Page 10. MAINE COASTAL NEWS September 2011


Waterfront News M A I N E M A R I T I M E A C A D E M Y N E W S


MMA SEEKS VOLUNTEER STUDENT SPONSORS


CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy’s Stu- dent Sponsor Program is seeking community volunteers to serve as host families for stu- dents new to the college this year. Initiated more than ten years ago, the program is designed to pair new students with faculty, staff, and community hosts. The program provides new students with an opportunity to meet members of the MMA and Castine communities in an effort to ease the often stressful transition to college life. In turn, members of the community gain an insider’s view of student life and activities at the col- lege, and develop personal relationships with students.


According to Jeff Loustaunau, vice president for enrollment management at MMA, sponsors can provide necessary friendship, understanding, and encourage- ment to first-year students as they meet the challenges associated with adjusting to col- lege life, from being away from family and friends to handling enhanced study require- ments and time management issues. Spon- sors provide a unique place for students to


relax and enjoy the companionship of spon- sor families.


According to program organizers, spon- sor criteria are quite simple. Sponsors must live within a reasonable distance to Maine Maritime Academy and attend a mandatory information session presented by the college’s Dean of Student Services and Com- mandant of Midshipmen. The meeting will be held in September.


Those interested in becoming a host family must fill out an application and return it to the college’s Office of the Commandant of Midshipmen. Applications are available by contacting 326-2250. Potential sponsors may request a student by name or based on preference of gender, home state, religious background, sports affiliation, or special in- terests. Potential sponsors are authorized to sponsor up to four students a year, with program organizers suggesting that families sponsor at least two students at a time. MMA TO HOLD STUDENT INVOLEMENT FAIR, TO WELCOME COMMUNITY GROUPS TO CAMPUS The Maine Maritime Academy Depart- ment of Residential Life will sponsor a com- munity involvement fair on campus this fall in an effort to encourage student volunteerism in the community. The Fourth Annual Stu- dent Involvement Fair will be held on campus in early September to encourage interaction between students attending the college and community organizations seeking volun- teers and members. This year’s Fair will be held outside and will be accompanied by a live concert with the local steel drum band, Flash in the Pans.


Scheduled for Thurs., Sept, 8, from 5-6:30 p.m., on the lawn adjacent to Curtis Resi-


dence Hall, the Fair is designed to provide information to stu- dents on the variety of community activi- ties available in the local area, provide an on-campus set- ting for students to feel welcomed and encouraged to join local groups, and provide an opportu- nity for civic leaders to extend an invita- tion to students to join their outreach


Mike Giles, President of the Maine Retired Skipper's Race, hands a $500 check to MMA Sailing Coach Tom Brown for trip to France.


efforts. The Fair will also allow on-campus student clubs and organizations to show- case their work and recruit members. Michael Sales, programming coordina- tor within the college’s department of resi- dential life, invites representatives from com- munity agencies, non-profit organizations, service or volunteer corps, and faith-based agencies to join in this year’s Fair. Sales said that the ultimate goal of the event is to pro- vide students with an accelerated way to become involved in and beyond the MMA campus community. He welcomes all commu- nity groups looking to provide healthy op- portunities for personal growth through volunteerism and community fellowship to attend participate in the event. Groups are encouraged to send at least one representa- tive to enable students to ask questions of a participating agency in order to get an idea of the expectations of the group and to discover ways in which their talents, even some they don’t know they have, can help to make a difference in the community.


Groups wishing to participate in the upcoming Student Involvement Fair may do so free of charge and are asked to contact Michael Sales to sign-up, 326-2117, or via email at michael.sales@mma.edu MMA WELCOMES THE CLASS OF 2015 CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy fac- ulty, staff, and students began welcoming new students in the Class of 2015 to campus last week for a series of annual orientation sessions. According to Jeff Loustaunau, vice president for enrollment management, 310 students are expected to participate in the program.


“Maine Maritime Academy’s popularity has propelled entering class numbers for- ward in recent years, “said Loustaunau. “While the incoming Class of 2015 represents an increase of 15 students from last year’s entering class, our total undergraduate en- rollment will remain steady at just slightly under 940 students,” he said. With a contin- ued trend in growth of new student applica- tions, he added that college president, Dr. William J. Brennan, has initiated a compre- hensive enrollment management study that is actively underway at this time. “Our strong enrollment is a terrific indicator of the solid return on investment parents and students are seeing in us. Our primary goal is to con- tinue to offer a quality experience and out- come while exploring the idea of an optimum number for overall student body enrollment.” The orientation programs, scheduled for Aug. 15-17, Aug. 19-21, and Aug. 24-26 utilize workshops, lectures, recreational activities, and team-building events to help introduce many aspects of the college, including aca- demic policies, the judicial system, student services, and co-curricular activities. Particu- lar sessions have been timed to coordinate with the start of fall athletic team practices to enable new student-athletes to report to the start of their season. In recent years the college revised its orientation programming from a single program to offerings of three


separate orientation sessions with a goal of enabling orientation staff and student lead- ers to provide smaller group discussions and activities and a more welcoming environment for new students.


Regimental Preparatory Training (RPT), a series of training and team-building exer- cises designed to introduce incoming stu- dents to membership in the college’s Regi- ment of Midshipmen, is coordinated with the three orientation sessions. The program, a requirement for those incoming students in- tending to become a third mate or third assis- tant engineer upon graduation, is open to all students on a voluntary basis. It emphasizes traditions of the MMA Regiment of Midship- men, military drill, and aquatic training. The program includes an extensive introduction to the training ship State of Maine, and stu- dents live aboard ship, participate in tours and familiarization exercises, and complete safety-related drills. RPT will be conducted from the evening of Sun., Aug. 21, to the afternoon of Sun., Aug. 28, 2011. According to organizers, particular RPT activities may be noticeable to the public. Student marching units will utilize public routes linking the waterfront and main col- lege campuses. Daily tours of the Town of Castine will be conducted each evening from 4-5 p.m., and will focus on familiarizing stu- dents with community resources, municipal offices and services, and local businesses. RPT includes an athletic field day, en- couraging friendly competition between the 4 student companies. Activities include relay races, tug of war, and strength competitions. The field day, scheduled for Aug. 27, from 1- 3:30 p.m., will take place on Ritchie Field, the college’s all-weather in-filled synthetic turf field. In the event of rain, the field day will be held in the college’s fieldhouse. Spectators are welcome and encouraged to attend. Continuing an MMA seafaring tradi- tion, 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 uni- fication activity and is symbolic of a willing- ness to embrace the numerous adventures and challenges typical of a Maine Maritime Academy education. This year’s jump is scheduled to take place on Sun., Aug. 28, at 8 a.m. Community spectators are encouraged to attend and offer their support to new students.


Returning students are expected to ar- rive on campus on Sun., Aug. 28, with classes beginning Mon., Aug. 29. The college will hold its second annual Convocation on Weds., Aug 31, at 10:10 a.m. in Alexander Fieldhouse. The event serves as community- based welcome to all new and returning stu- dents. All members of the extended MMA community are invited to join the college in welcoming new students at this special cer- emony. Other fall semester highlights will include Homecoming Weekend, Sept. 23-25, and Family & Friends Weekend, Oct 7-9.


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