** SPECIAL NOTICES **

UPDATE!  To Avoid Hurricane Remnants, Ship Jump Has Been Scheduled for August 30th at 12:30 PM: Continuing an MMA seafaring tradition, new students will join together in a confidence jump from the side of the training ship, State of Maine. The jump, born out of practical training needs for students entering seagoing careers, also serves as a class unification activity and is symbolic of a willingness to embrace the numerous adventures and challenges typical of an MMA education. This year's jump is scheduled to take place on Sun., Aug. 30, at 12:30 PM. Community spectators are encouraged to attend and offer their support to new students.

Expecting VA Benefits?  Students expecting to have the VA pay for their tuition and fees for the fall due to the new GI bill MUST bring their certificate of eligibility to the Finance Office in order to be financially cleared. This is the official certification required by MMA.

New Academic Year Brings New Town Traffic Ordinance: The Town of Castine recently revised its local traffic ordinance which encompasses parking throughout town.  All students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to review the new ordinance in its entirety to avoid committing parking violations and to foster good citizenship. As part of the revision, parking violation fees have been raised from $10 per incident to $30 per incident, aligning them more closely with MMA parking violation fees. Handicap parking violations will incur a $200 fee per incident.

The revised ordinance can be accessed in the following ways: Direct: http://www.castine.me.us/pages/forms/Traffic%20Ordinance%208-17-09.pdf or Town of Castine website http://www.castine.me.us/ . Click left menu bar click the icon entitled Government, Ordinances and Policies, and view “Traffic Ordinance: Enacted by the Town on the 17th day of September, 2007 - revised the 17th day of August, 2009.”  While not a substitute for reading and familiarizing yourself with the full Town Traffic Ordinance, important changes to highlight that directly impact past parking habits of the MMA community are as follows: 

Town Dock – 3 hour parking, all spaces, at all times. This differs from the previous allowance of 4 hours in this area.

 

Stevens Street – No parking at any time on either side of Stevens Street, the access road to the MMA Commuter/Commons parking lot located between Main Street and Pleasant Street.

 

Court Street – 2-hour parking, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays in the following areas: north side of street between Main Street and Tarratine Street. This translates to mean the streets from the 4-way intersection on Main Street, to the 4-way intersection of Court and Pleasant Streets located at the lower corner of MMA’s Ritchie Field, along the visitors’ side of MMA’s Ritchie Field, and past the Fire House to the next intersection.

 

Fort Madison – No parking at any time from Nov. 1-April 30.

 

Fort George – 2 hour parking, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. No parking at all from Nov. 1-April 30, and a reminder that there is absolutely no overnight parking, no parking in the driveway, and no parking on the grass. Roadside parking along Wadsworth Cover Road near the Fort also has new restrictions.

 

Wadsworth Cove Road – No parking, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays, on the west side of the road from Battle Avenue to 600 feet north of Battle Avenue. In other words, no parking, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, along the Fort side of the road for 600 feet from the road that runs past the top of campus.

 

Main Street – 2 hour parking, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays, on both sides of the street from Stevens Street (the access road to the MMA Commuter/Commons parking lot) to Court Street (located at the 4-way intersection).

 

Speed Limit Reminder – The speed limit on all town streets is 25 miles per hour (MPH) unless otherwise posted. Specific posted speed limits less than 25 MPH: 20 MPH – Court Street from State Street to Tarratine Street, and 20 MPH – Water Street.

The Academy continues to implement the SIS (Student Information System) in stages.

This summer the Sea-Campus Portal will be active and up-to-date ONLY for purposes of notifying the school about the student's health insurance. The portal should be available for this purpose after July 1, 2009. After that time every student must sign onto the portal and provide MMA with their health insurance preference and required information. 

The Financial and Financial Aid information for each student will NOT be accessible on the Sea-Campus Portal this summer. Hopefully sometime after the start of the fall term that information will be available to each student when signing on. This means that this summer financial information will only  be available on paper. Students who have applied for financial aid have already received, or will receive, their award letter in the mail. Bills for fall term will be mailed out sometime in July.  Students and families should review their bills upon receipt and arrange for necessary financing. All financing plans and/or payments should be in place by August 15.

All offices appreciate each family's patience during this entire SIS implementation process!!  Thank you.

Summer Fitness Hours to Conclude Friday, August 28: Summer fitness hours will end on Friday, August 28, 2009, at 2 p.m. All summer memberships for Castine community members will expire at that time. The MMA Department of Athletics wishes to thank all summer members for their patronage. The care and use of the facilities this summer was exemplary and greatly appreciated.

TEMPORARY BRIDGE CLOSING:  The Orland River Bridge, located on Rte 175 in Orland Village, will be closed beginning August 3, 2009 for reconstruction. The bridge will reopen on or before November 15, 2009. A detour around the bridge has been marked by signs.

Friday, August 28

Thursday, August 27

JANUARY COAST GUARD EXAMS:  Any student who intends to sit for their Coast Guard exams in January (unlimited and 500 Ton) must have a current physical for your packet.  If you did not have one last spring, you must make an appointment with the nurses office right away.  I will start accepting applications in early September.  If you are graduating in December, you should have already submitted your application packet....if not, do so NOW.   Students who want to apply for entry level Merchant Mariner Credential and students taking the 200 Ton exams next spring....you will also need current physicals, but I won't be accepting your applications until later in September. --Janet, Registrar's Office

MMA Pool Lifeguard Meeting: There will be a meeting for anyone interested in lifeguarding on Thursday, Sept. 3rd at 7:30pm in the gym. Please bring copies of current CPR and Lifeguard Certifications. If you have any questions you can contact Erin Caprara.

Varsity Cross Country Team Meeting:  There will be an important organizational meeting for all students interested in being a member of the MMA varsity men's or women's Cross Country Teams on Sunday August 30, 2009 at 4:00 pm in the Biggie Classroom on the lower level of the Fieldhouse/Gymnasium complex. Runners of all ability levels are welcome. The women's team is especially in need of participants to meet minimum NCAA standards for team size.

Varsity Golf Team Meeting:  The MMA Golf Team will hold an important organizational meeting on Sunday August 30, 2009 at 5:00 pm in the Biggie Classroom on the lower level of the Fieldhouse/Gymnasium complex. All students who are interested in becoming varsity intercollegiate team members should attend. Required NCAA paperwork will be completed at  this time.

Student Employees interested in working for the Athletic Department:  Students who are interested in working for the Athletic Department should see quipment/Facilities Manager, Arnie Grindle; Graduate Assistant, Ashley Sennett; or Director of Athletics, Jim Dyer as soon as possible. Their offices are located on the lower level of Smith Gymnasium. A variety of different positions are available.......fitness room attendants are particularly needed.

Wednesday, August 26

JANUARY COAST GUARD EXAMS:  Any student who intends to sit for their Coast Guard exams in January (unlimited and 500 Ton) must have a current physical for your packet.  If you did not have one last spring, you must make an appointment with the nurses office right away.  I will start accepting applications in early September.  If you are graduating in December, you should have already submitted your application packet....if not, do so NOW.   Students who want to apply for entry level Merchant Mariner Credential and students taking the 200 Ton exams next spring....you will also need current physicals, but I won't be accepting your applications until later in September. --Janet, Registrar's Office

Men's Basketball Team Try-Outs:  Anyone interested in trying out for the men's basketball team must attend this meeting!  Tuesday, September 1 at 8:00 PM in the Humanities classroom on the 1st floor of the BIW Center.

If you are unable to attend because of classes or Regimental duties please contact Coach Murphy at his office in Smith Gym, call 326-2452, or e-mail cmurphy@mma.edu prior to the meeting.

Tuesday, August 25

"A Bowdoin Expedition" to Re-Air on MPBN: The film documentary "A Bowdoin Expedition", by Viking Video Productions, will re-air on Saturday, August 29, at 11 a.m., on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN). The documentary details a 5-day expedition held aboard Maine Maritime Academy's schooner Bowdoin. Sponsored by the Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) in Limestone, the expedition utilized chronicles by James Rosier as reference to retrace the 1605 journey of explorer George Waymouth, c.1585-c.1612. Waymouth, an English ship captain and explorer, and student of mathematics, navigation, and shipbuilding, set out to find for Sir Thomas Arundel a refuge for Catholics along the east coast of America. Rosier's chronicles contain the first published descriptions of Maine. The MSSM group sought to see how much the Maine coastline had changed over time.

It's That Time of Year!  The Commons and Curtis Residence Hall will open for returning students on Sunday, August 30th at 9:00 AM.  Classes begin Monday, August 31st. 

Monday, August 24

Captain Eric Jergenson and Chief Mate Hannah Gray have been in contact with the Waterfront office over the weekend and this morning, reporting that Lunenburg was an excellent port for protection from Hurricane Bill. The schooner and crew faired well and had a good port visit in the beautiful Nova Scotian port. They were watching the sea reports today and were planning on getting underway when the seas subsided to tolerable limits and will report in when underway.

Thursday, August 20

Captain Jergenson of the Bowdoin Reports:  "August 20, 2009; Departure from St. Peters Canal this morning.  Watching Hurricane Bill closely and staying near shore to enhance ability to alter plans as the track line of the low develops.  Immediate plans are to make our way to Lunenburg (ETA early Saturday morning) and reassess our position from there.  Will keep you posted as our plans evolve."  Go to the Bowdoin webpage for more information.

Wednesday, August 19

PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT:  At the meeting of the Board of Trustees on Friday, August 14th, 2009, Manny Morgan, a trustee on the Maine Maritime Academy Board and Chairperson of the nine-member Presidential Search Committee, reported that the search process is progressing as expected and that there were almost 50 very well qualified applicants for the President's position.  The list has been narrowed to a group of 6 semi-finalists who are being vetted and will be interviewed in late August or early September.  The Search Committee, made up of Board, alumni, faculty, staff and student representatives, hopes to be able to select two or three individuals as finalists and present those names to the full Board for further consideration.  It is expected that the finalists will be invited to campus for an interview with the Board of Trustees as well as informational sessions with students, staff and faculty sometime in the fall.  The identity of the finalists will become public prior to their campus interviews.

Tuesday, August 18

Orientation Sessions Underway, Regimental Preparatory Training Set to Begin: New Student Orientation sessions are currently underway as MMA prepares for the start of the new academic year on Mon., Aug. 31. Orientation is held annually to introduce new students to the many aspects of the Academy, including academic policies, the judicial system, student services, and extra-/co-curricular activities. All new students are required to join an Orientation session, regardless of major, lifestyle choice, age, prior college experience, or housing arrangements. This year a new format has been established to enable more individualized attention and to better coordinate with athletic practices.To learn more about the various sessions being offered this year, visit the MMA Department of Residential Life's website. As part of MMA’s annual orientation of new students to the college, Regimental Preparatory Training (RPT) will be conducted from the evening of Sun., Aug. 23, to the afternoon of Sun., Aug. 30. Designed to introduce incoming students to membership in the college’s Regiment of Midshipmen, the 7-day program emphasizes traditions of the MMA Regiment of Midshipmen, military drill, aquatic training, and ship familiarization. Please help us make all new students, and their families and supporters feel welcome.

Regimental Preparatory Training to Host Field Day: RPT includes an athletic field day, encouraging friendly competition between the 4 student companies. Activities include relay races, tug of war, and strength competitions. The field day, scheduled for Fri., Aug. 28, at 1 p.m., will take place on Ritchie Field (rain location: Alexander Fieldhouse). Spectators are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Ship Jump Set for August 30th: All new independent students will reconvene in the evening of Fri., Aug 28, to begin a series of weekend-long class unification and orientation activities. Continuing an MMA seafaring tradition, new students will join together in a confidence jump from the side of the training ship, State of Maine. The jump, born out of practical training needs for students entering seagoing careers, also serves as a class unification activity and is symbolic of a willingness to embrace the numerous adventures and challenges typical of an MMA education. This year's jump is scheduled to take place on Sun., Aug. 30, at 8 a.m. Community spectators are encouraged to attend and offer their support to new students.

New Academic Year to Begin August 31st: Returning students are expected to arrive on campus on Sun., Aug. 30, with classes beginning Mon., Aug. 31. Students will notice several campus upgrades upon their return. New stadium seating on Ritchie Field is nearing completion. A graduate classroom has been installed in Quick Hall, along with new faculty offices in Dismukes Hall. Refurbishment of the interior of the college’s swimming pool was also completed this summer.Fall semester highlights will include Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 2-4, and Family & Friends Weekend, Oct. 9-11.

Friday, August 14

New Student Orientation Begins!  The first New Student Orientation Session begins today with check-in occurring in the Curtis Hall Courtyard between 4:00 - 5:30 PM.  Click HERE for an updated student schedule and HERE for the family version. 

Wednesday, August 12

Bowdoin Update: The Schooner Bowdoin is finishing up their participation in the Celebrate Bartlett Festival 2009. Captain Rick Miller turned over the schooner to captain Eric Jergenson in Norris Point, Newfoundland on Tuesday, August 11. Rick made port calls in Battle Harbor, Cartwright and Lanse au Loup, Labrador and Port aux Chois and finished at Norris Point, Newfoundland. Eric is underway towards the last festival port call in Corner Brook and then will begin the return trip to Castine and expects to be back on August 26th. The students have been engaged in the CR313 capstone cruise and having a wide variety of sailing conditions in the very challenging waters of Newfoundland and Labrador. Reports from the Historic sites group have given Bowdoin and her crews high marks for making the festival a great success.

Monday, August 10

Summer Housing Consolidations are now online.  Click HERE to see if you have been impacted.  Contact Anne Schmidt or Lauren Garrett with questions.

New Student Orientation Sessions begin at the end of this week!!  Check out the Residential Life & Orientation web pages for more information.