Q: We have received a number of submissions through Warhawk Solutions about reasonable accommodations for DLIELC employees as a result of COVID- 19.
A: Due to privacy concerns we cannot address each concern publicly. However, we encourage and support employee’s to initiate reasonable accommodation requests through the First Line Supervisor. The request will then be routed for final approval. Please note that the employee must have documentation to support that they have a disability and the specific accommodation that they are requesting that will allow them to perform the essential functions of their job. Since our return to face-to-face instruction in July, we’ve continued to educate employees with health concerns on the reasonable accommodation request process and encouraged them to pursue one if they deemed it appropriate for them.  If there are any specific concerns, please know your squadron commander is available to you for assistance. Please see the link for further information on Reasonable Accommodations: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/reasonable-accommodations

Q: I am concerned about perceived discrimination in the workplace. Who do I turn to in the event I see discrimination in the workplace?
A: There is no place in our Air Force for discrimination. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding concerns of this nature and is taken very seriously. If you feel any discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or reprisal, you may file a complaint of discrimination or raise the issue of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office. Additionally, please make use of DLIELC’s command team open door policy.

Your initial contact with the EEO must be done within 45 calendar days of the effective date of the decision action. If you elect to file a complaint of discrimination, you may do so by contacting the EEO at:

           1701 Kenly Avenue, Building 2484, Room 138
           JBSA-Lackland, TX  78236-5103
           Telephone number (210) 671-4284  

Q: There is an abandoned vehicle in the flagpole parking lot at DLIELC across the street from the Chaparrel gym with a flat tire and a Texas registration sticker from January 2019. The vehicle should be removed.
A: Thank you for bringing this to our attention, the proper authorities will be notified.

Q: With army opening back up their BMT graduation, when do you think Air Force will open theirs back up?
A: The Air Force will be welcoming back a limited number of visitors beginning July 22. Learn more about the graduation and COVID protocols on our Basic Training Website.

Q: Every year, I wonder why we don't get briefings about. About 8 or 9 years ago, there was a rabbi who came to a commander's call to talk about Judaism. Since then there has been no mention of religions other than the annual trainings on Ramadan. In fact, we even had an In Service Training (IST) focused on Islam. I know we have a large number of Muslim students, but DLI should not emphasize the importance of one religious holiday over all the others. I would like to see Holy Week, Easter, Passover, Obon, Wesak, and many other religious holidays recognized through official Air Force briefings.
A: In Service Training focuses on a wide variety of subjects. DLIELC has a very diverse group of cadre and students. The IST's can be sued to educate all about various issues to help build cultural awareness. Consider talking to your unit Chaplain as they can provide religious awareness briefings on a number of religions.

Q: After the loss of one of our Warhawks, I feel resilience workshops are greatly needed. What's the 37 TRW doing about them?
A: The 37 TRW is saddened by the loss of one of our own. In response, the impacted Squadrons have held Commander’s Calls as well as numerous other resilience events within their respective Squadrons this week, including Heritage Runs, meeting with the installation’s integrated resiliency teams and multiple social activities to help increase esprit de corps and facilitate the grieving and healing process. In addition, I have asked that all Squadrons across the wing meet in person this week, prior to Memorial Day weekend, to discuss resilience, Wingman culture and mindfulness of ourselves and others.  

 

More holistically and proactively, our wing has initiated a dedicated Community Action Team focused on 37 TRW-specific issues to include enduring resilience programs for members and their families. The 37 TRW CAT meets monthly to help facilitate all four pillars of resilience. In addition, our Wing has also stood up a first-of-its-kind human performance directorate, reporting directly to me, that will focus on all four pillars of resilience and the optimization of our Airmen’s performance. 

Q: Two Black awards, Blacks in Government Meritorious Service Award, were recently awarded to two members of the wing, but there hasn't been any awards for the Asian or Hispanic members --- NOT inclusive.
A:  Annual awards such as Blacks in Government are higher-headquarters awards and encompass the entire Department of Defense. There are additional awards that include other ethnicities such as the  Federal Asian Pacific American Council’s Uniformed Services Award. In fact a member of the 37th TRW received the FAPAC in 2020.  We must continue to foster a culture of inclusion and understanding within our Air Force. Recognition at various levels within the federal force is one way we're able to showcase the diverse talent of our Air Force.   

Q: Year-after-year at DLI we try to bring attention to the injustices in the civilian appraisal system. It’s time to take action and have supervisors hold employees accountable, rather than reward people who aren’t performing well in their jobs and are doing not working during duty hours.
A: An employee’s appraisal, award and other information is for the employee and their supervisory chain only. While performance awards are reflective of how well you meet or exceed the performance elements within your performance plan, the success of your students is also a reflection of your performance as an instructor. I highly encourage that each of our civilian Airmen concentrate on their classroom instruction and their students. If there are concerns regarding performance within your organization, we encourage you to reach out to your commander or the senior civilian in your organization to discuss specifics.

Q: When will the Zoom app be available for use on our .mil or .edu computers?
A: The Zoom app is currently being coordinated with AETC/A6 for ATO/ACO approval and should be complete any day.  As soon as it is complete the app willl be automatically pushed out to all .edu computers.

Q: Certain members of my organization don’t feel as if they are being given the opportunity for professional development. Why not have a wing-level program that is open to all?
A: Everyone within the wing is afforded the opportunity to pursue professional development training. Additionally, when developing your annual performance plan, be sure to include your professional development goals. Warhawk University offers a number of opportunities around the local area that individuals can sign up for. Additionally, there are formal Professional Military and Civilian Developmental Education opportunities that become available throughout the year. The annual call for Civilian Developmental Education is a self-nomination process through AFPC and is accomplished through MyVector. Emails are distributed through MyVector to each individual employee. If you haven’t yet established a MyVector account, go to myvector.us.mil to register. Also, if on the .edu domain, be sure to check your .mil email regularly to ensure you don’t miss out on opportunities. Educational opportunities are also advertised through the Hawk Talk weekly. You can also scan the QR code for Warhawk University to access available opportunities. (Note the Warhawk University QR code on the right-hand column)

Q: As a member of DLI, I am concerned with unfair hiring practices that seem to favor particular individuals or foreign instructors. It seems as if discrimination exists in the organization.
A: DLI has had internal and external reviews of their hiring practices. They are fair and exceed the OPM and AF hiring processes with a rubric, panel and interview. We do not use any prohibited demographic or protected category information when making hiring selections. It’s important that we educate ourselves on hiring practices rules and that we continue to educate and inform about them, just as Mr. Surita and I have discussed in previous DLI all-calls. This will help alleviate any misperceptions we may have. DLI has a very diverse group of professionals who are executing a critical mission; I encourage each of you to continue focusing on your students and classroom instruction in order to help strengthen international partnerships.

Q: Are resources available to study/research the effectiveness of the DLI’s remote face-to-face instruction compared to on-site face-to-face instruction?
A: We have studied the effectiveness of remote teaching using the same metrics and information available prior to the pandemic.  That is student satisfaction through EOCs, on-time graduation rate, graduation rate, and FoT feedback.  From the last data pull and analysis, the 332 TRS resident mission is performing equal to or better by those metrics.  However, one concern we have is the ability to immerse our students into the American classroom environment. This cultural immersion is hard to capture and portray in a remote-learning only atmosphere. IAAFA recently graduated their in-resident Alpha cycle students and Columbian Army Brig. Gen Erik Rodriguez, who was the guest speaker, reminded students about the value of the relationships they built while attending courses at IAAFA: “Interpersonal relationships matter, interoperability between different forces is generated from a common language and common procedures, but interoperability cannot be effective if there is no personal knowledge, respect or a level of trust.” At DLI, you do more than just teach English. You help grow relationships through a common language. Those relationships are better fostered in an in-person environment.

Q: Why must multiple emails about spouse events and messages be sent out to all in the organization? We aren’t married to the military and these messages do not apply to DLI.
A: Whether wearing the uniform or a civil servant, every member of DLI is a valued member and employee of the Department of the Air Force and the Department of Defense, and should be afforded the opportunity to receive information on key programs. The individual appointed to distribute these messages is the Key Spouse representative for the squadron. The emails are intended to be informative and educational and provide valuable information for our diverse population within DLI.

Q: What is acceptable/unacceptable when commenting on a civilian employees appraisal? What information can be shared about another employee’s performance? There are some instructors who have concerns about those who are awarded more than colleagues who work as equally hard.
A: An employee’s appraisal, award and other information is for the employee and their supervisory chain only. Civilian monetary or time-off awards are distributed based on a percentage (not to exceed specific caps), and are determined based on how well an employee meets their SMART objectives – performance elements that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. While, performance awards are reflective of how well you meet or exceed the performance elements within your performance plan, the success of your students is also a reflection of your performance as an instructor. I highly encourage that each of our civilian Airmen concentrate on their classroom instruction and the development of their students.

Q: What is the guidance regarding masks when speaking to large groups of people? Can they be removed?
A: A person speaking to an audience of 30 or more can remove their mask, as long as they maintain appropriate physical distancing from the audience. Organizations can implement stricter guidance to meet organizational needs. However, they cannot make the guidance less strict than what has been published by the JBSA commander. For more information on current guidance, check out https://www.jbsa.mil/coronavirus/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=RQpYh_IEyIw%3d&portalid=102.

Q: We receive a lot of emails about upcoming briefings or other events, but fewer than half of them include calendar invites. Below is a list of benefits to making calendar invites the standard: - the ability to update times/locations thereby seamlessly keeping everyone on the same page - RSVPs automatically add invites to calendars, so greater participation - less time taken away from work that is spent on adding events from emails to calendars (since that's not automatic in Outlook) - fewer interruptions from follow-up correction emails when locations or places change, or the event is cancelled - the ability to load zoom links for meetings into the Location field of the invite.
A: Each organization has varying business rules when it comes to sending out information. If you have ideas to increase the effectiveness of the information being sent out, be sure to reach back to the source and offer the suggestion. We do have a wing strategic calendar that is briefed at each week’s staff meeting. It’s not currently posted to the website, but we’ll work toward including it in a location that gets more visibility. I’d also encourage each of the groups to have a central calendar as well. While I appreciate the suggestion regarding calendar invites, many people just don’t have the bandwidth to manage the sheer volume of requests that would come in.

Q: Who manages the 37 TRW Training & Development Council and how do we contact them?
A: Mr. Joe Surita, the wing's Executive Director, is leading efforts for our Training and Development Council, you can reach out to him or also contact the council at 37TRW.Warhawk.University@us.af.mil. 

Q: We never saw the CDE opportunity?: Could you resend? Some don't have access to .mil.
A: Civilian Developmental Opportunities are promoted through the MyVector platform, https://myvector.us.af.mil/myvector/Home. Be sure to create your MyVector account to receive automated messaging about opportunities as they become available. Additionally, we have promoted the CDE opportunities in various emails, meetings, etc. We understand some of our organizations have access to both .mil and .edu platforms ... official correspondence will most likely be distributed through the .mil network. Checking that platform daily will certainly help ensure critical information isn't missed.