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This site was created at the request and with the participation of the MMA Student Government Association (SGA). The purpose of the Rumor Buster is to provide all members of the MMA community with a means to finding out the straight facts or get clarification on anything that they have heard through the campus “Rumor Mill/Campus Grapevine.”

If you have complaints - this is not the place to register them.  You'll have to get out from behind your computer, lose the anonymous protection and get involved!   Help make suggestions, decisions and improvements by becoming an elected officer, joining a committee (such as the Dining Service Committee), attending open SGA meetings or attending a Student Services Forums or Dean's Coffee Hours.

REMINDER:  Questions relating to specific individuals will not be answered through this site.  If you have an issue with a specific person I suggest you speak to them directly.  If that is unsuccessful you can follow the appropriate chain of command.

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Thursday, February 7, 2008:

Unfortunately, due to ONE individual, this site will be shut down until further notice.  After receiving MANY emails that were rude and offensive and that contained vulgar language, gender slurs and threats, the site will remain closed.  I am happy to answer questions directly if students want to come by my office and ask face to face.  In case anyone questions the validity of why I am shutting down the site, I have saved the emails - feel free to stop by and view them. 

To the author of these emails:  I may not be able to trace the emails, but since there are threats involved I am certain the authorities can.

Last Updated:  02/07/2008

Thank you Chris for taking the time to write a well thought out and well written opposing point of view.  It is refreshing to have someone take the time to defend their point the way you do here and have the courage to sign it. 

I am writing this in regard to the previous rumor posted about the new MMA pickup truck rule. While this post is not completely a question, I think it is important to look at the opposite side from the previous thread (praising MMA for its new rule), and this post directly addresses and discusses the point behind this questionable new law. MMA is going too far beyond its jurisdiction by trying to discipline students riding in the back of a pick up truck. Maine Maritime Academy may be able to create their own laws that are above and beyond the State of Maine's, but this has gone too far, attempting to create new "rules of the roads" in Castine. If I am offered a ride in the back of a pickup truck, it is my decision to take this risk or not, not MMA's. While some may say it is risky, and not the safest option, that doesn’t give MMA the right to make my decisions for me, especially while this is not illegal. If I am correct, the roads that go through Castine were/are created, maintained, and owned by the State of Maine, not Maine Maritime Academy's, and I don’t understand how they have the jurisdiction to enforce such a rule. I am also curious as to how this rule came about, and who felt it was right to begin enforcing it. Does the Academy also plan to enforce this rule that apparently applies to the entire town o f Castine to people who don't attend MMA, or live locally? How would they try to uphold that, and if they aren't, what gives the school the right to enforce the manner in which students drive when they are on civilian roads and not breaking any law? As mentioned earlier in the post praising this new rule, we students are to become future managers and officers in our industry. As future managers or officers, it is up to us to make the right decision for our own safety. Your choices and way of life should not be dictated to you beyond that of the law. In regards to how the previous post said this rule was related to our future jobs and positions, if you feel a profession you are considering overly dictates your personal life, you probably wouldn't continue into that field. Companies/interviewers want to hire people who can make decisions on their own; they don’t want employees whose apparent morals and principles are masked by their school. We should have our legal right to judge whether or not it is an acceptable decision to ride in the back of a pickup truck if it is not against the law. Even though it is legal to ride in a pickup truck on state roads, you have to ask yourself a question of judgment, as you should always do before carrying out any decision. Do you feel safe to ride in the bed of a pickup truck? Can you trust the driver to maintain the 25 mph speed limit in Castine, and drive responsibly? Do you trust yourself to drive people in the back of your pickup truck conscientiously? The answer to these questions should only decided by your personal judgment, not controlled by Maine Maritime Academy.

- Christopher Walton

I think it would be a good idea to somehow have it so that the internet does not go down when there is a power outage. I think that it would be important to have the internet so that the administration can get messages to the students in case of an emergency while there is a power outage.

You are right that we need to have a way to reach students in the event of an emergency and that is why we have MMA-Alert that we have suggested that all students sign up for.  You can do so by clicking on the link from www.mma.edu or click here.

When is the lifeboatman exam?

February 5th - TONIGHT at 7:00 pm!

I would like to praise the academy for taking the necessary steps to protect the students attending school in Castine. Riding in the back of a pickup is a gray area law as it is. If you have people riding in the back of your pickup, expect to draw some attention from police. We live in a microscope where anything we do is the focus of intense scrutiny.

We are future officers and managers, and part of being an officer and a manager is to look out for the safety of those around you. If you are riding in the back of a pickup, and the pickup is involved in an accident, those people in the back are subjected to far more dangers than anyone in the cab. There is no question, they will be ejected and severely injured. News travels fast, and people aren't kind. They will look at the students of Maine Maritime Academy as reckless. Interviewers can look at your Myspace and Facebook profiles with ease. What makes any of us think they can't Google your name and find an article mentioning how you were the driver of a pickup where several of your friends were killed because they were ejected from the bed of your truck. That interviewer, who will be looking for someone who is responsible for the safety of those around them, will certainly look at you a little differently.

If you think that your actions only affect yourself, you are wrong. As a member of the Maine Maritime community, you are the representation of the entire academy. If we do something stupid, there will be consequences for the entire school. People will start to talk, mostly about how the school isn't doing anything to protect the well being of its students.

Thanks!

More answers to the "Truck Rule":

Yes, there would be a hearing if a student were charged.  No one suggested that any student would be found guilty on the spot.  Any charge would follow the judicial process.

No, Security is not going to "pull anyone over" around town.  No one is going to be out head hunting and looking for this.  If it comes across our visual path, it will be turned over to Security and likely charges will follow if the student and / or the vehicle can be identified. 

Yes, you can be charged even if you are on town property because our rules state that you can not be in the back of truck with in the town limits.