MMAPA December 12, 2005 Meeting Minutes

Raffle Updates

·        Red Sox raffle ticket sales totaled $375

·        Patriot raffle ticket sales totaled $645

·        Mother’s Day Cruise sales from mailing $5,500; total cruise tickets sales $7,500

Scholarships

·        Alex B. Haas Scholarship money received $265; a motion was made to have MMAPA contribute $235 to bring scholarship up to $500; this scholarship will be given to a freshman; MMA scholarship committee to decide

·        A motion was made to approve 2 Adm. Bresnahan Sea Term 2006 Scholarships, all approved; each scholarship will be $2,929 the full payment for Sea Term 2006; MMA scholarship committee to decide; these are needs based scholarships

·        Scholarship money will be funneled thru the MMA Foundation where deposits made will be matched for every $2 the State will match with $1

Fundraising

·        MMAPA sells Sea Term t-shirts the day the ship departs for $15

·        MMAPA in the past sold ceramic mugs which have a picture of the ship and the flags of the ports of call; at this time we have no pricing; will keep everyone posted via the parents list serve.

·        MMAPA in the past sold certificates purchased thru the Naval Institute; this year the Certificate will be the Order of the Rock commemorating the transit thru the Straits of Gibraltar; these certificates have your cadets name and are signed by Capt. Bushy; we will take orders for these certificates the day the ship departs; will keep everyone posted via the parents list serve on cost.

Board of Higher Education Hearing Thursday December 15 @ 9:30AM

·        Karen presented a letter that would be jointly signed by the MMA Foundation, Alumni Assoc. and Parents Assoc.; this letter of good faith was addressed to the Board of Higher Ed; the letter reassured the BHE that no matter what the outcome of Thursday’s meeting, the individual associations would continue to work with the Academy; all members voted favorably to go forward with letter; 2 members opposed requesting letter be mailed after Thursday’s meeting.

·        BHE requested people to register if they planned to attend; this was for the purpose of accommodating the number of people planning to attend

·        Karen requested permission from the members present to read a statement before the Board on behalf of the Academy’s parents association; members present voted unanimously to allow Karen to speak

·        Karen reviewed the points of her statement with the members present; all members were unified in agreement that the MMA BOT needed to be held accountable for their actions disrupting the end of fall semester, final exams, Athletic Open House, Sea Term 2006 and chain of command and possible violation of Open Meeting laws.

·        Below is Karen’s statement she read on Thursday December 15.

Good morning. My name is Karen White, President of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Parents Association.  I come before you this morning to speak as one voice.  I’m honored to be chosen to represent the voices of hundreds of academy parents.  I am not only the President of the MMAPA but the parent of a 2nd class cadet and a perspective student for the fall.  Before I begin, I would like to thank Chairman Tocco, Chancellor Gill and the board members for granting me permission to address you concerning the actions by the academy’s board to remove President Gurnon.  We are asking the Board of Higher Education not to ratify the removal of Adm. Gurnon.

I would like to start by telling you how we were first made aware of the Board of Trustees hasty decision.  During a meeting with President Gurnon on Thursday December 1, 2005, he asked me to confirm a statement made by the academy’s Board of Trustee Chairman that the Parent’s Association supported the board’s decision to remove him from office.  I stood in shock knowing full well this was patently untrue.  There had never been an exchange of information between the two boards in regards to the removal of Adm. Gurnon.  I was horrified that the BOT had spoken for the Parent’s Association without consulting us first.

The following day, I e-mailed the parents list serve to inform them of the BOT actions, thus began the deluge of e-mails to the Board of Higher Education, legislators, community leaders and the Governor’s office aimed at preventing this action from going forward.  Three days later, Sunday, December 4th, the board voted 9-1 without discussion to fire Adm. Gurnon as President.  Moments later Capt. Hansen read a statement reluctantly announcing his resignations as VP of Student Services.

By now you are aware that President Gurnon and Capt. Hansen have given a combined 49 years of faithful service to the academy.  You have received 100’s of e-mails, faxes, and mail testifying that they are steadfast in upholding its Regimental core values of duty, honor and discipline and are committed in maintaining academic excellence.  Working together as a team in full support of the faculty, staff, regiment and cadets, the institution achieved academic milestones no other state college can publicize which includes the highest SAT averages for incoming students; the highest graduation rate of 70% at any public college in New England; the highest freshman retention rate at 82% of any state college and a 100% career placement rate for graduating seniors.  We should be here today applauding these men for their years of dedication and loyalty to the academy.  The board’s reasons of distrusting his judgment, questioning the wisdom of his decisions and lacking confidence in his fundamental capacity as a leader completely contradicts the distinguished accomplishments of the Academy many directly attributable by President Gurnon’s strong leadership.

The BOT has provided no compelling reasons necessitating Adm. Gurnon’s immediate removal.  The BOT has acted in secrecy, possibly in violation of the Massachusetts Open Meeting law.  The BOT has unnecessarily disrupted the fall semester.  We are deeply troubled by the board’s decision to remove Adm. Gurnon and Capt. Hansen.  The board has shown poor judgment in both their timing and leadership.  December 4th was the Academy’s largest attended athletic open house, yet the board proclaims they knew nothing of the scheduled event.  Their decision came at the heels of cadets as they prepared for final exams that began today.  Their one-minute decision to appoint Attorney Kearney as interim COO has dismantled the chain of command.  The President’s duties have now been divided between the COO, the Dean of Academics and Dean of Admissions while the VP of Student Services office has been divided between the COO and VP of Marine Operations.  Their decision comes at a critical time as Capt. Bushy enters the final stages of preparing the Enterprise for Sea Term 2006 departure to the Mediterranean.  We the parents implore the Board of Higher Education to see the travesty in their decision.

Our sons and daughters chose to attend Massachusetts Maritime Academy for its high academic standards, job placement rate and core values of honor and discipline.  Our sons and daughters knew what to expect when they came to MMA: tough academics and a discipline system codified in the Regimental Handbook.  The rules are clear.  Standards are clear.  Penalties for infractions are clear.  It’s the only state college where upon Orientation Graduation cadets take an oath to live by the Regimental Code of Ethics.  Every cadet has a personal responsibility to uphold that oath, be held accountable when found dishonoring the code, and accept punishment for their actions.  These same core values of honesty and truthfulness must prevail over the Board of Trustees.  Every member of the board has a personal responsibility to uphold their oath and be held accountable when found dishonoring their word of trust.  It was the board who met secretly in a restaurant with their attorney the morning of December 4th hours before they cast their vote and now assert this meeting was within the spirit of Open Meeting laws.

The core principles and values the institution was built on discipline, hard work, honesty, and truthfulness are threatened.  You and only you have the power to restore dignity to the academy.  Make history today.  Return Adm. Gurnon to his position as President so he can continue to do what he does best and that is to lead the “best maritime academy in the country” into the future.  We have faith in the Board of Higher Education that you will make your decisions in the best interest of our beloved academy and in the highest regard for our cadets.  Thank you again for granting us time to address the Board.

Sea Term 2006

Capt. Bushy, Vice President Marine Operations, presented at our meeting; here below are notes taken

NOTE:  Cadets will not be able to store their gear on board the ship before breaking for holidays.  The ship is still under going final stages of inspection and maintenance.  No cadet storage will be available in dorms after finals end or winter storage this year.  The dorms will be under renovations and construction.  Out of State cadets must make their own storage arrangements off campus.

Sea Trials

Smoke coming out of the stack is a good thing.  Ship under going final stages of certification.  All training ships must meet the highest classification of A1 Certification and Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection.

Every piece of machinery in the engine room is dismantled for analysis of metallurgic stress fractures.  Sea trials to begin 0800 Wednesday, December 14.  The ship will circumvent Cape Cod (320 miles) over a 2-day period where the ship will be tested for speed, maneuverability, anchoring, and boilers will be analyzed and benchmarked.

 

Sea Term

Itinerary of trip will be mailed home to parents.

Cadets must pass Elementary Algebra and Vessel Familiarization and Basic Safety Training.

All cadets need a passport for the trip.  Cadets who do not have a passport will not be eligible for Sea Term 2006.  Approximately 500-510 cadets plus 80 faculty/staff members.

Sunday, January 8, 2006

All cadets will need their Passport!

4/c cadets report at 0800 to Harrington Bldg., Admirals Hall, dressed in work clothes.  They will bring their gear and store in one of the classrooms.  4/c cadets will attend a Ship Familiarization and Social Responsibility lecture.

3/c to report at 0900 and 2/c and 1/c at 01000 to Harrington Bldg

Cadets leaving cars on campus during sea term must register with Public Safety. The sea term parking area will be in the gym lot. Check with Public Safety for exact location. Vehicles parked in other locations will be towed at owner's expense

Monday, January 9, 2006

Begin loading the ship with supplies

Cadets are divided into 4 Divisions (not by company); 60 4/c cadets per division; 3 days engine; 3 days deck; 3 days emergency management, international and marine safety

14 hours of training prior to departure:  4 deck, 4 engine, 4 MSEP/IMB/EM, and 2 regimental

No liberty until Friday afternoon January 13 unless cadet has watch.

Saturday, January 14, at 0917

slack water, ship departs for 43 days returning February 26

Ship will be open beginning at 0600

Cadets must escort parents, friends, relatives, significant other

All visitors on board must leave ship at 0800

Muster of cadets at 0830

Enterprise will head west into Buzzards Bay. First stop Norfolk VA for fuel (plan to take on 9,000 gallons of fuel)

From Norfolk will head due east to Spain

Barcelona first stop

For every port, ship to remain in port 4 days

Every cadet will get 3 days of liberty per port

1 division will always be on watch/maintenance

4/c must be back by 1200; cadets are briefed on every port before going ashore; cadets will wear civilian clothes when going ashore.  Temperatures for Mediterranean average 60 degrees during the day and as cold as 35 degrees at night.  3 sets of jeans, sweaters, and sweatshirts recommended clothing for trip.  Cadets need to always travel in groups – never alone.  Tours of cities will be available to any cadet and given plenty of time before reaching ports to sign up.  $100/day or $900 for trip. ATM’s and credit cards are accepted everywhere in Europe; all cash kept in the vault on the ship; not recommended to exchange dollars for Euros before leaving; cadets are lectured on alcohol, abuses of alcohol and responsible drinking; if cadets return intoxicated cadets can lose liberty; company officers, deck officers and rates officers always on evening watch.

On board ship, cadets will have access to the internet via a wireless connection as well as a wired connection in some of the classrooms and labs.  There is a cost and the cadet needs to register for this service (SeaWave).  Laptops are allowed.  It becomes a form of entertainment for many (DVDs, music, and writing home)

There will be a link of MMA home page for Sea Term 2006 following its travels.  There will also be a link to SeaWave.net to follow the ship as it navigates its 12,000 miles.

Sunday, February 26 return home

Will spend evening in Cape Cod Bay just off Sandwich/Scusset Beach for customs.

Will pull anchor 0630 Sunday 2/26 for anticipated arrival of 0743.