Morale boosters for the midshipmen

This topic was discussed at the KP Parents meeting with the Commandant. The parents already do a litany of events to boast morale for the mids. This was a meeting where the Commandant shared his thoughts as to what the Academy could do to boast morale - such as resurrect intramurals, provide a movie night, etc. The parents were listening and making some constructive suggestions - nobody was demanding anything. BTW the Commandant told us that his entire budget is $ 68,000 - not much to bring some activities to the campus. We just told him that we would support any of his efforts and would be willing to provide any help we could. We never got the sense from him that we were "interfering".

One note: the Commandant gave the parents a heartfelt "Thank You" for all the support given to the May and Cowden families - dinners, lodging, etc. He was truly grateful for the help and support for these midshipmen families.
 
Recreation Suggestions

Finally got a chance to ask my DS for suggestions, & the need to get away
from the books and get on the water in a non-team situation was one answer.
Evidently there used to be a Recreational Sailing Program where you could
check out a Dinghy & play on the water. The boats are already there.
Another is more use of the firing range. They are already checked out on
safety. Should trust them to use this resource also.
 
Morale builders for KP Midshipmen

"Letting Go" is probably the hardest thing for parents to do since ms/d was born, and their anxiety follows their midshipman to school, but I think you are right about sending cookies instead of politics to support your cadet. Perhaps this time at KP dealing with the real world for the first time in their lives is also the most important time for parents to practice self-control and restraint regarding their own participation in their child's life. Your son/daughter needs time and space to work things out using their own resources. If you can let them do that, they will have the chance they need to become responsible adults. When I was 17 I went into the U.S. Navy, and it was the beginning of the rest of my life; a great experience far from home (where parents could not go), and where I learned how to make my way in the world.
 
Finally an answer with ideas from a student

Finally got a chance to ask my DS for suggestions, & the need to get away
from the books and get on the water in a non-team situation was one answer.
Evidently there used to be a Recreational Sailing Program where you could
check out a Dinghy & play on the water. The boats are already there.
Another is more use of the firing range. They are already checked out on
safety. Should trust them to use this resource also.

Good suggestions that will be passed along.

This is POSITIVE input. This was opened as a brainstorming session. That means that people throw in ideas and no one is suppose to criticize. Creativity and ideas develop when people are free from criticisms and can state their ideas. From this there can be many worthwhile new suggestions.

This is not about parents hovering. Part of the purpose and goal of KP is to develop mature, independent adults. Parents' groups are working symbiotically with the Commandant to develop ideas for helping morale. The Commandant is open and has asked for ideas (refer to KPBASEBALLMOM). This is like a company of adults who are looking for ways to improve the morale at work.

Thanks NC Raider, you got the purpose of this thread. This suggestion will be passed along. Any more positive, creative ideas to help the adult students at Kings Point? Students on the inside are best qualified to give input.
 
Ask Alumni

As I continue to read this thread, I think a group of individuals who should be asked this question are the alumni. I say this because there are a lot of traditions that have went away due to an influx of administrators who had no background at the Academy.

So these were great moral boosters when I was there,
Intramurals- we had a great intramural program every quarter. Winning intramural teams would win an intramural belt buckle that was authorized to be worn in lieu of the brass belt buckle.
Midshipman Talent show twice a year held in Ackerman.
Wed Movie night in Ackerman. We were able to get on MWR movie rotation.
RBU - Regimental Broad Casting Unit. On the upper level of Delano was the RBU. They would play music requested by midshipman during lunch and dinner. However this was stopped by Tommy T. The RBU did receive the latest music from record companies as they were a recognized college radio station.
Thursday Night was steak night, not a big deal but a good morale booster.
Twice a month was ice cream sundae night. They would roll out a cart of 5 gal ice plus all the fixings.
Once a month was lobster night. Midshipman would get a ticket for lobster. The funniest stuff was those that didn't eat lobster would give it to our buddies and we would see who could eat the most.
Super bowl Sunday would be super bowl party in Delano (No alcohol) but we would have wings and nachos.
After the Christmas party we would light the smoking lamp and everyone would light up a cigar or pipe. Yes that was even after the rule of government of no smoking in government buildings.
Twice a year we would have a comedy show in Ackerman.
These were some great morale boosters back in the day.

Finally I would say have an alumni night once a trimester. Invite alumni from the industry to come in and talk with midshipman in a low key atmosphere.
 
My ms (2014) came to KP as a high school sailor, and would like to be able to take a boat out by himself or with a fellow midshipman without having to join the Varsity, so yes, recreational sailing would be great.

Second good idea he says is intramural sports; competition between companies would be great. Playing soccer was his greatest sports pleasure in high school.
 
that's great stuff, will pass it on

I read your list to my husband and he was smiling as he told me he remembers those things and they made a difference.

Will pass on your list. Revival of some of the good stuff should help the morale now as it did then. Thanks very much!!
 
One more things I'd like to add.

On the last day of classes before finals we would have optional T-Shirt and Hat day. It was a great morale booster. Everyone would show up to lunch muster in the most crazy shirt they had and the most unusual/crazy hat they had. We would all march in to lunch and enjoy having fun. After lunch we would change back into UOD. Those lunches bring back very happy memories.
 
More great ideas that are being passed along

tgregg Your good suggestions have been added to the list being passed along.

Tankercaptain, I'm adding your suggestion of the T-shirt and hat day, sounds like a fun day.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to give great brainstorming ideas. They are very helpful and positive ideas. I hope many of them are implimented.
 
Deploy them

Best way to improve moral at KP. Send them to the desert for 30 days. Living in a tent, eating MREs and 130 degree heat wearing kevlar vest. They will be begging to return to the best dorms they have ever had. Sending them out on a union ship with steak and lobster, no wonder they complain about Delano when they return.

I just got back in the AC an hour ago after a bunker dive, it is only 110 out so we arent complaining.

Just sayin...
 
What's your problem

Best way to improve moral at KP. Send them to the desert for 30 days. Living in a tent, eating MREs and 130 degree heat wearing kevlar vest. They will be begging to return to the best dorms they have ever had. Sending them out on a union ship with steak and lobster, no wonder they complain about Delano when they return.

I just got back in the AC an hour ago after a bunker dive, it is only 110 out so we arent complaining.

Just sayin...

Bugsy

Serious what's your problem. We are talking about college kids, I guess you forget what it's like to be a college kid especially since you were ROTC and went to a normal civilian college.

But if you want to sit here compare who's bigger, let's remember that we again are talking about college kids. But let's see who in college goes into a war zone. Or who had a friend die at sea aboard a ship falling in a cargo hold splitting his head open and then when you get back from your second sea year attending your buddies funeral. Or standing pirate watch in Brazil or the Red Sea. Or having long shoremen fall to their death aboard ship and testifying in foreign court about these deaths. Or injuries aboard ship during sea year like busted jaws, broken hands, broken ribs, legs, arms or cracked skulls. Or having your sea partner trapped under 500 lbs of sheet metal against a boiler as he suffers third degree burns to his back.
Or the WWII grads as cadets that sat in lifeboats after being sunk by subs, or watched their classmates names be put on the board in Delano when they died or the Vietnam grads that as cadets sat on ships with rocket propelled grenades be launched at them or bullets pinging of the hull.
And again as today's cadets that stand pirate watch off Djibouti in the Red Sea or sail in to Iraq or Karachi. Or sail off the coast of Singapore and again stand pirate watch. Or the countless myriad of other things that happen to students during their sea year that no other college student gets to experience especially ROTC college students.
So I suggest as some AF O-6 go enjoy your golf course and your on base housing allow those of us who want to make Kings Point a better place make it a better place and stop trying to brag about yourself.
 
- I had forgotten about T-shirt and hat day. Makes me chuckle just thinking about it.
- I was there when Tommy T. got rid of the RBU ... a huge morale killer!
- The comedy shows and the hypnotists where always a big event, Ackerman was packed every time.
- I can't believe they don't have recreational sailing anymore! When did that go away?

Do they still do boards day? These are the part of the traditions that make KP what it is.

100% agree on alumni nights. More about career paths and not specific companies. Let them see the power of the education they are working towards. When you are a M/N, there isn’t much to give you a sense of your post-graduation world. Sea year only gives you a taste of one type of lifestyle and frankly the percentage of KPers sailing deep sea is pretty small. Its a good opportunity to network with alumni for the 1/C and it can refresh the spirit for the 2/C and 3/C. The mid-years can be like the “dark ages” or “doldrums”. You are in and out so much on sea year, you’re invested enough to stay but don’t yet see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not yet “real”. It’s not necessarily easy to understand why it’s even worth it to stay.
 
Bugsy, thanks for reminding us about being deployed:

To all alumni and family who know a Kings Pointer who is deployed:

Cookie Cafe wants to send a morale booster to them also. We would like to send any deployed Kings Pointer a box of cookies as a reminder that we appreciate what they are doing for all of us back home and that they are not forgotten at Kings Point. All APO/FPO addresses can be passed along through the Cookie Cafe website.

Also any picture of the deployed Kings Pointer would also be great as it can be posted at Cookie Cafe for all the mids to see - and a reminder to them that yes, they have much to be grateful for and that they are now a part of a wonderful tradition of service to our country - which is a morale booster for them too!!
 
As I continue to read this thread, I think a group of individuals who should be asked this question are the alumni. I say this because there are a lot of traditions that have went away due to an influx of administrators who had no background at the Academy.

So these were great moral boosters when I was there,
Intramurals- we had a great intramural program every quarter. Winning intramural teams would win an intramural belt buckle that was authorized to be worn in lieu of the brass belt buckle.
Midshipman Talent show twice a year held in Ackerman.
Wed Movie night in Ackerman. We were able to get on MWR movie rotation.
RBU - Regimental Broad Casting Unit. On the upper level of Delano was the RBU. They would play music requested by midshipman during lunch and dinner. However this was stopped by Tommy T. The RBU did receive the latest music from record companies as they were a recognized college radio station.
Thursday Night was steak night, not a big deal but a good morale booster.
Twice a month was ice cream sundae night. They would roll out a cart of 5 gal ice plus all the fixings.
Once a month was lobster night. Midshipman would get a ticket for lobster. The funniest stuff was those that didn't eat lobster would give it to our buddies and we would see who could eat the most.
Super bowl Sunday would be super bowl party in Delano (No alcohol) but we would have wings and nachos.
After the Christmas party we would light the smoking lamp and everyone would light up a cigar or pipe. Yes that was even after the rule of government of no smoking in government buildings.
Twice a year we would have a comedy show in Ackerman.
These were some great morale boosters back in the day.

Finally I would say have an alumni night once a trimester. Invite alumni from the industry to come in and talk with midshipman in a low key atmosphere.

I see that you rectified the omission of Optional Hat Day. I do recall lighting the smoking lamp. We would all go out days (or more) before to find that right cigar. They don't do intramurals anymore? I didn't do too many because of other commitments, but I did do football one year. Having George Paterno as a coach was pretty cool. No RBU? I guess they won't play that infamous Animals song, then. To this day, Thursday is steak night at my house. I also recall that non-destructive pranks were not entirely discouraged so as to create class spirit. I guess the favorite from my time was the aiming of the cannon at Wiley Hall for colors one morning. . . .
 
Still brainstorming

Brainstorming stays on topic and there are no criticisms of suggestions. That is where the creativity comes.

I want to salute bugsy for his/her sacrifices and say we really appreciate what you are doing!! I want to applaud Tankercaptain for all the hardships while sailing. Both of these areas will be experienced soon enough by the midshipmen, and some cadets during their sailing time have experienced some things already.

BUT WE ARE OFF TOPIC, WE ARE BRAINSTORMING WHAT COULD HELP THE MORALE OF THE MIDS AT KP.

KPEngineer has a good comment:
100% agree on alumni nights. More about career paths and not specific companies. Let them see the power of the education they are working towards. When you are a M/N, there isn’t much to give you a sense of your post-graduation world. Sea year only gives you a taste of one type of lifestyle and frankly the percentage of KPers sailing deep sea is pretty small. Its a good opportunity to network with alumni for the 1/C and it can refresh the spirit for the 2/C and 3/C. The mid-years can be like the “dark ages” or “doldrums”. You are in and out so much on sea year, you’re invested enough to stay but don’t yet see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not yet “real”. It’s not necessarily easy to understand why it’s even worth it to stay.

Will pass this along also. Keep the suggestions coming.
 
After reading this thread, I have an observation, it's like one side is "liberal", and one side is "conservative" and NOBODY is in the middle.

Let's consider some hard facts first:
1) "Morale" is a very subjective term. Hence boosting it, would be difficult depending on interpretation.

2) There is no shortage of moms/dads who think this journey is about how much they can impact their child, and how many pats on the back they can get.

3) Despite it's top notch education and career preparation, the school lacks some benefits of it's service academy counterparts; namely recreational activities. Granted, the school is not chosen for that, but neither is West Point, Annapolis, or AFA.

4) 2013 has had 3-4 superintendents and commandants, so leadership has been in flux. This leads to uncertainty amongst the regiment.

5) Much needed capital improvements are finally underway, but one of the finest schools in the country does have not have wifi on campus in the 21st century. You cannot even take your laptop to the waterfront in nice weather and do homework!

For those of us (myself included) who have some ideas on supporting the mids, there is no need to attack with the "suffer through it" speech. I certainly get that. The goal is NOT to have the regiment walking around campus with smiles all day thinking, "what a fun place this is, I enjoy the experience sooo much".
The goal is to think of some events, activities, etc., that allows them to decompress on occasion from the daily grind. We are not talking about a lolipop, and a cookie every now and then, though cookie cafe is quite popular.

Everyone needs occasional decompression and KP Mids are no different.
 
I don't know if they still allow it, but when I attended, we had various clubs (Fine Arts, Outdoorsmen, etc.) and we would get funding for transportation to events in the area or for food and transportation. One thing that we would do annually was a canoe trip down the Delaware to the Water Gap over the long Memorial Day weekend. We were able to get food and vans for the trip, and may even have had some money for the canoe rental. I don't recall. We DID have to buy our own adult beverages, though.
 
Lunch and learns

Once a week we would have a lunch and learn. Members of different religious groups could get together and have lunch, meetings and discussions. The jewish midshipman would get together, the chapel would have a local rabbi come in and we discuss any topics and anything else to meet our religious needs. It was a great way for us to get together because normally we were all too busy doing other things to get together.
 
I think the issues involving the leadership and material condition of the school are not going to be solved here. We can talk about them, but aren’t going to solve them here. They are also the type of issues that even if the administration is addressing as fast as the typical machinations of the federal government allows, most current M/N aren’t going to see much difference in during their school careers. Those are the type of issues that a M/N really has no control over and that is when I give my “suffer through it” speech.

So where CAN we have an impact on morale? It is those areas that grant that occasional decompression, although I would suggest the need is frequent and not just occasional. I never really felt like we were suffering from a lack of recreational activities. Aside from those already mentioned here we made frequent use of the pools, racquetball courts, gymnasium, bowling alley, waterfront, spirit missions, running through Kings Point Park and trips to NYC as part of the “culture club” I think it was called and free admission to Mets and Yankee games. When you add in other extracurriculars like student government, Hear This, MIDSHIPS, social clubs, intramural sports, team sports and regimental type activities there really is no end of things to do. We were only limited by our imaginations and desire to get off the proverbial couch.

Lastly … Why are we having this conversation with the administration via parents? Where are the current M/N? They are the biggest stakeholders in this since it is after all their sanity (both individual and collective) at stake. Are any of them here? Let’s hear what they have to say. I am always happy to share my thoughts and experiences with them, that is how I choose to give back. As I’ve said to a couple people who have PMed me here … my door is always open.
 
Best way to improve moral at KP. Send them to the desert for 30 days. Living in a tent, eating MREs and 130 degree heat wearing kevlar vest. They will be begging to return to the best dorms they have ever had. Sending them out on a union ship with steak and lobster, no wonder they complain about Delano when they return.

I just got back in the AC an hour ago after a bunker dive, it is only 110 out so we arent complaining.

Just sayin...

"With all due respect" ...

You obviously know very little of which you are speaking and your post is barely even germane to this conversation. I suggest that getting someone else sharing your personal misery would serve no real purpose.

It’s hard to take you seriously when you use neither proper spelling (its morale, not moral) or grammar.

Try working in an E/R during an equatorial summer sucking down salt pills like candy … 130 would have been downright comfy.

KP Cadets DO Deploy! We are in fact the ONLY service academy to have our OWN battle standard instead of the rest of them who bask in the reflected glory earned by their respective service. We bought our own, paid for with the blood of our classmates.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top