Academy denies cadet ban on downtown

[unhappycamper]

Academy denies cadet ban on downtown
By Michael Hoffman and Patrick Winn - Staff writers
Posted : Friday Feb 8, 2008 14:47:48 EST

A widely circulated Air Force Academy notice appears to ban cadets from entering downtown Colorado Springs. But the academy says that’s not the intent.

Visiting the downtown area, classified as an “area of concern” by Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Susan Desjardins, will now carry consequences, according to a notice circulated to cadets via e-mail.

But, according to the academy’s public affairs office, the notice touched on the broader consequences of hanging out at trouble spots and wasn’t meant to threaten automatic punishment for cadets entering the downtown area.

Desjardins also held a large beginning-of-semester assembly in early January, where she used a map to brief cadets on violent incidents that occurred downtown. The briefing cited specific nightclubs associated with late-night trouble. This map, displaying a red octagon stretching over most of downtown Colorado Springs, was also attached to the mass e-mail.

“As your commander, it is my responsibility to ensure your protection and safety,” Desjardins wrote in the e-mailed notice. “In light of this, I am directing the area depicted on the attachment be avoided, particularly during night hours.”


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/02/airforce_academy_ban_080206/