United States Air Force Academy

Student Life

Make no mistake about it: The life of a first-year student, or "doolie," is hard. Hazing is common: Doolies are asked for "knowledge" (military protocol and history), and can spend long hours marching in circles if they can't answer. Once a year, however, doolies get some payback. "Every year we have an activity called '100 Nights,' meaning 100 nights till graduation," an Air Force cadet informs us. "The first-year students get to decorate while the seniors are away celebrating. The seniors' rooms get decorated with black lights, desert camouflage, etc.—the sky is the limit! It's their big opportunity to blow off steam."

When do cadets fourth class get time for extracurricular activities? "They do not have much free time," admits an Air Force cadet, "but they do the same type of fun things other students do." Free-fall parachuting and community service are popular, as is fishing on the campus grounds. All cadets can join the Cadet Aviation Club and fly light aircraft as a member of the Aero Club during all four years. Recreation is largely dry: Underage drinking is strictly prohibited, and can be punished by 80 hours of marching plus probation. There are dances, and the Academy sponsors social events, although there are prohibitions against underclassmen socializing with upperclassmen.

Athletics aren't just entertainment at the academy—they're a requirement. Sports Illustrated even named the U.S. Air Force Academy the "most athletic school in the country." Every cadet takes two phys ed courses each semester (if your 1.5-mile aerobics run time is slower than 11:15 for men or 13:31 for women, you're flunking phys ed) and is required to participate in either intercollegiate or intramural sports. The Division I Flacons compete in 17 men's and 10 women's intercollegiate sports.

The academy has been the focus of media attention for months, since dozens of female cadets came forward to say that they were reprimanded or ostracized after reporting to academy administrators that they'd been raped by male cadets. The Air Force and the Defense Department are currently conducting investigations.