- Joined
- Jul 25, 2009
- Messages
- 1,027
Wow...Once Again I Find Myself Amazed at Reactions, etc. here...
First let me say that as Mary Jane Fuschetto noted the $150.00 fee which is basically a per person price with under 15 being free and over 65 also being free, is a good deal all things considered - no issues there.
That said her comments and note includes a couple of things for all parents to think about:
1) "If enough money is not generated to provide the services for NEXT year's Parents Weekend and Acceptance Day, that will probably mean that next year there will be no Parents Weekend. There will simply be an Acceptance Day Parade and nothing else. We think most parents would hate to see that happen. So we are trying to provide the best services, at a reasonable price so that Parents Weekend can continue, even without any funding from MARAD or the Academy."
I know my reaction to this statement and my further comments on this topic will likely NOT be popular or shared by many but the tone of this statement reflects and portrays a perspective that compels me to voice an alternative perspective on a number of implied points.
First I've said this before and I'll say it again - there are NO new "laws" here that are coming into play MARAD and the Academy, which is part of MARAD, should NEVER have borne the costs of "Parent's Weekend". Frankly I wonder how the Academy is even allowed to continue to provide a person with the title is "Parents Program Director" on the Government's Payroll - given the Mission of the Academy is mute on the role of Parents and there is no funded "Parent's Program". To be clear I have nothing against any of this but all these parent related activities and communications and the support of them should never have been and are no longer in any way funded by the US Government, nor should they be. Think of it in any number of ways and I'll give you two logical perspectives that I think are analogous and apply directly here. 1) Your son or daughter enlists in any branch of the military, at the end of their initial training/boot camp what other than a basic parade and graduation ceremony is it that you go to and attend - hey that looks a lot like the so called "Acceptance Day Parade" - further if any sort of coffee o refreshments are provided I'd bet they are provided NOT by the Government but by organizations like the USO, etc. or 2) Your son or daughter goes to a regular college or University, on a full scholarship, Academic, Athletic, or otherwise. They have some sort of "Parent's/Family Weekend" - you want to go so you do. The access to the class rooms, etc which are provided are basically free of charge but they span the morning and afternoon with a break for lunch. I bet when you go to the cafeteria, they charge you for the food, etc. - in other words "no free lunch" is provided, you aren't given a voucher because the school felt your kid is worthy of a free education, but you're hungry so you pay the price and eat. Further I bet if there are tents, etc. for shade, they are provided by various "booster clubs, etc. that try and use the opportunity to at least get you to join and donate to their "cause" - if they don't also outright charge for this whole thing.
Item 2, and this is particularly interesting to me - both as an Alumni and a Parent. The fact is the prior funding of parent's weekend that was provided by "the Academy" came the following route. As noted on the National Parents Page: "In the past Parent Weekend prices were lower because the Superintendent was able to subsidize the cost of the weekend, which money is no longer available." The funds the Superintendent provided came from an account which he had discretion over for the purposes of morale and welfare of midshipmen, etc. Upon review of numerous practices by both the GAO and the Department of Transportation Inspector General, there were issues with both how this and similar accounts were "funded/resourced" as well as how they were managed and their expenditure accounted for - legal requirements that every Federal Employee who has the ability to expend funds must follow. As such in response to these noted issues, many practices, etc were changed. Since I don't see people running to make sure the $6,000,000.00, in previously "improperly" collected Midshipman Activity Fees, in the GFY 2011 budget that will be refunded to midshipmen (another result of the reviews and corrective actions put in place) that funded parts of these sorts of items assuming the budget as currently in process of being enacted, are in some, way, shape or form made fully available back to "the Academy" and the current regiment of Midshipmen; nor do I see anyone screaming about how they do NOT agree with or like the now lowered midshipmen activities fees, either we as parent or our current midshipmen are remitting, I'll assume there are at least some aspects of the results of those reviews and actions we all might like and agree with. That said since the last time I checked, as my own father used to say "Money doesn't grow on trees, at least not around here..." the money to pay for these things has to come from some place. The interesting part of the Mrs Fuschetto's statements/note back to KP2001 to me is really this part: "And if we could give this event planning and expense back to the Academy, we would be delighted to do so! Unfortunately, under the new MARAD laws, that would mean that there would be no Parents Weekend at all." To me this statement is just wrong - a) The majority of the funding for the weekend that the Superintendent provided came from two places: a) a portion of the Midshipmen Activities Fees through a manner and route that was determined to be improper for a number of reasons, some of which are statutorily based,. and b) From a portion of the annual gifts) that the USMMA Foundation (which is primarily the Alumni) provided to the Academy for such purposes. So basically, "the Academy" really never did pay for most of Parent's Weekend, the Superintendent was just using what amounted to a fund that did not have all the legally required oversight on it, that he collected from midshipmen in the form of a portion of the Activity Fee to give the money back in the form of a service that is not directly supportive of the mission the Academy is chartered to perform for the Federal Government and ALL taxpayers (not just the current students and their parents. Basically, the lesson here is you can't get "nothing for nothing - nowhere" - now you just know what you are paying for, and can directly decide if you want to do so if you are a parent or current family member and in the case of the USMMA Foundation or any other properly/legally chartered 5013C, they have to make more discrete gifting decisions with regard to these particular types of events and activities.
The USMMA Foundation is an in place 5013C corporation whose purpose is to support the Academy and the Regiment of Midshipmen. Your donations to it are tax deductible and annually the Foundation supports numerous aspects of a Midshipman's life that are not funded or supported by the Federal Government. This is basically the same as the situation at EVERY Federal Academy. All the Service Academies have Foundations that support various aspects of their athletic and extra-curricular programs as the Federal Government cannot, does not, and should not pay for such things. There are indeed some subtle differences and they need to be and are being addressed but these things are governed by Federal Law. Now as much or more than ever it is tantamount that all the organizations who are interested supporters of the Academy work together and also accept that not everything that was done in the past can or should continue to be done the way they were. Further there are things on the Parent's Page that really ought to be carefully thought through and the Parents Association should seek to expand their relationship, work closer with, and follow the lead of the USMMA Foundation just as the local Alumni Chapter President's Alliance is doing with regard to fund-raising and legislative affairs. That's why in the past I have urged and I continue to urge ALL Friends of the USMMA - Alumni, Parents, and Industry - to work with and through the USMMA Foundation and to give annually to it.
First let me say that as Mary Jane Fuschetto noted the $150.00 fee which is basically a per person price with under 15 being free and over 65 also being free, is a good deal all things considered - no issues there.
That said her comments and note includes a couple of things for all parents to think about:
1) "If enough money is not generated to provide the services for NEXT year's Parents Weekend and Acceptance Day, that will probably mean that next year there will be no Parents Weekend. There will simply be an Acceptance Day Parade and nothing else. We think most parents would hate to see that happen. So we are trying to provide the best services, at a reasonable price so that Parents Weekend can continue, even without any funding from MARAD or the Academy."
I know my reaction to this statement and my further comments on this topic will likely NOT be popular or shared by many but the tone of this statement reflects and portrays a perspective that compels me to voice an alternative perspective on a number of implied points.
First I've said this before and I'll say it again - there are NO new "laws" here that are coming into play MARAD and the Academy, which is part of MARAD, should NEVER have borne the costs of "Parent's Weekend". Frankly I wonder how the Academy is even allowed to continue to provide a person with the title is "Parents Program Director" on the Government's Payroll - given the Mission of the Academy is mute on the role of Parents and there is no funded "Parent's Program". To be clear I have nothing against any of this but all these parent related activities and communications and the support of them should never have been and are no longer in any way funded by the US Government, nor should they be. Think of it in any number of ways and I'll give you two logical perspectives that I think are analogous and apply directly here. 1) Your son or daughter enlists in any branch of the military, at the end of their initial training/boot camp what other than a basic parade and graduation ceremony is it that you go to and attend - hey that looks a lot like the so called "Acceptance Day Parade" - further if any sort of coffee o refreshments are provided I'd bet they are provided NOT by the Government but by organizations like the USO, etc. or 2) Your son or daughter goes to a regular college or University, on a full scholarship, Academic, Athletic, or otherwise. They have some sort of "Parent's/Family Weekend" - you want to go so you do. The access to the class rooms, etc which are provided are basically free of charge but they span the morning and afternoon with a break for lunch. I bet when you go to the cafeteria, they charge you for the food, etc. - in other words "no free lunch" is provided, you aren't given a voucher because the school felt your kid is worthy of a free education, but you're hungry so you pay the price and eat. Further I bet if there are tents, etc. for shade, they are provided by various "booster clubs, etc. that try and use the opportunity to at least get you to join and donate to their "cause" - if they don't also outright charge for this whole thing.
Item 2, and this is particularly interesting to me - both as an Alumni and a Parent. The fact is the prior funding of parent's weekend that was provided by "the Academy" came the following route. As noted on the National Parents Page: "In the past Parent Weekend prices were lower because the Superintendent was able to subsidize the cost of the weekend, which money is no longer available." The funds the Superintendent provided came from an account which he had discretion over for the purposes of morale and welfare of midshipmen, etc. Upon review of numerous practices by both the GAO and the Department of Transportation Inspector General, there were issues with both how this and similar accounts were "funded/resourced" as well as how they were managed and their expenditure accounted for - legal requirements that every Federal Employee who has the ability to expend funds must follow. As such in response to these noted issues, many practices, etc were changed. Since I don't see people running to make sure the $6,000,000.00, in previously "improperly" collected Midshipman Activity Fees, in the GFY 2011 budget that will be refunded to midshipmen (another result of the reviews and corrective actions put in place) that funded parts of these sorts of items assuming the budget as currently in process of being enacted, are in some, way, shape or form made fully available back to "the Academy" and the current regiment of Midshipmen; nor do I see anyone screaming about how they do NOT agree with or like the now lowered midshipmen activities fees, either we as parent or our current midshipmen are remitting, I'll assume there are at least some aspects of the results of those reviews and actions we all might like and agree with. That said since the last time I checked, as my own father used to say "Money doesn't grow on trees, at least not around here..." the money to pay for these things has to come from some place. The interesting part of the Mrs Fuschetto's statements/note back to KP2001 to me is really this part: "And if we could give this event planning and expense back to the Academy, we would be delighted to do so! Unfortunately, under the new MARAD laws, that would mean that there would be no Parents Weekend at all." To me this statement is just wrong - a) The majority of the funding for the weekend that the Superintendent provided came from two places: a) a portion of the Midshipmen Activities Fees through a manner and route that was determined to be improper for a number of reasons, some of which are statutorily based,. and b) From a portion of the annual gifts) that the USMMA Foundation (which is primarily the Alumni) provided to the Academy for such purposes. So basically, "the Academy" really never did pay for most of Parent's Weekend, the Superintendent was just using what amounted to a fund that did not have all the legally required oversight on it, that he collected from midshipmen in the form of a portion of the Activity Fee to give the money back in the form of a service that is not directly supportive of the mission the Academy is chartered to perform for the Federal Government and ALL taxpayers (not just the current students and their parents. Basically, the lesson here is you can't get "nothing for nothing - nowhere" - now you just know what you are paying for, and can directly decide if you want to do so if you are a parent or current family member and in the case of the USMMA Foundation or any other properly/legally chartered 5013C, they have to make more discrete gifting decisions with regard to these particular types of events and activities.
The USMMA Foundation is an in place 5013C corporation whose purpose is to support the Academy and the Regiment of Midshipmen. Your donations to it are tax deductible and annually the Foundation supports numerous aspects of a Midshipman's life that are not funded or supported by the Federal Government. This is basically the same as the situation at EVERY Federal Academy. All the Service Academies have Foundations that support various aspects of their athletic and extra-curricular programs as the Federal Government cannot, does not, and should not pay for such things. There are indeed some subtle differences and they need to be and are being addressed but these things are governed by Federal Law. Now as much or more than ever it is tantamount that all the organizations who are interested supporters of the Academy work together and also accept that not everything that was done in the past can or should continue to be done the way they were. Further there are things on the Parent's Page that really ought to be carefully thought through and the Parents Association should seek to expand their relationship, work closer with, and follow the lead of the USMMA Foundation just as the local Alumni Chapter President's Alliance is doing with regard to fund-raising and legislative affairs. That's why in the past I have urged and I continue to urge ALL Friends of the USMMA - Alumni, Parents, and Industry - to work with and through the USMMA Foundation and to give annually to it.
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