All deliberations of the Academic Board and of its committees, and expressions of opinions and votes, individual or collective, of members thereof are confidential. The decisions of the Board are published in orders.
Since 1812 the Course of Study has been four years, except that for the classes entering in 1854, ’55 and ’56 it was five years, and for classes entering in 1908, ’09 and ’10 it was four years and three months, as new cadets were then admitted March 1.
Cadets of the Fourth Class found deficient at the January examinations are invariably discharged or permitted to resign, while some of the unfortunates at the June examination are turned back to the next class.
By virtue of Section 1331, Revised Statutes of the United States, the supervision and charge of the Academy are in the War Department under such officer or officers as the Secretary of War may assign to that duty.[61]
The Act of Congress approved June 23, 1879, provided “That each member of the graduating classes of the Military Academy of 1879 and 1880, after graduation, may elect, with the assent of the Secretary of War, to receive the gross sum of seven hundred and fifty dollars and mileage to his place of residence[62]; and the acceptance of this gross sum shall render him ineligible to appointment in the army, except in the event of war, until two years after his graduation.” And Congress did this when the Military Academy never graduated enough cadets to keep the army supplied with second lieutenants.[63]
The Act of Congress approved May 17, 1886, provided “That when any Cadet of the United States Military Academy has gone through all its classes and received a regular diploma from the Academic Staff, he may be promoted and commissioned as a second lieutenant in any arm or corps of the Army in which there may be a vacancy and the duties of which he may have been judged competent to perform; and in case there shall not at the time be a vacancy in such arm or corps, he may, at the discretion of the President, be promoted and commissioned in it as an additional second lieutenant, with the usual pay and allowances of a second lieutenant, until a vacancy shall happen.”
The Act of Congress approved November 4, 1889, provided that “Any cadet dismissed for hazing shall not be reappointed.”
By Acts of Congress approved June 6, 1900, March 2, 1901, June 28, 1902 (this act alone appropriated $5,500,000.00 for the improvement of a then fine plant), March 3, 1903, and May 28, 1908, the corps of cadets was made to consist of one cadet (recommended by the member) from each congressional district, two (one recommended by each senator) from each State at large, one (recommended by the delegate) from each Territory, one (recommended by the Commissioners) from the District of Columbia, one (recommended by the Resident Commissioner) from Porto Rico, and forty (appointed by the President) from the United States at large and, with the exception of the forty from the United States at large, to be actual residents of the Congressional District, State, Territory, District of Columbia or Porto Rico, respectively, from which appointed.
Four Filipinos, one for each class, are authorized to receive instruction as cadets, to be eligible on graduation only to commissions in the Philippine Scouts.