Late Lights

From USAFA Folklore

A cadet who wishes to stay up after Taps, normally for studying, may request authorization for Late Lights. The enforcement of late lights has varied from year to year.

[edit] History

The concept of "late lights" did not exist during the early years of the Academy, until (when?). During that period, Taps meant lights out, period. Many cadets took a risk by studying under their blankets while using flashlights; however, this was considered a disciplinary offense and normally warranted 10 demerits.

Enforcement of late lights became more lenient over time. Early on, there was a time certain by which a cadet had to sign up or couldn't get on the list. Later on, it became more flexible. Doolies that hadn't signed up and were up during late lights inspections were usually written up by CQs. CQs usually just signed up the upperclass cadets who were up and weren't on the list already. By the late 80s, late lights was lightly enforced, but used less for approval of staying up late than it was to help analyze any correlation between cadets with deficient GPAs and how much time those cadets spent studying.

By the early 2000's late lights was largely unenforced. It was not uncommon to find cadets frequently studying at all hours of the night, but also watching TV or playing foosball in the SAR.