Pre reqs for attwnding GLMA

Hello everyone I h e a question if someone could help me out I would really appreciate it. I have completed all the prereqs to attend GLMA in the fall of 2013 , but I saw that you cannot have a criminal record with a felony or misdemeanor on it… When I was in the navy I got a ticket for where I had to go to court but couldn’t caus having an expired license and ha to go to court but couldn’t cause I got deployed. And now I am taking care of it but now I might have a misdemeanor on my record for not showing up to court that day. Does anyone know if this will mess up my acceptance to GLMA? It is a traffic misdemeanor .

I could not make the court date because I got deployed… The ticket was for havering an expired license more than six months cause in the state of Virginia if you have a license and your military I’d your license is still valid… But I got pulled over in Florida on my way home for leave…

[QUOTE=drod2214;105002]I could not make the court date because I got deployed… The ticket was for havering an expired license more than six months cause in the state of Virginia if you have a license and your military I’d your license is still valid… But I got pulled over in Florida on my way home for leave…[/QUOTE]

The following is based on the Coast Guard’s policies/regul;ations for uissuing merchant mariner credentials. It does not address Great Lakes Maritime Academy’s policy. It is possible that GLMA has its own policies that are different from those of the USCG.

Coast Guard would likely impose a one year “assessment period” from the date of the conviction. It would likely be considered as a “other vehicular crime” for the purpose of applying 46 CFR 10.211. During this period, you can still apply for a MMC, but would need to demonstrate that despite the comnviction, you are a “safe and suitable person to hold an MMC.” The circumstances you describe might be sufficeint to allow the immediate issuance of the MMC. In any event,. the conviction would not be considered after the expiration of the assessment period.

Just went and talked to our Admissions director. GLMA will not accept you due to your misdemeanor. At GLMA it doesn’t matter if it is drug, alcohol, or driving related.

Good luck getting into another Academy.

Other types of misdemeanor are jaywalking, littering and loitering. Is GLMA some kind of convent for the pure of soul?

To the OP: I hope you have a lawyer. They may get misdemeanors reduced or tossed out or at least delayed long enough so that you won’t be lying when you attest to having no convictions.

Yeah, and honestly, I went to school with people with oui’s or assaults…so…

It seems that GLMA is the hardest state academy to get into due to the amount of applicants with Bachelor’s degrees or military time. The laid back corps is probably the reason why.

Do you guys know if Texas maritime academy is difficult to get into???

[QUOTE=DeckApe;105021]Other types of misdemeanor are jaywalking, littering and loitering. Is GLMA some kind of convent for the pure of soul?

To the OP: I hope you have a lawyer. They may get misdemeanors reduced or tossed out or at least delayed long enough so that you won’t be lying when you attest to having no convictions.[/QUOTE]

I think its stupid, our admissions director said it’s because they have agreements with some of the lakes companies not to send cadets with misdemeanors or DUI’s etc. Since everyone has to do at least one sea project on the lakes, the Academy has decided to keep things simple and just not accept anyone with a felony or misdemeanor. DUI’s are a big deal with sailing on the lakes and going into Canada. However, I think the Academy is really missing out on a bunch of people that have really minor offenses and would make outstanding Cadets and Officers, instead they get stuck bringing in people that don’t have any convictions but don’t have a clue what the maritime industry is or what kind of commitment it takes to finish the program and graduate. It’s a shame, but until things change thats how its going to be.

When I visited in fall with my friend. He had an expunged possession charge and that disqualified him from GLMA. I would ask the admissions director to make sure!

I would like to clear something up about this posting as it is misleading, and consequently, made me sweat a few bullets.

The only way you will know if you have something on your record is to have an FBI Background Check performed on their CJIS system. This is what Canada will check. Costs around $100 to have it performed, and is generally quite painless and quick. Had my results by the end of the day.

Additionally, most traffic offenses are NOT reported to the FBI’s CJIS system. Keep in mind that DUI’s are considered misdemeanors, as is theft and other acts. Those are the kinds of things that Canada is on the lookout for and is why employers don’t want to have to deal with any extra hassle when coming in contact with the Canadian Border Patrol. Erego, GLMA will not accept one with misdemeanors on their FBI record not because they want “holier than thou” candidates (though it’s comforting to know my fellow classmates aren’t ex-cons), but rather because Canada has some strict rules in place.

To reiterate, if you’re worrying about small traffic offenses like I was such as speeding tickets, driving without a license, running a red light, no insurance, etc… please stop. It is HIGHLY unlikely those will be on your record. It is not a guarantee that it wont be, but the FBI likely has more important things to track such as offenses that would require you to be fingerprinted and/or jailed.

I’ve recently retired. Last week I received a speeding ticket. Well my pension be affected?

Rich, it all depends. Do you make regular contributions to the police benevolent association?

I hope he does, that pension could be gone if not.