#074 Ask G 05 - What is the Back Shaft?? Learn more Bancroft Hall Terminology!

Curious about why upper-class midshipmen at the Naval Academy prefer the elusive "back shaft" rooms in Bancroft Hall? Uncover the secrets behind this unique living preference as we answer Rachel's question from Massachusetts. Our host, Grant, ventures into the layout of Bancroft Hall, illustrating how the back shaft provides a small removal from the bustling main passageway frequented by staff and officers. 

Exciting news as we launch season two of the Academy Insider podcast, crafted by our nonprofit organization focused on supporting midshipmen and their families. This season promises to connect Naval Academy graduates and affiliates through engaging stories and insights that showcase the real-life camaraderie and challenges within the Academy’s historic walls. Whether you're a future midshipman or just curious about the Naval Academy lifestyle, this episode provides a fascinating glimpse into the experiences that shape these young leaders. Tune in, and don't hesitate to reach out with your own questions!

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The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families.

This podcast is independently produced and reflects the views and opinions of its creators. It is not officially affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of the United States Naval Academy or its affiliates.

Grant Vermeer your host is the person who started it all.  He is the founder of Academy Insider and the host of The Academy Insider podcast. He was a recruited athlete which brought him to Annapolis where he was a four year member of the varsity basketball team. He was a cyber operations major and commissioned into the Cryptologic Warfare Community. He was stationed at Fort Meade and supported the Subsurface Direct Support mission.

He separated from the Navy in 2023 and now owns The Vermeer Group, a residential real estate company that matches service academy families with trusted real estate teams all across the country.  Text (650) 282-1964 with any real estate questions.

We are here to be your guide through the USNA experience.

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Transcript

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Speaker 0 0:06

Hi Grant Rachel from Massachusetts . Here I heard my midshipmen say they live in the back shaft . What does that mean ? This episode is a part of the Ask G series here on the Academy Insider podcast , where we're answering your Naval Academy questions as efficiently and concisely as possible . If you like this format and you want to ask a question of your own , you can head to our website , wwwacademyinsidercom , navigate to the top of the page and click on the Ask G tab , and it'll direct you to where you can submit your question . To receive the latest information from me and the Academy Insider team , please be sure to subscribe to our newsletter at wwwacademyinsidercom . Backslash newsletter . Hey Rachel , thank you so much for your question .

Speaker 0 0:49

Let's talk about the term back shaft and how it relates to the living situation at the Naval Academy . If you haven't yet listened to the second episode of Ask G , I run through the entire layout of Bancroft Hall and so , as we're talking about it , one piece I didn't touch on was this idea of the back shaft , and so each of the wings of Bancroft Hall are connected via the main P-way or the main passageway . However , there are a couple of offshoots in each wing that allow for more rooms , and there's kind of a second main parallel running P-way in some of the wings and so if you were to take quite literally an aerial view of some of the wings of Bancroft Hall , it looks like an H and so that main top portion is what you would look at and consider the main shaft or kind of the main passageway . If you're off the main passageway in that second parallel hallway , that's what we call the back shaft , and so a lot of times a lot of midshipmen like living in the back shaft because not as many people walk by there , whereas if you're living in the main P-Way you have all the staff , all the officers , all the senior enlisted , your battalion officer , potentially the commandant , like walking past your room , which is like not cool . You know what I mean . It's like not as fun , and so a lot of people and these are basically only reserved for upper class midshipmen you have again you have the back shaft and people live in the back shaft . The rooms still get inspected , you have all the same things , but kind of on the day-to-day it's a little less stressful because you don't have a million people walking through your living space at all times . So , again , if you were to take an aerial view and you have that H shape . The first main passageway is the main shaft and then if you're off that main passageway you're in the back shaft in one of those offshoots . So I hope that answers your question .

Speaker 0 2:32

Any more Naval Academy related questions be sure to ask me here . And thank you so much . Welcome to season two of the Academy Insider podcast . Academy Insider is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that serves midshipmen , future midshipmen and their families . At its core . This podcast is designed to bring together a community of Naval Academy graduates and those affiliated with the United States Naval Academy in order to tell stories and provide a little bit of insight into what life at the Naval Academy is really like . I hope you enjoy it . Thank you so much for listening and reach out if you ever have any questions .