Twenty-nine midshipmen face expulsion for their part in the biggest cheating scandal in U.S. Naval Academy history, and the Pentagon is said to be pushing for a four-star admiral to succeed the man who oversaw the academy during the furor.
Forty-two other midshipmen implicated in the scandal - in which students obtained advance copies of a 1992 electrical engineering exam - violated the honor code but should be allowed to graduate, a Pentagon panel recommended Thursday.The panel cleared 35 other midshipmen of wrongdoing.
The recommendations are subject to approval by the chief of naval operations and Navy Secretary John Dalton.
The Annapolis superintendent, Adm. Thomas C. Lynch, said the academy has "moved forward to reaffirm our commitment to character development."
Lynch's three-year tour of duty as superintendent ends this summer. The Pentagon wants the White House to replace him with Adm. Charles R. Larson, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, The Sun of Baltimore and The New York Times reported.
As a four-star admiral in a job normally held by a two-star admiral, his appointment would be a step toward repairing the academy's credibility, the Times said. Larson, who headed the academy from 1983 to 1986, refused to comment to the Times.
Many midshipmen believe that Lynch, once a football player at the academy, favored football players implicated in the scandal, according to a probe by the Navy's inspector general.
The number of midshipmen implicated reached 134 at one point. Twenty-eight were cleared, kicked out for other reasons or graduated before the Pentagon panel, led by Vice Adm. Richard C. Allen, took over the case.
Those who are expelled can be required to spend three more years in the Navy as enlisted personnel. They can also be discharged and required to repay about $80,000 that taxpayers spent on their education, but Dalton could waive the repayment.
The scandal raised questions about the academy's honor system. The honor code says midshipmen will not lie, cheat or steal.
Sean Fahey, the academy's top student officer, said the 1,000 members of the graduating class are relieved that the end is near.
"It's something that has plagued us almost half of our time at the academy. The whole country has looked at us and said, `What are you doing wrong that 10 percent of your class is screwing up?' "