– Yard Gouge Fall 2023
Posted: 8/28/2023
Council of Class Presidents meeting, May 2023 USNA
Please excuse my delay with this update from the Spring Council of Class Presidents meeting held at USNA in May. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Thanks so much and have a wonderful remainder of summer!
Fondly,
Denise
Brief by VADM Sean Buck ’83, USNA Superintendent
- His relief on 7 July will be VADM Yvette Davids ‘89 (update: currently on hold due to Congressional delays)
- It has been an honor to work at USNA and shape Midshipmen
- The United States Naming Commission changed the name of Maury Hall to Carter Hall (Buchanan House and Buchanan Rd to be changed at a future date)
- Infrastructure projects continue: McDonough Hall renovation is 22% complete and the Farragut seawall is in progress
- Service Academy Gender Relations Survey
- Sexual assaults have gone up — more reports indicates trust in the system, but more incidents is not good and has my full attention
- Navy was the worst of the Service Academies
- 23% of the women and 4.6% of the men said they had experienced unwanted sexual contact in the past 12 months. 65% of the time alcohol was involved.
- Fixes: Education – Enforcement – Example
- Lunch is now mandatory and there’s a four-minute drill of discussion around the squad table on a sensitive topic (sexual assault, intoxication, mental health, etc. scenarios). This has helped establish a dialogue and educate Midshipmen
- Company and athletic team culture assessments are being done
- The Midshipman Holsen case (charged with rape of a Midshipman in Annapolis and found not guilty in a civilian criminal court case) set the sexual assault program back 15 years
- Women’s triathlon is our 36th Varsity sport; Navy athletics has had a great year with 13 conference champions, Men’s Rugby is currently #1 in the nation
- Two new majors: Foreign Area Studies and Data Science
- Dr. Samara Firebaugh was selected as the next Academic Dean and Provost and will take over from Dean Phillips in July
- Sea level rise continues to be a problem. A plan is in place to sequentially make changes to the infrastructure from now until 2060. The Columbarium is part of the flooding mitigation plan. The immediate fix is to build some niches up the hill at the cemetery and then long-term move the existing Columbarium to the area off Boyer Rd, after the houses there (across from Gate 8) have been torn down.
Brief by Mr. Chet Gladchuk, USNA Director of Athletics
- Navy athletics is all about developing future leaders for the Fleet
- We won the Patriot League President’s Cup in nine of the past ten years and we will win it again this year!
- Navy football has turned over 16 staff positions. Spring practice went very well. Notre Dame game is sold out. Army-Navy in Boston is a smaller venue and will have 10k fewer tickets.
- Athletic facilities & strategic planning:
- Nutrition is a key component of Navy sports facilities and cost $900k/year
- Fundraising is in progress for the Lacrosse facility next to Glenn Warner Soccer Complex
- Renovating the seating at the Cooper Rd outdoor tennis courts, as well as at the Brigade Sport Complex, is also in the planning stages
- New aquatics center is a need with the location TBD
- Blue side of Navy – Marine Corps Memorial Stadium will have a tower much like the Akerson Tower on the gold side.
- ‘53 pavilion will be upgraded as an indoor facility that supports 700 people
- 19th Hole Grill Room at Brigade Sports Complex
- Greenbury Point is being studied for possible golf course, cross country course, public boat launch and RV park
Posted by Ingar Grev on behalf of Denise Willert on 8/28/23
« – Yard Gouge Spring 2023
