Unofficial Plebe Sponsors

Dolphins2012

Dolphins2012

10-Year Member
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May 2, 2011
Messages
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It turns out that my DS' mother is friends with married couple who recently relocated to Annapolis. I assume that the plebe sponsor program is for plebes who really have nowhere else to go in Annapolis, and that plebes that have family or friends there may visit them just as other plebes may spend time at their sponsor's home. Is this the case, or can plebes only visit official sponsors' homes? When do these visits occur, i.e. only during regular liberty?
Thanks in advance!
 
We are an official sponsor to our plebe right now. The answer to your question is no, the Mids can go wherever they like whenever they have liberty which is typically on Saturday (8-12), an overnight (Saturday-Sunday), or just Sunday (8-6). Again, this all depends on what class they are, when they have to be back for formation, when they may have watch, etc. But other than that, they may go wherever they like which does not necessarily mean they have to go to their "official sponsors" every weekend
 
A plebe is not required to go to their sponsors. When I was a Mid they gave a guideline that it was polite to try and visit them once a month. I am not sure what guidance they give today, but I am sure there is some website somewhere. Some Plebes will sepnd a lot of time at their sponsors, some none. It is all personality dependent upon the Plebe and the family. Plebes will end up being "adopted" by other sponsor families because of team mates, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends. I had amazing sponsors when I was there, but also spent a great deal of time with other sponsor families of my team mates and friends. Visits occur when Plebes have town liberty. Some Mids will become very close to their sponsors and their families will become close friends. Every relationship is different.

Dolphins, your friends can become official sponsors if they meet the guidelines set forth by the Academy. Have they thought out doing this? They can then request your son and he can request them. 99% of the time these requests are matched. Just a thought.
 
USNA Sponsor Program Application

Here's the USNA Sponsor Program website, with online app. I just updated ours for 2016. Easily done.

http://www.usna.edu/Sponsor/index.htm

There is a space to request a specific plebe, no requirement to take others. The match usually works like a charm if prospective sponsor requests specific plebe, AND that plebe also requests that sponsor. I don't recall when plebe has to pony up the info, whether on I-Day or later, but it's something to equip the plebe with, in terms of info. It also allows the sponsor who does not have DOD base access privileges to get a FONA (Friend of the Naval Academy) pass to drive on the Yard and collect the plebe. Very convenient in bad weather.

The comments by other posters are accurate, but a plebe should be aware of who he or she is allowed to ride in a vehicle with, and how far away from the Yard they can go. They will get briefed on this.

The official sponsors of record are the ones who are on a call list in case of some emergency recall. It also makes life easier for unique circumstances, for example, such as a sponsor son of ours who needed some post-op recovery time, and USNA was just fine with letting him stay at our house for a few days when he wouldn't normally have had town liberty.

Plebes figure it all out, what combination of off-Yard activities, sponsors and places to go works for them.
 
Does Plebe have overnight liberty? For example, can they go to someone's home(ie sponsors and relatives) during the long weekend? My DS#2 is going to be USNA class of 2016. My DS#1 might live in Bethesda for one year, MD after graduating from college and I thought it will be great if my DS#2 can visit my DS#1 as we live in California (far away).
Thanks
 
Overnight liberties are rare for plebes, and usually granted at the last minute after an unusually good event - say, a big win over Army, or something like that. They may be able to earn an overnight other ways, but much varies by internal company practice and interpretation of overnight/weekend guidelines. Factor in any changes of Superintendent, Commandant, or Company Officer, and what happens this coming year could well be different from this year, last year, or or any other year. Nature of the beast.

First semester, hard to plan for. Sometimes they occur after football games, and we end up with a lot of extra bunkers because it's too far/too sudden to get to other places - and quite often they need to get back in the AM for chapel group/choir, or just want to get started on the homework hanging over their heads, the company boards they have to complete, the pro knowledge quiz they have to study for, the room inspection they have to strip and wax the deck for, the watch they offered to take for someone else...

Second semester and succeeding years are much easier to figure out when an overnight or a weekend is possible.

Trust your plebe to soon figure out how the prized overnight away from Bancroft works. DS#2 will soon find his sea legs, know how to tell DS#1 to come rescue him.
 
We are parents of a current plebe - the liberty schedule is not quite as generous as previously posted. Each Saturday plebes have mandatory Saturday Morning Training (SMT), and are not released until noon. After that, they are free until midnight (unless they have the watch, etc.). Sunday afternoons plebes must stay on the yard, unless an overnight for the previous night had been awarded, in which case they must be back by 6:00pm Sunday evening. On a side note, plebes are allowed to leave the yard on Sunday mornings to attend church services in town, but must return right afterwards unless an overnight had been granted.

This year, overnights were granted for each win at a home football game, as well as occasionally (rarely) for groups of plebes who were "voluntold" to attend a particular lecture or sporting event during the week. When granted, overnights come with very little advanced notice, but it doesn't seem to matter - plebes are thrilled regardless!

Our plebe was assigned a sponsor family through the program, but meanwhile has connected with another family (Navy connection who was stationed with my dad/his grandfather many years ago) in the Annapolis area. This couple has been wonderful, and they joined the sponsor program and were assigned to our son as "secondary sponsors", so he's able to ride with them, etc.

Hope this helps!
 
Plebes that are a member of the Company's "Color Squad," are eligible for a weekend during their spring semester. So essentially 2-3 plebes per company will be able to lay claim to fame of an additional weekend.

This is the first time I have heard of a Company "Color Squad," but it is written into the latest edition of MIDREGs.
 
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