FALCON FAMILY NEWS


November 2008

CLASS STATISTICS (as of 31 October 2008)
Class Men Women Total
2009 891 175 1066
2010 855 191 1046
2011 907 224 1131
2012 1001 275 1276
WING 3659 866 4525


CADET PORTRAITS

All of the cadet wing yearbook portraits have been taken during this fall semester session: Class of 2009, 20-27 Oct; Class of 2012, 28-31 Oct; Class of 2010, 3-6 Nov, Class of 2011, 7-14 Nov 08. There will be a retake opportunity in January 2009.

BUS TRANSPORTATION FOR WINTER BREAK

Tickets are on sale now through December 12 for bus transportation to the Colorado Springs and Denver airports. Check the web site www.usafaservices.com for more information or call 719-333-4602.


CLASS RINGS FOR 2010

The Class of 2010 will soon begin their ring ordering process. On the 4th of November the cadets received their initial briefing from Jostens and were given their ring catalog. On the 9th and 10th of December, Jostens will display genuine stones in the cadet library so the cadets can view them, in case they wish to purchase a genuine stone for their ring. On January 13th, 14th, and 15th, the cadets will order their rings in the cadet library.


GAP YEAR A support group is being formed by some cadet parents for parents whose sons and daughters are considering or embarking on a yearlong religious mission (also known as a Gap Year). The goal of the group will be to offer support and answer questions that may arise before, during and after the mission. If you have had a cadet who has taken a year off and would like to provide support or if you are the parent of a cadet who is discussing the possibility of a gap year and want to be paired up with a parent who has walked this road, please feel free to contact Randy and Kelly Huffman at qhuffman@comcast.net or telephone (574) 537-0273.

        Note: This group consists of cadet parents and is not sanctioned by USAFA.


CADET TAX TIPS II

Puzzled by the tax law or which credits and deductions to take? Need assistance with your tax return? You may want to visit or call the USAFA Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Center in Arnold Hall. The IRS-sponsored VITA Program offers free tax help to active and retired military members, their dependents, and cadets, and is currently open two days a week, Wednesdays and Thursdays. During tax season, February through April 2009, the tax center will be open 4 days/week, Monday through Thursday. In addition to filing 2008 returns in the upcoming tax season, assistance is also available for those who have not yet filed a 2007 tax return or need to amend a previously filed tax return, and those who have yet to file returns for 2005 and/or 2006. Hours are limited until tax season, so please call 333-3642 to schedule an appointment.

The following general information is for parents of USAFA cadets and the cadets themselves, and addresses a few of the most frequently asked tax questions at the Tax Center.

State Income Tax Issues This information is not a comprehensive analysis of state tax law but basic information on some state tax issues. There are eight states that do not levy any tax on earned income; Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. The state of Tennessee requires a person to file a return if the legal domicile is in Tennessee and taxable interest and dividend income exceeds certain thresholds.

General Residency Rules
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act provides that military members may only be taxed on their military pay by their state of residence. The general rule of thumb regarding residency is that a military member remains a resident of the state from which they joined the military, unless they have taken steps to become a resident of another state. For further information about residency, please contact the legal office at 719-333-3940.

Military Pay Exclusions
Many states exclude either all or part of military pay from state income tax as long as certain requirements are met, but some cadets remain unaware of these exclusions and pay a greater amount of state tax then they should. There is still time for cadets to amend these state returns and receive an additional refund by contacting the USAFA Tax Center.

The seven states that currently provide a partial exclusion of military pay from state income tax are Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wisconsin. These states exclude different amounts of military pay, so cadets should check the state web site or contact the USAFA Tax Center.

There are 15 states that currently allow a full exclusion of military pay from state income tax providing certain requirements are met: Arizona, California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia. Additionally, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York exclude all military pay from state income tax as long as the military member does not live in a dormitory or barracks, so this exclusion does not apply to cadets. Again, these states have different requirements that must be met in order to exclude military pay, so your cadet should check the state web site or contact the USAFA Tax Center.

If you desire more in-depth information on these or other tax issues, please call 333-3642 to make an appointment.


CADET BEAUTY SHOP

The Cadet Beauty Shop and the Sijan Day Spa are offering gift certificates that you may purchase for your cadet. They offer a variety of services to pamper your cadet. What a great gift for birthdays and holidays! What great stocking stuffers! Gift certificates come in either $10.00 or $25.00. If you would like the coupons mailed back to you for the holidays, orders must be received by 15 December 2008. Please call or email Connie Graff at 719-333-4563 or connie.graff@usafa.af.mil.


ATHLETICS

Ryan Harrison semifinalist for Lou Groza Award - Senior kicker one of 20 semifinalists for Collegiate Place-Kicker of the Year Award

Oct. 31, 2008, USAFA, Colo. - Air Force senior kicker Ryan Harrison has been named a semifinalist for the 2008 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award as announced today by the Palm Beach County (Florida) Sports Commission. Harrison is one of 20 semifinalists for the 17th annual award.

Harrison leads the Mountain West Conference, and is tied for second in the nation, averaging 2.00 field goals per game. The Keller, Texas, native is second in the MWC and is tied for 19th in the nation, averaging 9.0 points per game. He leads the MWC in field goal percentage, hitting on 16 of 18 attempts for an 88.9 percentage. He is a perfect 24-of-24 on PAT attempts. Earlier in the season, Harrison had a streak of 16 consecutive field goals made that dated back to last season. His streak ended vs. Houston, but Harrison has currently hit six straight with three field goals in each game against New Mexico and UNLV. He has tied his career high of three field goals in a game four times this season and five times in his career. He was named the MWC Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 20 as he hit three field goals (26, 23, 19), including the game-winner with just over two minutes left, to beat UNLV. Last week, he hit three field goals (30, 43, 32) vs. New Mexico in AFA's 23-10 victory. Harrison also handles all kickoff and punting duties for the Falcons.

Harrison is one of three MWC kickers named as semifinalist as Utah's Louie Sakoda and TCU's Ross Evans were also selected. Other semifinalists are Arkansas State's Josh Sarauco, Arizona's Jason Bondzio, Miami's Matt Bosher, Florida State's Graham Gano, Troy's Sam Glusman, Navy's Matt Harmon, Penn State's Kevin Kelly, Virginia Tech's Dustin Keys, UTEP's Jose Martinez, West Virginia's Pat McAfee, Florida's Jonathan Phillips, Cincinnati's Jake Rogers, Syracuse's Patrick Shadle, Mississippi's Joshua Shene, Alabama's Leigh Tiffin, Wisconsin's Phillip Welch and Missouri's Jeff Wolfert.

Semi-Finalists will be voted on by a panel consisting of all Division 1 coaches and SID's, along with national, regional and local football writers and others who will select the three finalists. These finalists will be invited to the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet December 7-9 in West Palm Beach, Fla. The winner will be announced live on the nationally-televised Home Deport ESPNU College Football Awards Program on the evening of December 11, 2008.

The award is named in honor of one of the all-time great kickers in Football history, Lou Groza. Groza played 21 seasons for the Cleveland Browns setting numerous franchise records, including most games played, most points scored, and an amazing 107 consecutive games in which he scored a point. The 1,608 career points he scored is still a Browns' franchise record, and he ranks third all-time in league. Groza was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974. Past Groza finalists include current NFL kickers, Nate Kaeding, Sebastion Janikowski, Mike Nugent, Martin Gramatica, Jason Elam and Mason Crosby.

For more information regarding the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and to follow the season progress, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Charlie Dunn, Director of Marketing at the Palm Beach County Sports Commission at (561) 233-3122 or cdunn@palmbeachsports.com.