[QUOTE=Johnny Canal;139550]Why don’t you just graduate before you start posting shit about KP.
You also don’t school there but have no problem chiming in…[/QUOTE]
Whoa - no more coffee for you today.
[QUOTE=c.captain;139510]come on there guys? this is a public forum and KP is a public school funded by taxpayers which I think all of us here are. We have right to publicly criticize the place. sorry though for being so mean towards Helis’ wife but I stand by everything else I said.
who else is with me asking to bring the thread back please?[/QUOTE]
Yeah, you absolutley crossed the line talking about Hellis wife.
But what really bothers me is that I’m 99.9% sure you’ve never talked to Hellis.
I spoke with him for over an hour last spring and he is by far the best SUPT they have had since way before I was there.
He cares about what the grads do and is not happy with what was allowed by the 2-3 guys before him as well as what MARAD was doing /and not doing.
He is in fact the very first person who reviews MARAD service obligation reports as well requests for service obligation waivers. And he does more than his fair of share of saying “denied” and passing them to MARAD for final decision. He also deals with the employers who whine about new being able to hire new and recent KP grads at shipyards and places like MATLACK (pipeline on wheels) just because “it’s never been a problem before…”
As much as I still hate the place, he is the BY FAR THE BEST THING to happen to that joke building in decades.
I recommend you call him, apologize, and then let his wife crack a bottle of champagne of your fucking head.
Maybe it will calm you down.
[QUOTE=Jetryder223;139551]Whoa - no more coffee for you today.[/QUOTE]
Jet,
When you actually graduate from KP, are old enough to buy coffee without a fake idea, and have sailed extensively with mariners from all walks of life as well as locales then you can inform me of how you are going to fix KP.
WAIT, I’m sorry, that will never happen b/c you don’t go to school there!
SUNY IS ON THE FEDERAL DOLE LIKE ALL OTHER MARITIMES. HOW ABOUT GIVING BACK THE MONEY MARAD GAVE SUNY FOR SCRAPPING THOSE SHIPS?
Other than that statement, I know jack shit about SUNY. And so therefore I propose nothing about fixing the place, even though it has quite the active complaint log.
annnnnnnd this is why threads get shut down.
No need to shut down this thread.
Johnny C. - It’s seems every time you post you have a chip on your shoulder and want to pull rank. I don’t know, maybe it’s the sense of privilege and entitlement they instill in midshipmen at KP.
Unfortunately, this is the internet and here, my keyboard is just as powerful as yours. I know that bugs the heck out of you since in your mind, I have not earned the right to an opinion of my own.
If you are like this with your onboard subordinates, I can only pity them.
[QUOTE=Jetryder223;139555]No need to shut down this thread.
Johnny C. - It’s seems every time you post you have a chip on your shoulder and want to pull rank. I don’t know, maybe it’s the sense of privilege and entitlement they instill in midshipmen at KP.
Unfortunately, this is the internet and here, my keyboard is just as powerful as yours. I know that bugs the heck out of you since in your mind, I have not earned the right to an opinion of my own.
If you are like this with your onboard subordinates, I can only pity them.[/QUOTE]
And yet you still chime in about something you have yet to experience for yourself in order for you to form an opinion. And pls don’t reply with a commercial cruise experience you had with some KP cadets or whatever ferry you work on.
Opinions are fine, but they don’t compare with opinions supported by experience and facts.
I’m not outranking you, I’m out back grounding and out experiencing.
Of course you have the right to your BS opinion and your keyboard, just as I do to rebuttals based on fact.
Forums die without both being served up on a huge CC served platter.
But it doesn’t mean anybody has to let the uniformed and ignorant masses spread opinion as fact.
If I post incorrect facts on here as truth, by all means feel free to shove the Throgsneck Bridge down my throat one toll plaza at a time…
Now it is my turn to call BULLSHIT on the direction of this thread! It is supposed to be about that ridiculous prrss release!
[QUOTE=c.captain;139557]Now it is my turn to call BULLSHIT on the direction of this thread! It is supposed to be about that ridiculous prrss release![/QUOTE]
OMG, you mean a thread morphed? Like that never happens.
The sort of reforms that I would like to see Congress institute at KP would retain high academic standards for the four year college degree program (if there is going to be one), but also require applicants to show a significant prior connection to the sea. Applicants should be required to show that they know something about what they are getting into, and that they are likely to actually make a career of going to sea.
Just my opinion, but I think that regiments, if any, should be optional at all maritime academies. Similarly, service obligations, if any, should also be optional. That is another reform that I would like to see Congress enact.
Several of my friends and one relative who went to KP are nice guys. Years ago, I had a few KP cadets that were good kids. I have never understood why so many mariners don’t like KP’ers, but I’m beginning to get the drift.
I’m glad to see that someone else on this thread is taking the heat off ccaptain.
The sort of reforms that I would like to see Congress institute at KP would retain high academic standards for the four year college degree program (if there is going to be one), but also require applicants to show a significant prior connection to the sea. Applicants should be required to show that they know something about what they are getting into, and that they are likely to actually make a career of going to sea.
Just my opinion, but I think that regiments, if any, should be optional at all maritime academies. Similarly, service obligations, if any, should also be optional. That is another reform that I would like to see Congress enact.
Several of my friends and one relative who went to KP are nice guys. Years ago, I had a few KP cadets that were good kids. I have never understood why so many mariners don’t like KP’ers, but I’m beginning to get the drift.
I’m glad to see that someone else on this thread is taking the heat off ccaptain.
Now will someone pleasr take apart that POS press release for me?
I don’t see many 17-18 year old kids having any significant prior connection to the sea. My only connection was that I lived on a coastal town and worked at a marina.
The flaming messages only weaken people’s arguement whether they are vaild points or not. My first trip as captain, the guy I relieved gave me great advice. He said that “the office is going to send you messages that piss you off. Wait ten minutes before you reply.” It seems not everyone has learned the same lesson.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;139563]The sort of reforms that I would like to see Congress institute at KP would retain high academic standards for the four year college degree program (if there is going to be one), but also require applicants to show a significant prior connection to the sea. Applicants should be required to show that they know something about what they are getting into, and that they are likely to actually make a career of going to sea.
Just my opinion, but I think that regiments, if any, should be optional at all maritime academies. Similarly, service obligations, if any, should also be optional. That is another reform that I would like to see Congress enact.
Several of my friends and one relative who went to KP are nice guys. Years ago, I had a few KP cadets that were good kids. I have never understood why so many mariners don’t like KP’ers, but I’m beginning to get the drift.
I’m glad to see that someone else on this thread is taking the heat off ccaptain.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=c.captain;139566]Now will someone pleasr take apart that POS press release for me?[/QUOTE]
I agree with you about the press release, but I’m going to leave that to one of our favorite KP experts.
How the hell am I supposed to moderate this shit? I mean seriously???
[QUOTE=tugsailor;139565]Just my opinion, but I think that regiments, if any, should be optional at all maritime academies. Similarly, service obligations, if any, should also be optional. That is another reform that I would like to see Congress enact.
[/QUOTE]
There is no service obligation at the state schools unless a kid is enrolled in ROTC or is one of the few that get SSOP financial aid. The law that authorized federal aid for the state schools specified a “military component”. However there is no stated definition of the “military component”. Hence, some schools can be quite lax, while others can look at themselves as a version of Annapolis.
Kings Point differs from the state schools in that tuition, room and board are free. The students only pay a small sum for certain fees. If you were to remove the “military obligation” requirement, however lax it may be, that would amount to simply giving a free education to those kids.
[QUOTE=Jetryder223;139548]Not the “State”, States. Right now, each state school has 3 levels of fees, “In State”, “In Region” and “Out of State”. I am suggesting eliminating “out of state” and expanding the regions so all States & Territories are covered. It’s not complicated.[/QUOTE]
I think it would be very difficult to get all the States to chip in to a region if they see no particular advantage to do so. At the same time not all the State schools have those 3 levels of fees you mention. But this is an interesting idea and perhaps worth exploring further. I have also listened to people suggesting combining KP with the Coast Guard Academy facilities. I am not sure how the turf battle between the 2 governing agencies would play out.
USCGA & USMMA will never merge.
I do see your point on some states not wanting to chip in for a maritime education, especially the states far inland where graduates will move and likely never give that state any return on investment.
Perhaps it’s not that simple after all.
Us taxpayers from every state chip in all the time to pay for things our own states do not benefit equally from, if at all. How many states benefit from federal tobacco farming subsidies? Irrigation projects, hurricane recovery, bridges to nowhere, the list goes on forever. This is part and parcel with being one country with a national government.
Most state colleges get massive federal support, research funding, student aid, student loans (a large percentage of which are never repaid),and grants of every imaginable kind. The state academies also get worthless, but very costly ships, all at federal expense.
How many tens of billions did we spend in Iraq? What do we have to show for it? It was probably about enough to run all the academies for a 1000 years.
Let’s just focus on coming up with smart maritime policies, including educational policies that benefit the country as a whole instead of worrying about who gets the biggest slice of pork.
now back to the fuse that ignited the powerkeg this morning…following is the original press release I found at MarineLog.com last night describing the rechristening of the new T/V KINGS POINTER. Since I am obviously in the doghouse now, this time I present it free of my trademark CAPITALIZED profanity or any of my other well worn anti KP bombast. Instead am serving it up here pure and unadulterated for each and every member of this forum to read in order to form their own opinions on what exactly is being said in it and what those statements say about the US Merchant Marine Academy in 2014.
JUNE 18, 2014 — U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Acting Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen visited the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY, Monday, to celebrate the rechristening of the Academy’s new training vessel as the Kings Pointer. They were joined Rear Admiral James Helis, Superintendent, as well as Senator Charles Schumer and Representatives Timothy Bishop and Steve Israel.
The Kings Pointer was retrofitted as a training vessel at North Florida Shipyard at a cost of $3.3 million. Before being redesigned to serve as a training vessel for students, the former MV Liberty Star served as a recovery vessel for NASA, retrieving solid rocket boosters following space shuttle launches.
Propelled by two combined 2,900 horsepower diesel engines, the 176-foot long, newly-christened Kings Pointer has a 6,000 mile range and a maximum speed of 15 knots. The ship’s controllable pitch propellers and auxiliary water jet thruster, combined with modern joy-stick dynamic positioning capability provide midshipmen a highly maneuverable training platform. The vessel has a 7,500 pound deck crane, which is an ideal tool for providing a basic understanding of modern cargo operations. It also has a fast rescue boat, which can provide midshipman critical experience in general launch operations. In addition, the vessel’s double towing winch, substantial towing H bitts, and a massive towing fairlead add significant new towing training capabilities to the Academy’s portfolio.
“The new Kings Pointer is yet another example of this Administration’s commitment to ensuring first-rate training and facilities for the Academy’s midshipmen,” said Secretary Foxx. “With this modern vessel, the USMMA will continue to produce the finest mariners in the world, helping ensure our national and economic security.”
Since FY 2009, the Obama Administration has invested more than $450 million at the Academy, including almost $100 million for capital improvements— the most funding ever secured for physical improvements at the Academy.
“The Merchant Marine Academy has been a treasured part of this country since Congress commissioned its establishment in 1936,” said Senator Charles Schumer. “It is quite literally, the jewel of the sea, and given the continued role that Congress plays in its operations, it’s my responsibility as Senator to do everything I can to see this institution flourish. I’m thrilled to have worked in recent years to address three key issues at the Academy: finding inspiring leadership through a permanent Superintendent, rehabilitating Mallory Pier, and today bringing back the Kings Pointer, this critical training vessel. It’s a banner day for the Merchant Marine Academy.”
“The USMMA is the crown jewel of my Congressional District because of the tradition of service and professionalism of its midshipmen and this institution,” said U.S. Congressman Steve Israel. “The new Kings Pointer will ensure that midshipmen continue to receive superb training and preparation for serving our nation.”
“I am proud to join Secretary Foxx and Admiral Helis today as we rechristen the Kings Pointer,” said Congressman Tim Bishop. “Each year, we send our best and brightest to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy to train to become our nation’s next military and transportation leaders. This vessel will provide a vital expansion of that training.”
The vessel’s sponsor was Mrs. Jan Ryan Helis. After thanking the Acting Maritime Administrator for the honor, she cracked a bottle of champagne against the bow and said, “I christen thee Kings Pointer.”
The crowd of faculty, staff, alumni and midshipmen responded with a loud cheer.
y’all have no idea how hard it is for me to not add comments again now…
steady there old man…you will pass this test of your ability to forbear!
.
Also, many countries provide a virtually free college education to academically qualified students. Canada and Norway are a couple that come to mind. Norway’s investment in top maritime schools such as Aalesund University College seems to be working out quite well for them.