Wednesday night/Thursday morning I had watch 2330-0330 in the Cadet Information Center. As a freshman, I have to do rounds in either the even or odd numbered companies, and the other freshmen does the other ones. We are listed as messengers, so we also are sent to run errands if need be. Usually that shift and watch post is pretty boring, and rarely does anything happen whatsoever. This time, however, we did get a little entertainment.

The Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration have created a federal identification system for all personnel working in the maritime industry. The ID is called Transportation Worker Identification Credential with the intention of more effectively regulating and maintaining port security. All license track cadets here at Mass Maritime are required to enroll in TWIC to be in compliance with maritime regulations. We’ll need these cards when we do our commercial shipping co-op in Junior year, as well as once we graduate and are employed in the maritime industry.

Today in Basic Seamanship Lab we had our first experience training in the motor whaleboats. For those of you unfamiliar with motor whaleboats, here’s a picture of one very similar to the ones we have here at the Academy: Part of Basic Seamanship involves small boat handling, so we use the motor whaleboats to learn line handling and boat maneuvering. Today made it particularly interesting for our first time out, since we were fighting very strong crosswinds while docking, and driving rain.

I’d imagine that one of the big questions that most prospective cadets and parents have, such as this parent, is what life in the dorms is like. In general, it’s similar to that of most other colleges: there are two people to a room, we share the heads, and we’re always in each other’s business. However, we have unique aspects of dorm life, such as cleaning stations and inspections. Cleaning stations are only for freshmen, and are done in the morning at 0550 and at night at 1900.

Hehe, you see what I did there? :-) Anyway, a parent posted a comment on a previous blog entry suggesting that I discuss some of the more “mundane” details of life at MMA, such as the mess deck. The mess deck is the hub of cadet life beyond the regiment. Eating, relaxing, and socializing are just a few of the major roles the mess deck plays in cadet life. On any given day of the week, you’ll find a variety of cuisine choices.

I’m sorry it’s been a week since my last post. I haven’t written anything due to a combination of being wicked busy, and not having much to write about (those two don’t really seem to go together, do they?). At any rate, I thought I’d post an update on some of the more interesting things going on with me, as well as around campus. By now everyone has sorted out their schedule, and has gotten into their routine with classes and extracurriculars.

Given that it’s Saturday, I decided to talk about weekends at MMA. Since the vast majority of cadets at MMA are Massachusetts residents (many of them living within an hour of campus), most people go home on weekends. It’s a nice break from the regiment. For those of us out of state, we have to get a little creative in entertaining ourselves. Some of us go home with friends who live close by, but many of us stay on campus.

All cadets are required to stand watch, license and non-license majors alike. We stand watch in three places on campus - one in the dorms, and two on the Enterprise. In the dorms, we have watch at the Cadet Information Center (CIC), where we keep track of visitors entering and exiting the dorms, answer the phone during off-business hours, and do rounds throughout the dorms to make sure everything is in proper order.

Inspections are a major part of the life of a fourth class cadet. Every morning at 0650, all fourth class cadets in the regiment stand room inspections, done by the squad leaders in each company. There are very specific requirements for your room to be inspection-ready, the state in which it is supposed to be kept not only for inspections but at all times. When a squad leader walks up to your room, he or she inspects both you and your room mate’s uniform.

Orientation is probably the single biggest source of nervousness and apprehension for incoming freshman at Mass Maritime. Last summer when I was talking to some of my soon-to-be shipmates, the vast majority of conversations revolved around Orientation and what people expected it to be like. Many of the rumors my classmates discussed turned out to be just that, but at the time all the information we were talking about amounted to a pretty daunting concept of Orientation.