<p>WPSON2010, it’s more than getting good grades, it’s the fact that IF (and he very well may have permission, especially since he sounds like an excellent student) he’s not supposed to be on the phone, he shouldn’t be on the phone. Again, once he’s out in the Field or the Fleet, he can’t pick and choose.</p>
<p>Straight from the horses mouth: “We are all adults here so we can talk on our phones whenever we want in our rooms for however long we want.” </p>
<p>I sure hope he’s correct but it’s not like he’s never been wrong before so if you’re a plebe and reading this talk on the phone at your own risk. And he sounded a but testy in his reply to my inquiry…must be because he’s spending too much **** time on the phone with his girlfriend and he’s not getting enough sleep. Kids…sheeze.</p>
<p>Sounds like teenage logic to me Mom!! And he was probably testy with you because maybe he knows he’s spending too much time on the phone with the girlfriend!</p>
<p>I’m glad my S. doesn’t have a girlfriend, but I wish he’d find a date to the Ring Dance! Maybe he should advertise on E-Bay like a Mid did last year!</p>
<p>Mine gets testy if he feel that I am playing policeman. I get the I know the rules and I know the consequences. My signal to back off. I will not enable him to break the rules but I will not enforce them either. He is an adult and he has enough others around him to “monitor” what he is doing. Mom just needs to be nonjudgmental as they are judged in everything they do.</p>
<p>“Sounds like teenage logic to me Mom!!” Actually, I’m a dad, but the misunderstanding’s entirely my fault. It’s what usually happens when I refer to myself in the third party; which is itself a result of arguing with my son. I like to think of it as a defense mechanism.</p>
<p>Actually I wasn’t being judgemental. I simply informed (You spent x number of minutes on the phone) and asked (are you allowed to do that). You know; parental concern for his spring vacation plans.</p>
<p>But of course you’re completely correct; they’re monitored constantly and it makes them understandably defensive. I’ll send an olive branch email this morning. Thanks Prof!</p>
<p>^^^^ Actually I was referring to myself to not be judgemental…even when he does call us after 8pm (not that it happens too often) He talks, I listen and don’t question if he is to be on the phone. Each company has different rules and then there is the whole chit thing so I figure if they ask for something that maybe we as parents “think” is against the “rules” I may ask “are you sure this is ok” and then accept the answer. If they think we are also monitoring them, we may find ourselves in the position that we never get any information about anything! We all walk a fine line - Don’t need to be their best friend but certainly don’t need to be the “rules police” either.</p>
<p>It isn’t/shouldn’t be the parents job to enforce USNA rules on their kids.</p>
<p>Plebe’s have a “Do’s and Dont’s” list promulgated by the Brigade Training Staff which states that plebes may only use cell phones between 1700-1900 (and town liberty). It is up to the company to enforce the policy, that’s why there are discrepancies between companies. This is a common thing with policies similar to this.</p>
<p>Thanks Jadler…you don’t know how many times at Parents Club meetings etc we get told that we need to enforce the rules with our Mids!
Not my style and quite frankly find it an insult to all Mids if we as parents feel it is our job.</p>
<p>“Plebe’s have a “Do’s and Dont’s” list promulgated by the Brigade Training Staff which states that plebes may only use cell phones between 1700-1900 (and town liberty).”</p>
<p>Jadler03:</p>
<p>I wonder; is part of the confusion here because in my posts I’m refering to West Point and in your posts you’re refering to Annapolis? It’s certainly possible, and not at all unlikely, that the rules for plebes are different at the USMA and the USNA.</p>
<p>“Thanks Jadler…you don’t know how many times at Parents Club meetings etc we get told that we need to enforce the rules with our Mids!”</p>
<p>I’m definately not going to do that with my Cadet; it’s now the TAC’s job and I for one am glad to be done with it. Fortunatley for my son, and his TAC, he doesn’t feel the need to break the rules though he has walked hours for having misunderstood when a lab was being held. They’ve given him plenty of time to contemplate the importance of knowing where to be and at what time to be there.</p>
<p>Yes, I am talking about USNA not USMA.</p>
<p>“Yes, I am talking about USNA not USMA.”</p>
<p>Well then, phone privileges are another difference between those two fine institutions.</p>
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</p>
<p>Nope. I did (91). :D</p>
<p>It’s amazing how times change. In my day, Sunday mornings were the best time to call home. You chopped down to one of the phone rooms (each had 12-20 phone booths with pay phones) and waited in line at parade rest out in the p-way until one opened up. We could study rates while waiting. (One of those “famous” Plebe Summer pictures has me doing just that.) No time limits. Same during the ac year. Upperclassmen went to the head of the line during ac year.</p>
<p>Cell phones, e-mail, and IM… The mind boggles at the differences! :eek:</p>
<p>HEy one and all…I heartily recommend you either dig around at a library or order online from a used book store as I did a book titled: Letters from
Annapolis by Drew. The book has a series of letters that mids wrote from 1880 through 1969. Oh my gosh the insights from reading that book are incredible. No matter what decade the experiences from Plebe to Plebe, study regimen to study regimen, football season to football season remain remarkably constant. Who had a harder Plebe year, who had it easy…what I came away with was the overall constancy of this Naval Institution regardless of the era. USNA is a living breathing organism that swings between the poles of laxness and tightness, emphasis on military vs emphasis on academics…</p>
<p>The pride of each class thinking they were the best is just a part of it all.</p>
<p>I have called my daughter now on 3 occasions to read her passages from the book and then ask her to guess what year the letter was written. One from the 1930’s from a Youngster complaining about how the Plebes have it much easier than he did, and that the new Supe’s dumb tightening of the regs that affect HIS class sound like it could have come from any mids letter of 2006.</p>
<p>I urge all USNA afficionadoes to get their hands on a copy of this most instructive book.</p>
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</p>
<p>Times have definitely changed.</p>
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</p>
<p>Now I definitely know that the Class of 1980 had the last plebe year. 
We weren’t allowed to make any telephone calls during plebe summer. The only means we had to communicate with the outside world was to write letters.</p>
<p>On I-Day, we didn’t get to see parents after being sworn in. Most of us reported on our own, unless we were local to the academy. We didn’t need our parents to hold our hands back then.</p>
<p>During Parents Weekend, the plebes weren’t allowed to go beyond the 7-mile town liberty limit. And parents weren’t allowed in Bancroft Hall with the exception of the public areas.</p>
<p>In the past 30 years, the academy has definitely become a kinder, gentler institution.</p>
<p>I can see how cell phones, e-mail, IM, and the internet in general are great conveniences, they can also become distractions the same way that music and television can become distractions. That’s the reason plebes aren’t allowed to watch TV or listen to music.</p>
<p>hey guys…get that book…
you had people commenting on the new ‘victrola’ that was definitely NOT something THEY had as Plebes!!!</p>
<p>^^^^^
When I was a plebe…</p>
<p>Another ‘must-read’ if your interested in the Academy. Its The Return of Phil T. McGiffin by David Poyer. My Mid says not many people even know about Philo T. McGiffin these days, v.sad</p>
<p>Plebes are limited to 3 calls, about 4 minutes each, during plebe summer…while there are some exceptions to this, that is the general format…</p>
<p>they are not allowed to have cell phones until the start of the academic year (again, company dependent)</p>
<p>IMs and internet: access varied from company to company- some allowed it about a week or 2 after they got their computers (around labor day weekend if I recall), and based on some of the postings here, some companies still have not extended that privilage to the plebes…</p>
<p>it is correct that IMs and internet, while allowing access to (and from) the outside world, brings along with it further distractions and demands on time, which must be managed and managed effectively. Away messages are great in “alerting” the outside world when they have to tune us all out…</p>
<p>not sure about the whole idea of “hand-holding”… I mean I saw a lot of hugs and kisses at the end of I-Day… not sure if it makes a whole hill of beans difference if that occurs outside Alumni in the morning or after indoc at the end of the day… but allowing the parents/et al to witness (even from bleachers, etc) the day’s events, the Oath of Office- it is a privilage. </p>
<p>Then again, I come from the “Hilary” camp that it “takes a village”… having parents understand what is going on is an asset in most cases… providing the parents know where and when to draw the line, respect the process, and watch- not interfere- with it. Crossing the line is disasterous- and no doubt some will try- </p>
<p>In the past that total lack of contact during plebe summer, especially, no doubt enticed many parents to sneek onto the yard for a peek… I can tell you that this past summer, thanks to the efforts of 2 wonderful “angels” with cameras that posted hundreds of pictures of each company over the summer, kept the outside world apraised of what was going behind the walls of the yard, without having to breech the rules… for this parent, the daily search for our “waldo” kept the time moving quickly, gave us an insight as to what they were doing, and brought us “into the fold” of the USNA experience…no doubt that might be curling some alumni hair (which I can appreciate), to me it was priceless… and certainly made “cutting the cord” that much easier…</p>
<p>as for Bancroft, it is still sacrosanct… we got to see inside very briefly during PPW, and that was it… not sure why “seeing” our plebe’s room carries with it such importance, but it does… crazy as that might sound-</p>