American Notes AIR FORCE

Atten-shun! There will be no sex in dormitories. That's an order at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, and for many of the school's 4,410 cadets, 553 of whom are women, it is one of the toughest to obey. But rarely has the rule been breached as flagrantly as in a case revealed last week: a sexual encounter between a male and a female cadet, conducted under the watchful eyes of six male classmates hiding in a dorm closet. The romp landed the woman, who became distraught upon learning how public the performance had been, in a military hospital following an accidental overdose of pain relievers.

Five of the cadets involved in the episode have resigned, and action is pending against the remaining three, including the woman. Says academy spokesman Lieut. Colonel Greg Dziuban: "The cadets were there to help their friend break off his relationship. They were going to jump out of the closet, but somehow things got going too quickly. Everyone was clearly aware of the prohibition against sex in the dormitory."