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Maritime Academies
Page 3
BY TARA ARONSON
© Copyright
1997 by Parents' Press
Learning at Sea
A key part of the academy's educational program is a 491-foot "floating laboratory" on loan to the State of California from the Federal Maritime Administration. For 42 weeks a year, the gleaming white Golden Bear training ship remains moored at the campus while scores of students climb in and out tracing the ship's systems, performing routine maintenance and learning all there is to know about its non-operating systems.
Each January, the vessel's fires are lit and its boilers and
systems become operational in anticipation of a 10-week training
cruise for the three upper classes.
An important part of the annual training-at-sea program is the opportunity to visit foreign and domestic ports. While there, students study foreign culture first-hand. Milton's first training cruise to South America came in the spring of her sophomore year.
In addition to completing a baccalaureate degree, each student fulfills the demanding requirements necessary to obtain a U.S. Coast Guard professional license as a third mate or third assistant engineer as part of the academic program and its annual cruises.
Life on Campus
Campus life for Cal Maritime students is not altogether different from that found on other college campuses, although a great deal more responsibility is given to academy students, Milton said. Most students are required to live on campus, though Milton didn't consider that a negative the modern dorms overlook San Francisco Bay and the surrounding hills.
While Milton's four years of English, three years of math, and a year of science in high school prepared her academically for her freshman year at Cal Maritime, living on campus and adhering to the school's standards of shipshape personal grooming and professional conduct had a profound influence on her outlook as a young adult.
While initially put off by the khaki uniforms, strict grooming standards women's hair must be no longer than collar-length and earrings are limited to one per ear and thrice-weekly "formations" or inspections, Milton came to value the high standards the school instills in its students.
"A major part of life is understanding what to do once you're out there," Milton said. "When you get out in the industry, there's a certain way you have to carry yourself. If you don't present yourself in the right way, you aren't going to succeed. The school has certainly helped me to get focused on the future and what's really important."
