Why so negative?

kpwehope

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5-Year Member
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Aug 7, 2008
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Over on the "other" S.A. forum almost all the posts are negative about USMMA. I read everything from the kids don't get enough food to girls being sexually assulted. On this forum I seen hardly any negative feedback. Any idea what the deal is? If I only read CC I would probably be very concerned about sending my son off come July. Can any parents of current mids or alum comment?
 
well i am nether but i noticed that too. sry to say it but people dont ever think before they post and they tend to post a lot of gossip. I have never said any of that but I hope that you dont hold that agianst the site itself, it is just the posters.

there are alot of kids who are applying to both USMMA and USCGA and i noticed that the big three ( USNA, USMA, USAFA) kinda look down on those two schools calling them the " little sister" academies. i have had to just let it role off. leave the argueing to the officers( which i have seen happen on here lol)
 
Although I am neither (alum or current mid) I believe that the majority of complaints about Kings Point arise from the fact that it is severely underfunded.

Staff cutbacks, lack of fuel for the Kings Pointer, decrease in medical care, and food quality/quantity are all symptoms of the larger problem.

Despite the fact that USMMA midshipman must pay some pretty hefty fees (compared with the other 4 academies).

Then there is always a budget debate about whether or not USMMA is needed today, given the fact that the state maritime schools are producing merchant seamen and getting paid tuition to do it.

As for the safety of the mids, I don't recall hearing anything about assaults or serious crimes taking place at the academy.
 
I read the same posts... I was concerned, but it is just a couple of folks under the cover of anon posts.

Luigi I think her name there is KPnotforme over there .. she was a past mid and its been a few years... She appears to be offended by the "its a man's world theme"....

Its a man's world.. (whether we like it or not) and women always have to work harded to prove they can cut it, (even if we really don't want to admit it). I know I have raised my daughter to know that and always do just that (work harder)............
 
To be honest I'm not really sure why the recent uptick in negative postings about USMMA there. There have been some recent changes at the Academy that have effected many people. In the recent past we have had our Supe of ~10 years "retire", a financial investigation, and a few other changes. The investigation put a real dent on money flowing into several activities at the school. At Kings Point the federal government provides a very limited amount of money to the extracurricular activities (in fact I heard at one time, that no money from the govt goes towards athletics) so when you block the alumni association from providing that money things can go bad quickly.

The alumni association has had a new batch of officers brought in and things are starting to return back to normal from that end. The recent complaints about food and computer support are new to me and I haven't heard anything about it prior to the one anonymous post.

I would say most of this is simply "growing pains" as the academy transitions to new leadership and begins to get back to good relations with the Maritime Administration. I wouldn't read too much into it at this point.
 
Current Mid Loving it

Over on the "other" S.A. forum almost all the posts are negative about USMMA. I read everything from the kids don't get enough food to girls being sexually assulted. On this forum I seen hardly any negative feedback. Any idea what the deal is? If I only read CC I would probably be very concerned about sending my son off come July. Can any parents of current mids or alum comment?

I'm in contact with a current Mid returning from her Sea-Year. She absolutely loves it. Loves the folks she has worked (and played) with at KP and the folks she sailed with. A perfect fit for her. She has not mentioned the issues brought up on other forum sites, and she is aware of those sorts of things, having declined admission to a state military school that she had felt "uncomfortable" about while visiting.
 
Depends much on the eye of the beholder/s. The KP good outweighs any KP bad IMHO. The glass is half full in my book. I wouldn't let a few naysayers ruin the good of KP. They are few, far and in between. There are many who feel that life is pretty good there. The food has always been school cafeteria "quality". I seem to recall USNA having some of the same problems & much hoopla made over the issue.
 
Conditions at Kings Point

I've read the posts at the 'other forum' too, and I admit they have left me more than a little concerned. I've been concerned about lack of funding at the academy since S first began the application process and I continue to be concerned about the effect that it will have on his education as well as his ability to take advantage of extra curricular activities, especially the Waterfront.

My biggest concern is pretty basic: is he going to get enough to eat? He's got a Body Mass Index of 19 right now - not an ounce of fat on him. He can't afford to drop 20 pounds because he's not getting enough to eat to offset all the physical activity.

I can't believe I'm worrying about something so fundamental as food. If they don't have enough money for THAT, what else don't they have enough money for?

I really, really support S's preference for KP over USCGA, but I have to admit, I wouldn't have to worry about him getting enough to eat at USCGA . . . .
 
My biggest concern is pretty basic: is he going to get enough to eat? He's got a Body Mass Index of 19 right now - not an ounce of fat on him. He can't afford to drop 20 pounds because he's not getting enough to eat to offset all the physical activity.

Will your son loose weight? Probably during Indoc, but that's because everybody does....

Will he have plenty to eat? Yes, there is plenty of food available. Breakfast and dinner are self serve so you can go back as many times as you wanted. Lunch is "family style" and although not always super tasty there is always a salad bar and other "stuff" you can eat.

As to the waterfront you shouldn't have to worry about it too much, it is funded by the alumni for the most part and therefore will ALWAYS have funding. You will be amazed at the alumni support for this school....if things start going downhill the alumni will be informed and you would be amazed at the amount of money that can be infused quickly.

You have to remember with graduates making about 10 grand a month the day after graduation (potentially, I did two weeks after) there are plenty of liquid assets to go around
 
Thank you for the reassurance, kp2001, especially about the alumni support. That means a lot.

I do expect him to lose weight during Indoc because it's, well, Indoc!

It's just that I've heard stories of food enough for 8 being served to tables of 10 - that sort of thing.

Do plebes not have access to supplemental food sources?
 
It's just that I've heard stories of food enough for 8 being served to tables of 10 - that sort of thing.

Do plebes not have access to supplemental food sources?

I have heard those rumors as well; however, I would be that if you actually looked at "correct" portion sizes that the servings actually are for 10 people. The other thing to consider is that at least in my times you could always send your plebes back for more food at lunch if seconds were desired. (Always on chicken nugget, wing, ceasar salad days!)

As to supplemental food: this is a bit more tricky. The cafeteria is only open during meals, there is the Seafarer but it's access to plebes is limited (but let me tell you they make a mean breakfast sandwich). There is also food to be purchased at the NEX, but per regs plebes aren't supposed to store food in their room (but those kind of rules are meant to be bent, what really is the definition of store :) ). In reality they can order out if they are friends with an upperclass who will hook them up. If your child is involved in waterfront there would be plenty of upperclass and locations to partake in such nefarious activity :)

I think the real problem is the definition of "portion size" to almost everybody in America. If people really sat down to a meal of correct portion size they would be amazed at how small it may look to them.
 
Only negative

If food is the only negative that people have then what is the problem??!!! My daughter at UMD had the same issue. Food is important but our kids are entering a SA to serve. We need to keep it all in perspective. Opportunities and choices are abundant after graduation from KP. To me that is what is most important.
 
I think the reason are concerned about food is that it can be a sign of "other things" that go on at a school. If a place is having trouble feeding its students then how do they fund their extracurriculars for example.

Remember the big bruhaha from the Naval Academy within the past two years? Food = very visible subject.
 
I certainly don't expect my son to be served gourmet meals at KP (or anywhere else). I remember my own college days and the fare served in the dining hall, so I think I'm realistic about this. What I can't countenance so easily is the thought that he might actually go hungry. Somehow, I don't think hunger is supposed to be part of entering a SA to serve.

Again, thanks kp2001, for easing my mind.
 
I have a Mid who says he only goes hungry on days when the "brown meat" looks like rare dog parts with gravy & the roasted potatoes are still raw in the middle. Gotta love Delano! LOL

Truly, Plebes love those "boodle" boxes from family members with snack food (beef jerky, peanut butter with a box of crackers & plastic knife, gold fish, power bars, ect) . They delight in trying to find new and inventive hiding places for this stuff as they really aren't supposed to have it. Picture bags of M&Ms in all the air conditioner vents. I sent weekly boxes during that first year to keep mine from burning down the place. :rolleyes:

When Indoc goes on & shortly thereafter, those kids are burning some serious calories. They watch for too much weight loss during that period. Also, some kids going in have a problem with just eating the 3 meals a day if they were in the habit of being huge snackers. No runnin' to the frig at midnight for that left over pizza.
 
Yes, I've heard complaints from my plebe daughter about some cuts. Of course, she complains about everything. She hates the food at Delano. But she's not starving. Plebes are usually allowed a certain amount of "healthy" food in their rooms. They got together and ordered Power Bars as a group. She also liked having peanut butter in the room. Lately, she keeps a stash of instant oatmeal and instant soup for when she has to miss a meal, or just gets hungry. And there are always the stashes of goodies. I've heard some creative and interesting hiding places.

My daughter doesn't "love" KP yet. I rather doubt that many plebes do. But it is absolutely the place she belongs and she couldn't imagine being anywhere else. When she visits, she talks constantly about the people. The ties they are forming are incredible! She has grown and changed SOOOO much. She does not regret her choice. I asked her about being a female there after the thread on the other forum first appeared. I was told in no uncertain terms that as far as she was concerned, it was a non-issue. She had to earn respect. Being able to excel physically helped. I think that the girls who don't get respect from the guys are the same ones the girls don't respect.

There have been a number of scares over funding recently. KP is in the middle of a big change. Change is scary. It's going to take time for things to settle down.

So take the negative posts with a handful of grains of salt. KP is not for everybody. But it strikes this momma as a pretty amazing place, full of some pretty amazing young people!
 
Thanks to all for your replies, at this point there isn't anything that would change my sons mind about going, he has his heart set on it. I was just curious and wanting some opinions, and I knew all of you would come through for me! My son is a really picky eater, so the food thing is going to be a challenge for him either way. From what I understand I can start sending the food boxes after indoc right? As long as he has peanut butter he can survive anything.:shake:
 
PB&J was a staple at CGA.....any time you didn't like the meal..."Pass the PB&J." I don't remember saying that much as a Swab, but once I was a 3/c...every now and then.
 
PB&J was a staple at CGA.....any time you didn't like the meal..."Pass the PB&J." I don't remember saying that much as a Swab, but once I was a 3/c...every now and then.

haha the makeings for the meal lol i remember that from AIM this summer. Some of my shipmates lived on it all week lol
 
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