 1 of 1

It was another Notre Dame-Navy game this past weekend, an affair that these
days seems to be as fresh as Grandma's ubiquitous fruitcake. We all know the
routine; these two teams face each other, Notre Dame wins, Navy loses, dance
a jig, yadda yadda yadda. It's been that way for 42 years now, and
Saturday's game was no different. Save a 7-7 tie in the beginning of the
game, the Irish had their way with Navy, to the tune of a 42-21 final score.
The weather was beautiful, the team looked great, and the home crowd at
Notre Dame Stadium had plenty to cheer about on Saturday.

However, the most impressive event in that stadium was when 80,795 people
did no cheering at all. No yelling, no talking, not even an odd sneeze. Dead
silence. That's what the Navy band received at the end of the game while
they played their alma mater.

Well, it wasn't entirely silent where I was standing for the game. Just a
few rows behind me, a couple Knievelesque Navy fans had made it into the
student section with the help of some erroneous ticket booklets and a Notre
Dame senior. And while Navy played their alma mater, one of their fans sang
along. An opposing student, singing his alma mater in our student section.
Surely he must have a death wish. But on this day, no jeers, insults, or
contentious voices were heard; thousands of opposing fans simply listened as
a solitary voice in a crowd of thousands rang out and sang for the Navy Blue
and Gold. That silence, that voice and the goose bumps on my arm after it
was all said and done is what makes this rivalry special.

It's easy to overlook the annual Notre Dame-Navy game. When one team wins 42
times in a row, there's not a whole lot of drama reserved for the football
field. However, this historic match-up goes far beyond anything that could
happen between the sidelines. The game is more of a ritual than anything
else, an opportunity for each team to show their respect for the other.
Notre Dame is forever grateful to Navy for supporting the University through
tough times during World War II, and the Irish pay back the Middies by
playing them year in, and year out. It's our way of saying "thanks" for
something done half a century ago, and playing the game is all that matters,
not who wins or loses. Of course, that's easy to say when you're on the
winning end of 42 years of games, but I digress.

Remember when we were looking for a football coach, seemingly eons ago? One
of the things that is always listed in the job requirements is a guy who
gets Notre Dame. He has to get "it." Notre Dame may not be able to describe
in words what "it" is, but the coach has got to have "it." If people weren't
convinced yet, the end of Saturday's game proved Charlie Weis has "it"
coming out of his ears. After convincingly crushing the opponent, Charlie
led the team over to Navy's corner of the field to sing their alma mater.
Just minutes before, these two teams walked on that grass as dire enemies,
but now they walked across as one. Hopefully next year Charlie can show
Michigan State how a real team celebrates a victory.

With no time left on the clock and the outcome decided, this respectful
gesture wasn't about Navy's football team; it was about Navy. It was a
sobering reminder that what we just poured all of our energy into was just a
game. Many times that's easy to forget at Notre Dame, where football lies in
the hierarchy of priorities somewhere between inhaling and exhaling. While
we can spend countless hours worrying about Sagarin rankings, passing
efficiency, and Mark May, Navy has bigger fish to fry. We may claim that we
must protect this house, but Navy must protect something way bigger.

Sure, the last time Navy beat us, the twinkles in our parents' eyes weren't
even us, but rather a Barbie Doll or a G.I. Joe. And sure, with Charlie at
the helm, a loss to Navy doesn't seem forthcoming in the near future. Lee
Corso will never come to a Notre Dame-Navy game. Nonetheless, I know I'll be
looking forward to this matchup for years to come. I'll look forward to
being able to cheer for everybody, clap for both fight songs, and enjoy a
game for what it is, a game. Thank you, Notre Dame football players, for
showing respect to an opponent who rightfully deserves it. Thank you,
Charlie, for leading the team in that gesture But most of all, thank you,
Navy, for nothing football-related whatsoever.


Peter Schroeder is a senior English major. He can be reached at
pschroed@nd.edu. He hopes you're having a good day.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not
necessarily those of The Observer.

Poll Results re Strawman BOT Restructure Proposal

Originally posted on November 17, 2005:

 

USNA-At-Large,
  The following missive was sent to each member of the Board of Trustees this morning.
  I am very hopeful that the views of you, the At Large, will be seen in a constructive light by every member of the BOT as was intended.
  As always, you are encouraged to advise your Trustee(s) of your views directly, pro or con.  Craft your own msg or fwd this message with your personal comments.
    Go Navy!  John Howland

 

==================================================

 

Trustees of the Alumni Association,
 
I am writing with reference to the "Strawman" proposal that you are apparently intending to vote on at the Board of Trustees meeting in just two weeks.  I won't get into the details of the proposal as I know that you are at least partly familiar with those details and the history.
 
USNA At Large has just concluded a poll and I am forwarding the results to you for your consideration:
 
POLL QUESTION: RESOLVED, that the appropriate number of ** REGIONAL ** Trustees on the Alumni Association Board of Trustees should be approximately ...

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- Zero, 0 votes, 0.00% 
- Four, 1 votes, 3.12% 
- More than Four, 31 votes, 96.88%  

 
We are providing these poll results for your background information as you prepare to take a decision on the "Strawman" proposal.

 

Briefly, one can say from these results that ** informed ** Alumni would be pretty close to unanimous that we need MORE Regional Trustees.

 

Furthermore, we can safely say that ** informed ** Alumni would be equally unanimous that ZERO Regional Trustees is completely inappropriate.
 
As an aside, it would be easy to say that 32 votes are not statistically significant.  As you may know, the membership of USNA At Large is made up of supporters of the Naval Academy be they grads or "friends."  The Friends category is significant and growing.  Further, many of our Friends feel uncomfortable voting on an issue that they perceive as falling into the range of inner workings and hidden mechanisms.

In addition, USNA At Large members need to be fully registered in order to weigh in via our polls.  Many of the At Large have not taken that step.

Of course one could also point out to armchair statisticians that there has been no other poll taken of alumni on this subject that we among the At Large are familiar with.  Further, our 32 votes is even a bit more than the 29 voting Trustees working with not much more information than our At Large had available for their consideration.
 
Even with the liberal application of a "margin for error," it is pretty clear that our poll among the At Large is indicative that a larger body of ** informed ** Alumni would likely not see any merit whatsoever in the "Strawman" proposal.  Indeed, our poll results indicate that there is an excellent chance that Naval Academy Alumni want to see MORE REGIONAL TRUSTEES.
 
Based on these poll results, a very viable course of action for your consideration in the BOT meeting is to take a wave-off on the Strawman proposal and resolve to do a LEGITIMATE comprehensive study of the current state of Alumni Association governance with special emphasis on a scenario that studies MORE REGIONAL TRUSTEES.
 
As you know, USNA At Large is a nonprofit in formation for the following purpose:
 
This nonprofit organization will be for the purpose of
increasing the knowledge of, appreciation of and support of the
United States Naval Academy throughout the citizenry by means of the
dissemination of educational content premised upon the vital role of the
United States Naval Academy within The American Experiment.

 
Go Navy!
 
John G.B. Howland, Executive Director, USNA At Large, a nonprofit in formation

 

PS You can see all of our recent msg traffic related to the "Strawman" proposal at our supplemental blog at http://USNA-At-Large.blogspot.com/

 

Eastern Region Trustee Reports re the Strawman

Originally posted November 15, 2005:

 

USNA-At-Large,

  The Eastern Region Trustee has just reported as of last night (a shade over two weeks before the BOT meeting).

  Thanks to Bill Aston for passing this along.

  Its possible to make all sorts of comments here, but I am going to limit myself to just one.

  Here we have the "Strawman."  The proposal advanced by Carl Trost and labeled by him.

  The Strawman has been among us now for just about a year IIRC.

  We are now about two weeks away from the point where Carl Trost wants our representatives to vote on the Strawman, yet the Eastern Region Trustee, for one, knows precious little about the strawman.

  Look at the conjecture that is run through his analysis below. 

  Frankly, there is no excuse for such a state of affairs.

  I don't fault Bill Rentz and the other Trustees other than for failing to DEMAND better from Messrs. Trost, Watt and Snyder.

  I am still completely unaware of ANY form of formal report from the Governance Committee other than the petulant response to an alum's (one of the At Large) query that Roy Snyder put out just a couple of days ago and that we circulated to the At Large on Sunday.

  Strongly recommend to Messrs. Trost and Watt that they IMMEDIATELY take a wave-off this time around and resolve to do a better job on the approach for May 2006.

    Go Navy!  John Howland

 

MEMO   FOR  BILL RENTZ


Thank You for your review of the situation re possible changes to BOT.
I likely have already had my turn at bat since I believe Mase Wells
has forwarded to you my objections to the Strawman.

I support 100% you views that the chapters are the heart of the alumni
association.  Every decent and honest effort must be made to increase
their influence on alumni association activities,

IMHO there is little record of accomplishment for the council of class
presidents. They do not seek the advice of their classes, do not
announce what they do, and in general seem not to "be with it". A
beautiful example of too much inside the beltway action. Strange that
my friend Roy Snyder thinks he and his pals have done so well.

Please act to defeat the strawman. Get rid of appointed trustees.
Clean out excess hangers-on. Power to the chapters.

Good Luck. Keep your Cool    Doing good so far!
Cheers
Bill Aston
Fort Lauderdale

*****************************************************************
----- Original Message -----
From: "USNAAA Regional Trustee" <AA-NAF@usna.com>
To: Eastern Region Alumni
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 9:19 PM
Subject: Eastern Region Update

 

Subj: Eastern Region Trustee Update for USNAAA Fall 2005 Board Meeting

1. As promised here is a recap of my activities and a request for your input on the matters to be discussed prior to the Board of Trustees meeting on 1 December 2005, following Standing Committee Meetings on 30 November 2005.  I am Chairman of the Admissions Committee and this will be my first meeting in that role.  One of my agenda items is to exchange ideas on use of the Chapter's Academy Awareness Reps in assisting Blue and Gold Officers in carrying out their mission.  I have also been a member of the Nominating Committee, which will present candidates for Chairman, Western Region Trustee, and Mid-Atlantic Region Trustee to the Board for approval.  These candidates will be presented to the entire membership for a vote this Spring in SHIPMATE.

2. On the subject of the Nominating Committee, of course you in the Eastern Region cannot vote for the other Region Trustees, but you can vote for the Chairman, and I strongly urge you to do so.  I will give you my endorsements, for what they are worth, at a later date after the nominations are approved by the BOT.  Some observations; first, all of the nominating committee members were favorably impressed by the quality of individuals who were submitted to the nominating    committee.  The resumes showed tremendous accomplishments in education, service, and business experience, but most important was their willingness to serve our great alumni association.  You will all be impressed by the slate that comes forth in SHIPMATE.  The one thing that set some of them apart was their amount of experience or lack thereof in alumni association activities.  Several had never been involved in alumni Chapter activities or held any Chapter office.  Personally I think that is a key ingredient in being effective at the national level, understanding and appreciating the grunt work that goes into making the system work at all levels, especially what it takes to generate and recruit our informed advocacy.  It is most important not to make decisions that cause problems with growing Chapter membership.  So my simple message is - get involved in your local Chapter and encourage your classmates, shipmates, and neighbors to do the same and participate.

3. On the agenda for a vote by the Board will be the Nominating Committee results, the Joint Finance and Audit Committee Report, Authorization to transact business,  Member-ship Committee Associate Member, Other Chapter Trustee Selection Committee evaluation matrix, and the issue of the day the Governance Committee Report on Composition of the Board of Trustees. Presently the Board consists of 29 voting members: Chairman, Vice Chairman, Immediate Past-Chairman, President-CEO, 4 Regional Trustees, 12 Chapter Trustees
(9 largest Chapters and 3 Other Selected Chapters), 7 Class Trustees
(elected by Decade groups), and 2 Board appointed Trustees.  This configuration came about as a result of a 1998 study group whose last recommendation was finally implemented in 2003.  When Admiral Trost came on board in 2003, his opinion, based on vast experience with service on corporate boards, was that the Board of Trustees may be too large to be efficient.  I heard anecdotally that he somewhat tempered that opinion after seeing the good work that the Board was accomplishing through its Committees.  At any rate over the last year the Governance Committee under RAdm Roy Snyder '50 took a look at the suggestion to examine the issue, but came to no    unanimous conclusion.  In fact, I had heard that the Committee was about 50-50 split    on whether a change was necessary at all. Admiral Trost was then asked to give the committee some idea of what he had in mind.  That idea has been referred to as the "Strawman" and the Governance Committee from what I have heard is still about split on how to proceed.  The "Strawman" proposes to reduce the size of the Board to 25 members by the following steps:  Eliminate the 4 Regional Trustees and replace them with 6 At-large Trustees  (2 of which would be replaced by vote of the membership every 2 years); reduce 12 Chapter Trustees to 8; eliminate the 2 Board appointed Trustees, and make the Immediate Past-Chair a non-voting member; and also add 1 Class trustee. My opinion: I am not in favor of reducing the 9 Chapter Trustees selected from the 9 largest chapters.  That is the only Trustee category that results from and encourages increased alumni membership.  I have been associated with
3 Chapters, Atlanta which now has a Chapter Trustee, and Knoxville-Oak Ridge which recently finished a term as an Other Chapter Trustee.  Both efforts to earn the job are beneficial to the alumni association and to the alumni.  Atlanta works like the devil on its membership drive every year, and the activities and efforts described in the Other Chapter  Trustee applications are fantastic.  I've served on that Selection Committee and was floored at the effort put in by all involved. Naturally, I favor the Regional approach over At-large Trustees.  That is the concept that the 1998 study group revised in order to have a geographical constituency that can communicate with members and bring their concerns to the national association.  In fact, there are some who have given a compelling argument to recommend increasing the Regional Trustees to 6. Board appointed Trustees were created to bring additional talent, such as finance, legal, and public relations to the Board membership.  It has also been used to ensure female, minority, and younger class representation on the Board.  It appears that the nomination process is accomplishing that on its own, and that is better for all. So, if you took my "Strawman #2" and kept the Chairman, Vice Chair, President and CEO as voting members, went from 4 to 6 Regional Trustees, kept
9 largest    Chapter Trustees and only 2 Other Chapter Trustees, got rid of the Board appointed Trustees, and had 7 Class Trustees, that would only total 27 for the Board size, which would be a reduction of 2 from the present.  Now these are only my opinions as to the right way to go.  I have heard from quite a few of you already and so far I am convinced that it is your desire that I should vote against the "Strawman" coming from the Governance Committee in its present form.

4.   Please let me hear from you and give me your views.  My job is to represent your interests to the Board of Trustees.  Sorry this is so long and complex, but I have tried to convey from my point of view how we got into this controversy.  We need to get it resolved in the best interest of our great Alumni Association.

Best Regards and Beat Notre Dame! Bill Rentz '55  Eastern Region Trustee

Poll results for USNA-At-Large

Originally posted November 15, 2005:

 

The following USNA-At-Large poll is now closed. Here are the
final results:


POLL QUESTION: RESOLVED, that the appropriate number of ** REGIONAL ** Trustees
on the Alumni Association Board of Trustees should be approximately ...

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- Zero, 0 votes, 0.00%
- Four, 1 votes, 3.12%
- More than Four, 31 votes, 96.88%



For more information about this group, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/USNA-At-Large

Roy Snyder Defends Proposed Board Restructure

Originally posted November 13, 2005:

 

 USNA At Large, Joe Procopio passed this along, I've got lots of comments, but thought I would turn it around immediately since this is the first quasi-public attempt to defend the proposed restructuring that I have seen from anyone in any sort of official capacity (hey, we're only two weeks away from the BOT mtg, what's the hurry to get some sort of official justification out for alumni to review?!?), more later, John Howland

 
-----Original Message-----
To: Blackfin SS322
Sent: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 2:13:32 PM Eastern Standard Time
Subject: Fwd: 62 USNAAA info on the proposed change to BOT org'n

 

Attached Message

From:	Slingley
To:	usna621@netzero.net
Subject:	62 USNAAA info on the proposed change to BOT org'n
Date:	Sun, 13 Nov 2005 1:13:09 PM Eastern Standard Time

Hi Folks,
I pass the following from Dick Hayes, who received it from the Alumni Association.
This is just so you have some background on the issue.
You may hear other opinions in your travels around cyberspace.
Stew
*******
USNA Board of Trustees (BOT) Composition.
The next USNA BOT meeting will be discussing a proposed change to the BOT organization.  Essentially, if the proposal by ADM Trost, Chairman of the Board, is approved, the Regional Trustees will be replaced by "National Trustees" and there would be a slight reduction in the membership of the BOT so that there would be an equal number of Class Presidents and Chapter Presidents on the Board.    It is important that you understand that the revised BOT will have equal representation by Class Presidents and Chapter Presidents.  Class Presidents represent the Class - Chapter Presidents represent a geographical area.
A CDR Rezeau (and some others) complained about the proposal because basically they thought it was somewhat of a "DC/Annapolis power grab" - whatever that means.  RADM Roy Snyder responded to CDR Rezeau and his response is below.
Warm Regards,
Dick Hayes '62
*********
Dear CDR Rezeau,

Thank you for your comments regarding the proposed change to the composition of the board of Trustees and for the opportunity to respond to your comments.

In my view, the key element to the proposal is the replacement of four Regional Trustees and two Board Appointed Trustees with six National Trustees elected by the entire membership of the Alumni Association.  The purpose for this change is to open the election process to the entire membership.  Under the current composition, any member of the Association has only one opportunity every three years to vote for a trustee.  With six National Trustees serving staggered three year terms, every member of the Association will have the opportunity to vote for two trustees each year.  I frankly cannot understand why any concerned member of the Association would not support this change.  While I recognize that most of the regional trustees are not in favor of this change, I sometimes get the feeling that the Regional Trustees are afraid to subject their candidacy to the entire membership of the Association rather than to a small group of supporters within their region.

With regard to your comments regarding the Governance Study Group convened in 1998, let me make a few comments.  The impetus for convening the Governance Study Group resulted from a desire to provide representation for Class Presidents on the Board.  The Study Group provided a good result that has served us well for the past six years.  One should recognize, however that in the past six years there have been some significant changes in the organizations and functions of our alumni.  Six years ago there was no Leaders To Serve the Nation Campaign, the structure of the Naval Academy Foundation has dramatically changed, and there was no Council of Class Presidents.
Since the restructuring of the Foundation and the commencement of the Leaders to Serve the Nation Campaign, the Foundation has raised over $240 Million in contributions and pledges.  The bulk of this sum has come from Alumni contributions and the fund raising structure established by the Foundation is primarily oriented to the class structure.  The results of this campaign have been dramatic in raising the bar of excellence at the Naval Academy.  You need only to read George Watt's periodic Leadership Updates on the usna.com web site to get a full understanding of these changes.  To mention a few, the Naval Academy is now rated among the top engineering schools in the country, the engineering laboratories are the best in the country, the improvements to the Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium have been dramatic.  It is unfortunate that those of our alumni who live at great distances from the Naval Academy do not have the frequent opportunity to visit the Academy, interface with the Brigade, and witness the significant changes that have occurred and are continuing to occur.

In the six years since the study group reported, the Council of Class Presidents has grown into a mature, functioning advisory group to the Alumni Association.  The Council has a committee structure that parallels and complements the Board of Trustees committees.  These committees provide continual opportunities for face to face coordination among class, Alumni Association and Foundation  representatives, to resolve issues that improve the effectiveness of each of the organizations.  A Communications Committee works with the Alumni Association and Foundation to improve communications to and From Alumni; a Membership Committee works with the Alumni Association to increase membership in the Association, a  Class Giving Committee works continually with the Foundation and Naval Academy to identify priority projects for class giving, to establish class projects and to provide advice for organizing and conducting fund raising projects;  a Wardroom sponsorship  committee coordinates assignment of classes to sponsor midshipmen company wardrooms and to provide opportunities for class sponsors to interface with their company in various activities throughout the year;  a Planning Committee coordinates the agenda for semiannual Council meetings attended by more than sixty class presidents or designated representatives during which issues of concern are discussed and attending class presidents are brought up to date on activities of the Alumni Association, the Naval Academy and the Foundation;  a Governance Committee has established a Charter for the Council and maintains an up-to-date Class Presidents Handbook providing useful procedural and organizational information for class presidents.

The support of the Council of Class Presidents has contributed to two programs cited by George Watt as the most effective programs in developing leadership awareness in the Brigade of Midshipmen, the Link in the Chain Program and the Distinguished Graduate Awards.  The expanded Link in the Chain program, initiated by the Class of 1950 when senior members of the Class presented the first set of Ensign/2nd Lieutenant insignia to the graduates of the Class of 2000 at the graduating ceremony, now includes a complete program where members of the fifty year senior class meet incoming plebes on induction day and continue this association with various activities throughout their four-year experience at the Naval Academy and culminating with the presentation of insignia at graduation. The Distinguished Graduate Awards are strongly supported by the Class Presidents through the annual submission of nominations.  These awards are presented annually in Alumni Hall with the entire Brigade of Midshipmen present and represent to the midshipmen the outstanding accomplishments and demonstrated leadership of these Naval Academy Graduates, each identified by his Naval Academy Class.

I find your comments the alumni are better represented by Chapter Trustees to be rather interesting.  I too did a quick scan of the most recent Shipmate.  I found the of 76 classes (nearly 78%) with living Association members, 59 classes had substantial columns in shipmate.  Those classes without columns were primarily from those classes prior to 1930 with few living members and those classes later than 2001 who are currently too involved with active duty obligations to worry too much about a Shipmate column.  Contrast this with 30 chapters having columns out of 98 listed chapters (31%).  I don't quite understand how these numbers demonstrate better representation or interest in Alumni affairs by Chapters.

I do recognize the important contributions by Chapters in representing the Naval Academy throughout the country, but in view of all I have mentioned above, I fail to understand why there should not be equal representation on the Board of Trustees by Classes and Chapters.

Thanks again for your interest and comments.  I would be pleased to comment further if you desire.

All the best,

Roy Snyder
President, Class of 1950  

Trustee Wass Speaks Out re BOT Restructure Proposal

Originally posted November 11, 2005:

 

USNA At Large,
  Central Region Trustee Len Wass provides a full analysis of the pending proposed BOT restructuring.
  Apparently, the "Governance Committee" has been doing some minor tinkering with the proposal in between BOT meetings last May and now.  (Think in terms of putting lipstick on a pig.)  I'm still wondering if the "Governance Committee" will ever be putting out any sort of meaningful report.  (Here we all sit in CONUS, whining that the Iraqis are not ready or capable of putting together a free society.  And, yet, there are seemingly responsible United States Naval Academy graduates who can't seem to get even the basics right re running the little free society they are responsible for, aka, the Alumni Association, without slipping quickly into quasi-totalitarian tactics.  Never ceases to amaze me.)
  But, bottom line -- our poll now active is still valid -- the question is where should the Alumni Association be going with reference to the Regional Trustee concept?  Just a few days left to toss in your two cents.
  Further, as you read through the below analysis, I suspect you will share my feeling that we are very lucky to have Trustee Wass on the job!
  He has easily been the most communicative Trustee of ALL 29 Trustees regardless of who the others are supposed to represent.
  Read the below analysis, then (1) make sure your opinion has been registered in our poll, (2) let Trustee Wass know your views and (3) perhaps most important of all -- make sure that all of the other Trustees that are supposed to be representing you know precisely where you are on this important issue.
  Finally, make NO assumptions.  Think in terms of a clean slate as of this moment.  If you do not communicate your views now, regardless of Trustee Wass' efforts, I guarantee you that this proposal will go through.
    Go Navy! Beat Notre Dame!  John Howland

 

U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Central Region Trustee Leonard R. Wass, CAPT (Ret.) USNA Class of 1964

 

Subj: Proposed Change to BOT Composition      Refer to: Central Region Letter 20-05; November 10, 2005 *** PLEASE DO NOT HIT REPLY TO E-MAIL ME. I WILL NOT GET IT. E-MAIL ME DIRECTLY AT MY USNA ALUMNI CLASSMAIL ADDRESS, len.wass@1964.usna.com *** Chapter Officers - Please give this e-mail the widest possible distribution among your members and other alumni in your area.  ****  The Board of Trustees (BOT) will be meeting on December 1 and, in my opinion, the most important proposal to be discussed and voted upon will be a significant change to the BOT composition. This proposed change will have a substantial impact on your representation at the Alumni Association; hence I’m sending out a second Newsletter on this topic.  You may recall that the BOT was to vote on this issue at the May 2005 meeting but that vote never took place. You can read my earlier Newsletter 10-05 of April 26, 2005 on this topic by going to my Newsletter archive at: http://www.wcginc.com/usnaaa.  Instead of holding the vote in May, the Chair, ADM Trost, directed that the “strawman” (as the proposed change is called) be studied further by the Governance Committee, and its recommendation be submitted to the BOT at the December meeting for an “up or down vote”. This “strawman” is sponsored by ADM Trost and by George Watt, the President/CEO of the Alumni Association.   The stated objective of the change is to balance Class and Chapter Trustees, reduce the BOT size, and increase Alumni voting participation.  The Governance Committee is mixed in its views on the “strawman”, as it was when it deliberated this same issue prior to the May 2005 BOT meeting.  Here are the salient points of ADM Trost and George Watt’s “strawman” with the refinements that have been made since May.   ·       The “strawman” proposal before the BOT  would reduce the BOT (by 4) to 25 Trustees by: a.) Eliminating all 4 Regional Trustees, 4 of 12 Chapter Trustees, 2 Board selected Trustees, and the immediate past Chair; and, b.) Adding 6 “elected At-Large” Trustees and 1 Class Trustee.  The Chair, Vice Chair, and President/CEO would remain unchanged.    ·       The 6 new At-Large Trustees would be slated by the Nominating Committee which would adjust its slate based on geography, generational, ethnic, and gender diversity.  The entire membership would vote on two new At-Large Trustees every two years.  Once elected, the Chair of the Alumni Association would ask each new At-Large Trustee to represent a constituency for the purpose of a communications channel.  These constituencies would be identified at the discretion of the Chair, and could change from year to year depending upon who is the At-Large Trustee.   ·       The pared-down Chapter Trustees (from 12 to 8) would no longer be elected by their respective large Chapter (9 of 12), or by the Other Chapter Committee of the BOT (3 of 12).  Instead a new organization of Chapter Presidents would meet to designate which 8 chapters would serve on the BOT. This new organization would develop the ground rules for this selection.   ·       The extra Class President Trustee would be the current President of the Council of Class Presidents, raising the number of Class Trustees from 7 to 8.  The immediate past Chair would no longer serve on the BOT.   The earlier emails which I received from you on this topic in April/May were overwhelmingly against this proposal (by about 10 to 1).  I intend to vote against this change to the BOT Composition unless I hear differently from you.  I invite and welcome your comments—this is your Alumni Association and you have every right to have a Board that suits your needs and desires.  My reasons for planning to vote against this proposal are as follows:   1.  No one has identified a compelling reason or justification for such a monumental change.  The current BOT was formed from a year-long 1998 study carried out by a 16 member committee which presented a unanimous and easily implementable proposal—it took until 2003 for the new BOT to be fully installed.  The By Laws and Operating Manual had to be rewritten, and this consumed enormous time of the BOT, distracting them from other issues such as support to alumni.  Unless someone can give me one compelling reason why this current BOT should be changed, or what it is doing wrong/ineptly/inefficiently, then I see every reason to avoid a major disruption to the focus of the Board.  Enough time has already been spent on this unnecessary change.   2.  The stated reasons in support of the “strawman” are tepid, in my opinion, such as reducing the BOT size and increasing Alumni voting participation.  The current BOT size can be simply reduced by three by eliminating the two Board-Appointed Trustees (which are optional anyway) and the past Chair.  Most Chairs customarily leave their Boards when their term is up.  This gives 3 of the 4 proposed reductions.  Alumni voter participation can be improved by: a. returning the ballot to a separate mailing or in a plastic envelope on front of Shipmate as it had in the past (voter participation dropped precipitously when the tear-out ballot was introduced); and b. giving alumni more of a choice on the ballot (the Chair position has been a single slate candidate in the past, as has the Vice Chair)—single slate candidates provide no incentive for the alumni to vote.  There are no data that suggest a change in the BOT composition would increase alumni voting for slated Trustee candidates.   3.  Elimination of “At-Large” Trustees was one of the principal thrusts of the 1998 BOT Composition study and I see many reasons to avoid returning to that failed system.  Under the old system, At-Large Trustees typically came from the Washington/Annapolis area. Some characterized it as the “Old Boys Club”. A key principle of the new BOT Composition was to assign specified constituencies to all Trustees so that every alumnus had someone to contact with questions, suggestions, etc. Regional Trustees were created from this study in an attempt to bring representation closer geographically to alumni.  I would favor more Regional Trustees, not fewer.  Regional Trustees represent not only alumni who belong to a chapter, but also those alumni who do not belong to a chapter but reside in the region.  I do not like the idea of placing the power of defining a “constituency” in the hands of one person (the Chair) as the “strawman” proposes.  The present Region Trustee system is serving our alumni very well; why fix a working system that is not broken?   4.  Chapters (large and small) deserve strong representation.  They are the fastest growing segment of the Alumni Association.  They also compete for these 12 slots, and there has been significant turnover of Chapter Trustees as chapters grow or complete their term as a small chapter.  To develop a new “organization of Chapter Presidents”, have it develop its rules, and then have it negotiate who serves as a Trustee seems to be a move in the wrong direction.  I favor competition as we have now, and have never seen an organization that didn’t run better with competition.  Based upon past experience with the BOT, it will take longer than the time allotted to have a sound selection process up and running when the Chapter Presidents only meet once a year in the spring.   5.  The extra Class President seems unnecessary.  Opponents to my view have stated that Class Presidents represent “all alumni” so they should have more seats.  They further cite that all except one member of the Council of Class Presidents have supported the “strawman” proposal.  This seems to be an ongoing historical debate of whether Class Presidents or Chapters should have a dominant position on the BOT, and it is unlikely to ever be resolved.  In my view, this is a political argument, not an argument for sound governance of the Alumni Association.    As I stated above, these are my views at this time, but I invite your views—either in favor or against the “strawman”.  As is my practice, I will listen closely to your views and represent you to the best of my ability.  Please email your comments directly to me at: wcginc@aol.com.  Please feel free to also send your comments to any other member of the Board of Trustees.

 

**************************************** GO NAVY!! BEAT ARMY!!! Very Respectfully, Leonard R. Wass '64 Captain, USNR (Ret.) Central Region Trustee, USNAAA len.wass@1964.usna.com (W) 630-947-0145 x223 Fax: 630-947-0144

Proposals to Change Alumni Representation on BOT

Originally posted November 5, 2005:

 

USNA-At-Large,

  Bill Aston has written to his Regional Trustee (the former one with the hope that he will pass the missive on to his replacement -- Bill Rentz) and to his Class President.

  You will see his views below.

  Strongly suggest that All Hands do likewise.  Write to whatever Trustees represent you (or are supposed to represent you).  And, copy whoever you think appropriate -- George Watt, Carl Trost, whoever.  If in doubt, err on the side of sending it too far and wide vs. not enough.

  And, don't forget to copy us.

  BTW, the current results of our poll are as follows:

 

RESOLVED, that the appropriate number of ** REGIONAL ** Trustees on the Alumni Association Board of Trustees should be approximately ...

 

    Zero votes for the Zero option (aka the proposal that the Alumni Association and the BOT Leadership are pushing for).

    One vote for the Four Regional Trustees option (aka the number of Regional Trustees now counted among the 29 total voting Trustees.)

    TWENTY FOUR votes for "More than Four" Regional Trustees.  The Alumni are sending a message to the folks in Crabtown in preparation for their meeting later this month.

 

  Which suggests that perhaps instead of begging the BOT not to change anything.  Maybe we ought to be suggesting that since they are bound and determined to open this issue up, might be a good time to do the right thing and INCREASE THE NUMBER OF REGIONAL TRUSTEES!  Let's score a "reversal"!

    Go Navy!  John Howland

 

Good Morning Guy and Mase --

We're still without electric power in 25% of  Fort Lauderdale but I
have rigged a 15 amp line to a neighbor's house  with  power  and can
carry on with some ease.

I am addressing this to my Class President and to  a friend who has
just recently served with distinction on the Board of Trustees.

I've become aware of the pending discussion to alter the existing
representation scheme for USNA alumni affairs.  The effect of the
proposals is to further concentrate the "power" and influence on
alumni affairs.  This results  in More to the folks inside the
beltway, Less to those further away.     Bad Idea.

Speaking as one who lives far from the site if USNA governance, I feel
left out in the cold on most USNA alumni affairs.     I have been a
Life Member for several eons, have supported over many years most of
my Class projects and suggest that my beliefs and reactions  should be
heard from time to time.  The area representatives have in the past
provided some form of needed connection with Alumni House.  They have
not always been excellent but many have been good enough, especially
when one considers their paycheck.

My experience with the good people that run the navy alumni show is
that most are insular, have no effective internal communications and
do not accept that they have a representational duty to their"
constituents."    Further concentration of power within a smaller,
less diverse group will only exacerbate the situation.  A concept
that is rotten to the core.

I hope that you will have some influence on this matter.  Perhaps Roy
Snyder still has something to say on this affair. No matter, please be
aware of my thoughts and feel free to pass them on to whoever may be
in an authoritative position.   I believe that an overwhelming number
of grassroots alumni agree with me. {Perhaps the proponents of change
will provide some statistical analysis of why change is so important.

Cheers!
Bill Aston '51
somewhere out in the field

New poll for USNA-At-Large

Originally posted November 3, 2005:

 

Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
USNA-At-Large group:

RESOLVED, that the appropriate number of ** REGIONAL ** Trustees on the Alumni
Association Board of Trustees should be approximately ...

o Zero
o Four
o More than Four

Upcoming BOT Meeting Preview

Originally posted October 15, 2005:

 

USNA-at-large,

  The Mid-Atlantic Trustee provides a preview of the Board of Trustees meeting coming up at the end of next month; just a few short weeks away.

  To be sure, it is a pretty sparse preview and Jack has provided no elaboration of his own to this de minimis listing.  (Trustees are paid the big bucks to provide some sort of elaboration -- they are the ones who represent us and are supposed to know what is going on.)

  HOWEVER, you are advised to read his short post and the six items of "voting interest" very, very carefully.

  As an aside, as I write, Iraqis are risking life and limb to take advantage of their precious opportunity to vote, yet we have folks right here in CONUS who don't seem to have a clue re appropriate conduct so vital to enable some semblance of a free society to actually work.  On one hand, I expect it; on the other hand, it always amazes me.

  In any event, read and heed.

    Live for Life, John Howland

 

PS Thanks to Charlie Morrison for passing this along.  JH

 

 

To all Mid-Atlantic Regional Membrs:

Happy autumn, Air Force is down and Army is yet to be beaten. In the meantime, win them all!

The Board of Trustees will meet in various committees on Wednesday, 30 November and in full Board on Thursday, 1 December.

Items of voting interest will include (but aren't limited to:

a.Report of members nominated to stand for various elections. Of interest here is that we will be voting for a Chairman and for your Mid-Atlantic Regional Trustee.

b.Report of Audit and Finance.

c.Authorization to transact business.

d.Associate Membership authorization where various busniness concerns have applied for associate membership.

e. Other Chapter Trustee Selection Committee report, where a revised matrix to evaluate chapters who should be authorized a BOT seat

f.Governance committee report, where a proposal to change the composition of the BOT by eliminating regional trustees, the past Chair and downsizing the number of Chapter trustees. At the same time, six "At Large" trustees would be elected (two per year) with criteria for nomination to be directed from the Chair.

If there are issues which you wish to have placed before the board (most probably via an appropriate committee), as usual, please don't hesitate to chime in. Should you have questions or comments about the general agenda, please make them known to me.

Best regards,

Jack Adams

Other Chapter Trustee Selection Results

Originally posted October 15, 2005:

 

USNA-At-Large,

  The Central Region Trustee reports to his constituents re "Other Chapters" selection.

  In his report, he explains the "Other Chapters" concept and role wrto the BOT.

    Go Navy!  John Howland

 

U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Central Region Trustee Leonard R. Wass, CAPT (Ret.) USNA Class of 1964

 

Subj: Other Chapter Trustee Selection Results     Refer to: Central Region Letter 18-05; October 14, 2005 *** PLEASE DO NOT HIT REPLY TO E-MAIL ME. I WILL NOT GET IT. E-MAIL ME DIRECTLY AT MY USNA ALUMNI CLASSMAIL ADDRESS, len.wass@1964.usna.com *** Chapter Officers - Please give this e-mail the widest possible distribution among your members and other alumni in your area.  **** The Other Chapter Trustee Selection Committee (on which I serve) met recently to review the written applications and to select the three Chapters who will seat Trustees on the Board of the Alumni Association right after the Spring 2006 Board meeting ends.  IAW our Bylaws, the nine largest Chapters automatically get a seat and these seats are reassessed periodically.  (As a result there has been considerable turnover of the nine largest Chapters).  All other Chapters are eligible to compete for three other Board seats which carry a three-year term. The Other Chapter Trustee Selection Committee is comprised of the three incumbent Trustees from “smaller Chapters,” one Regional Trustee, and one other alumnus.  Raese Simpson ‘ 61, the St. Louis Chapter Trustee Chaired the current Committee and did an excellent job of refining the application format and materials to make it easier for smaller Chapters to apply, and to facilitate comparisons of application materials by the Committee. Ten Chapters applied for these three seats.  I’m pleased to report that 6 of the 10 were from the Central Region.  I’m also pleased to report that the three winners were also from the Central Region.  They are the Alamo (San Antonio) Chapter; the Columbus (OH) Chapter; and, the North Texas Chapter.  When these three Chapters get seated upon conclusion of the Spring 2006 BOT meeting they will replace Knoxville/Oak Ridge Chapter, St. Louis Chapter, and Tampa Bay Chapter. I would like to congratulate not only the selected Chapters, but also the other six applicants who produced excellent applications that were based on active support of local alumni, the Academy, Parent’s Clubs, etc.  It was a very difficult matter for the Committee to narrow the list to three choices.  These other six applicants were the Austin Chapter, Cape Fear, NC Chapter, Detroit Chapter, Eastern North Carolina Chapter, San Francisco Chapter, Southern Nevada Chapter, and the Upper Midwest (MN) Chapter.  To all: Bravo Zulu for a job well done!!

 

**************************************** GO NAVY!! BEAT ARMY!!! Very Respectfully, Leonard R. Wass '64 Captain, USNR (Ret.) Central Region Trustee, USNAAA len.wass@1964.usna.com (W) 630-947-0145 x223 Fax: 630-947-0144

Next Board of Trustees Meeting

Originally posted October 6, 2005:

 

USNA At Large,

 

Well, if its football season, there must be a semiannual Board of Trustees ("BOT") meeting coming up.

 

Sure enough.  And, an important one to boot.  November 30th.

 

One of the chores that the BOT will resolve is setting the ballot for elections to the new BOT that would be voted on in the first quarter and seated immediately subsequent to the May semiannual meeting.

 

The Nominating Committee is probably active as we speak.  They are looking at three Trustee elections: Chairman of the BOT, Western Region Trustee and Mid-Atlantic Region Trustee.  If you have any suggestions re who should be considered for a position on the ballot, contact your current Trustee(s).

 

There are also several other substantial issues that may appear on the agenda when it comes out.  Don’t have a lot of details, but stay tuned for more details as the next seven weeks count down.

 

Parenthetically, in the interests of full disclosure, I served some time on the Board of Trustees back in the mid- to late-1990s.

 

Go Navy!  John Howland

OVA in the Yard

Date: Mon Nov 14, 2005 6:22 pm
Subject: OVA in the Yard

USNA At Large,
Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness wrote this article last Friday in Human Events.
It ought to be REQUIRED READING for ALL NAVAL ACADEMY GRADUATES. (Allow me to be blunt -- a Naval Academy graduate who is not concerned about such issues is strongly encouraged to scrub the fact that they are a Naval Academy graduate off their resumes!)
At this point, the Naval Academy is just barely surviving the presence of women among the Brigade. The concepts of accountability that are so vital within the Naval Sea Services work to force our leadership in the Yard to agonizingly get to more or less correct decisions. (Unfortunately, it is usually an ugly process, but we seem to get past each episode.)
Contrary to what a long line of Superintendents (up to and including Admiral Rempt) would have us believe, it is not a satisfactory situation, but we keep surviving.
What you will read below, if enacted by SecDef Rumsfeld, will tip us off the deep end.
SecDef Rumsfeld needs LOTS of encouragement to "Just say, NO."
Live for Life, John Howland


Pentagon Doesn't Need an Office of Male Bashing

by Elaine Donnelly
Posted Nov 11, 2005

Imagine these scenarios: A junior female soldier has an affair with an infantry officer in Iraq. When the relationship cools she revengefully accuses him of sexual assault. Her e-mailed complaint activates the Office of the Victim Advocate in the Pentagon. OVA officials pressure the accused officer’s commander to remove him from his unit on the eve of battle.

At the Naval Academy, a female midshipman willingly parties with a classmate. Both have broken rules against alcohol and sex in Bancroft Hall, but to escape punishment she accuses him of sexual assault. The male midshipman is threatened with criminal prosecution and dismissal.

Meanwhile a Marine is barred from his home because his wife told authorities she fears domestic violence. Civilians funded by the Office of Victim Advocate help obtain a court protective order, but not counseling to save the marriage. The accused husband’s “treatment” requires him to sign a release disclosing his “violence history” to commanders and military investigators.

Scenarios such as this could become commonplace if Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld establishes an Office of the Victim Advocate in the Pentagon. Legislation to establish a high-level OVA failed in Congress, but Rumsfeld’s Office of Military Community and Family Policy signed an undisclosed contract with Wellesley College Centers for Women to “study” prospects for one anyway.

Implementation of a self-interested Wellesley proposal could create a new job market for “women’s studies” graduates schooled in man-hating ideology. Sexual assault is always wrong and should be punished promptly at the local level. An OVA in the Pentagon, however, would operate as an “Office of Male Bashing” that would nuclearize the war between the sexes.

Sex and the Service Academies

The Report of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault and Violence at the Service Academies at West Point and Annapolis, following a similar study of 2003 sex scandals at the Air Force Academy, presages the coming turmoil. Presumptions, findings, and recommendations in this report are skewed by the panel’s over-representation of civilian “victim advocate” groups. Like-minded activists are likely to control a successor Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services (DTF-SAMS), authorized by Congress in 2004.

The problem is that civilian “victims advocates” rarely understand or respect the unique legal code of the military, which imposes serious penalties for offenses, such as “conduct unbecoming an officer,” which do not exist in civilian law. Professional victimologists routinely confuse one-sided allegations with substantiated crimes, excuse women of the consequences of their own high-risk behavior, demand punishment even when self-proclaimed victims do not report offenses to authorities, and are not satisfied with anything less than courts-martial and convictions, even when guilt is unproven.

The Service Academy Task Force recommendations reflect radical feminist dreams, starting with gender-based admission quotas to increase “acceptance” of women, even though the military has a greater need for male officers for the combat arms. Gender quotas would create an oversupply of female officers, who will demand “career opportunities” in the infantry, Special Operations Forces, and submarines.

That prospect meshes with the Task Force’s unsupported claim that academy women are harassed because of women’s exemptions from direct ground combat which, they say, should be dropped. Violence against women is wrong, you see, unless it happens at the hands of the enemy.

Task Force members want sensitivity training in “prime time,” with grades factored into class standings. Mandatory indoctrination courses would teach why it is necessary to have different physical standards, allowances, and special “assists” for female trainees. Resentment of women could increase, since everyone knows there is no “gender-norming” on the battlefield.

The Task Force Report lists a wide array of agencies ready to provide immediate support for complainants, but barely mentions the scarcity of resources available for accused offenders. The report presumes “victimhood,” but not legal innocence. This disregards the importance of due process in convicting true offenders. It also ignores fraudulent complaints, which are perceived as a problem by 73% of academy women recently surveyed by the Defense Department Inspector General.

The response of Defense Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness David Chu to the Task Force Report correctly challenges the call for “confidentiality” in preliminary legal proceedings—a demand already denied by a military Court of Appeals. Chu’s response should have rejected more recommendations, instead of implying approval that will encourage more of the same in the next task force report.

Institutionalizing Feminism

What’s worse, the Defense Department’s apparent concurrence could be seen as a green light for an Office of the Victim Advocate (OVA) in the Pentagon—a feminist boondoggle promoted in 2004 by the left-wing internationalist group Amnesty International. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) sponsored a 95-page bill that reveals expectations for the OVA, which could be established administratively, even though the legislation failed.

An OVA Director would have a license to meddle in distant “he said, she said” disputes that are local and highly emotional. Regular OVA reports on sexual misconduct would feed media prejudices, which turn even good news stories into black eyes for the military. Funded with defense dollars, the OVA would conduct surveys and summit conferences, promote feminist legislation and UN treaties, and award lucrative grants to sexual assault “experts” who are “culturally competent;” i.e., “politically correct.”

Empowered with Defense Department credentials and OVA grants, local victims advocates would enjoy special confidentiality privileges, and handle domestic violence complaints by requesting mandatory protective orders from courts. Counseling to repair troubled marriages would be barred, but presumptive “offenders” would have to undergo “treatment” and sign a release of his personal “violence history” to military commanders and law enforcement authorities.

Feminists also want to criminalize “stalking,” a subjectively defined offense that would be hard to eliminate on small, remote military installations, including Navy ships. Service members receiving any type of disciplinary action for domestic violence or sexual misconduct would be denied promotions, and penalties for conviction would include mandatory restitution of court and other costs, regardless of economic circumstances.

An uncontrollable OVA would also push for military law reforms that would criminalize sexual offenses already subject to severe nonjudicial punishment. Perpetrators would be reported to the FBI and labeled sex offenders for life.

The Slaughter OVA bill would have authorized more than $218 million over four years, but the Pentagon should not divert a single defense dollar for this purpose. Spending money on an Office of the Victim Advocate would be tantamount to feeding a carnivorous plant, similar to the one in the hit Broadway play, “Little Shop of Horrors.” Defense Secretary Rumsfeld should decline, without apology, to bring a man-eating plant with worldwide reach into the Pentagon on his watch.


Copyright © 2004 HUMAN EVENTS. All Rights Reserved.