“Notice, sirs! Notice, sirs! Five-minute call to C.Q. sirs!”

7:25 P.M. Time too hit the bathroom and head for my room.

“Notice, sirs! Notice, sirs! First call to C.Q. sirs!”

7:30 P.M. C.C.Q., Closed Call to Quarters, has begun here at the Culver Military Academy, a small boarding school in Northern Indiana, sister school to the Culver Girls Academy. I suppose most boarding schools have study hours at night with rules and restrictions. After all, parents pay a lot of money for college prep schooling—the schools must feel an obligation to say they make students study every night. But even though you can make a student sit at his desk, you can’t necessarily make him study. I have only been at the Culver Military Academy for five weeks, but I have already discovered four ways to procrastinate during C.C.Q.

The first and easiest way to procrastinate is the “Facebook” method. Here at Culver C.C.Q. has always been a part of the tradition. Every student that has come before me has had to learn the lesson of strict study habits, in order to strive and become successful.
But today it is much easier to weasel around the grip of the B.I. Cadets that attended the Culver Military Academy before the age of computers must have found some way to procrastinate, but with computers it seems much easier to distract yourself from homework. After all, the Barracks Inspector cannot see your computer screen while he strides down the hallway, with an overwhelming look of boredom on his face, peering aimlessly into the glass window of the door. The internet is an abundant resource. Whatever one needs to pass time can surely be found on the internet.


Then there is the “Oversized-Over Noised-Over Exciting-Study-Session” method of procrastinating.
“The social aspects of 18th century England.” Troy Grogan, my roommate, proudly states in my room filled with five Culver Cadets. This is the cue that the B.I. is making his routine inspection. Within 30 seconds the topic changes from who is going to make the Eagles hockey team, to social aspects of England during the 1700’s.
At Culver group work is considered very important, seeing as it does prepare you for real life situations. Group members are encouraged to gather in a room for a “Study Session.” I have learned to assign each “Study-Partner” a different position to cover all viewpoints in my room. (In this case it was the cadet in charge of watching the serene hallway, awaiting the B.I.)

The third and my personal favorite method is “Grazing”. As my roommate and I prepare for C.C.Q., we often heat up a “Cup-of-Noodles” or an “Easy-Mac” to prepare us for the long journey that lies ahead. After all, C.C.Q. is two hours long. The most important resource for this is, of course, food. As soon as the clock strikes 7:30, I relax, and I listen to music, and I think only about food.

Over of time Culver has changed its policies. (It was not always that students were allowed to eat during C.C.Q.)

I call the forth way the “Staring-At-Your-Computer-Method.” Every student at the Culver Military Academy is given a Dell Latitude D520 Laptop. Every student at the Culver Military Academy has abused the privileges of using his computer. There are many times during C.C.Q. when putting a movie into my computer or watching a T.V. show clearly outweighs the thought of working on homework. This is yet another example of how computers help cadets procrastinate during C.C.Q.
I have to imagine that students from all over the U.S. struggle with focusing on their homework with the distraction of the television. Here at Culver we actually have fewer problems with students becoming focused on T.V. because of the rigorous academic, athletic, and military schedule.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” I hear a frantic scream from the hallway. C.C.Q. must be over. I peer out of my room and see students playing ping pong in the hallways and playing lacrosse against the wall. After C.C.Q. the hallways turn into a jungle. It is total
anarchy. A cadet can turn from a studious mathematician to an Olympic sprinter striding down the hall. A great feeling of relief comes over every new cadet. C.C.Q. is finally over. We are forced to focus on our studies from 7:30 to 9:30. But even though you can lead a horse to water, you can’t make him drink it.