Site Policy
1/26/2006

Dear Sampsonites,

Since my October 31, 2005 decision to shut down the site, a handful of people came forward wanting to know about site background and maintenance, in hopes of helping keep it alive.  However, even with their willingness to help, reality/computer types and systems/site size/etc. make transfership next to impossible.  I have come up with a solution to keep it alive, which entails a large number of changes to the site and laying down the law about what I will do from here forward.

From now I am simply providing a directory of WT Sampson students and faculty- no more tracking people down or free detective work, no more reunions, no more product placement, no more being stuck in the middle and enabling people, and no more taking garbage from anyone.  More specifically...

1) I will simply provide a site directory, adding or deleting people and their contact info for the site ONLY when I find time to do it- which means it will be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks between site uploads.  You will have to be patient awaiting changes or additions to the site.

2) I will no longer search for missing people.  I'll add names to the missing list but that is it.  If you want to get in touch with a missing person, you'll have to track them down yourself or consult a people finder service.

3) I will no longer search out updated info from previously found people.  If you try to contact a person and their info is out of date, please don't complain to me as it is out of my hands.  I am just listing what was submitted no matter how long ago it may have been.

IT IS UP TO YOU TO KEEP YOUR INFO UP TO DATE SO THAT OTHERS MAY CONTACT YOU.

4) I will never organize another reunion again.  Reunion advertisements will be handled in the new site message board/forums.

5) I will not answer inquiries about advertised reunions.  If you have a question, DO NOT ASK ME.  Go directly to the person organizing it.

6) I am eliminating photos from all previous reunions, leaving only those taken at the 2005 Las Vegas reunion.  The reason is that I do not care to receive any more scathing emails or telephone calls from people suddenly realizing they appear on the net.

7) You must have permission from any person appearing in a photo that you submit for use on the site.  I don't want to receive any more scathing emails from upset people, innocent bystanders, siblings, significant others, etc., who did not give permission for a picture with them in it to be used on the site.  If necessary, I will crop others out of photos.

8) I will no longer advertise or make referrals for Gtmo/WTSampson/site related products nor allow others to associate themselves with the site.  The only association will be providing links for other Gtmo/student sites.

9) I will be eliminating the guest book as I will no longer monitor it for content and abuse.  If you want a message board, someone will need to come forward and create and maintain one.  You must go to them for questions or problems.  Should they decide to abandon it, they must notify me for its removal or find a replacement caretaker.

10) I don't like spam or telemarketers and I do what I can to keep people's info private.  However, if web-bots go crawling through the site and put the info on the net, don't blame me and treat me badly for it.  If that occurs I will go to the proper web sources for removal from the net- and ask that you be patient awaiting said resolution.

11) DON'T EVER ACCUSE ME OR THIS SITE OF GIVING YOU A VIRUS.  I have an Apple Computer and do not get or give viruses- viruses are made specifically to target and affect PC's.  Viruses and worms proliferate, going through and combining different names from your address books, email subjects, and email contents, etc.  If my name is ever attached to something along those lines, remember that it is probably because my name is in more than a thousand email address books and that is my ONLY association.  Do yourself a favor and be cautious about the emails you open and don't copy info from the site into emails and exchange it without realizing it could become content in a virus.

12) If you need your info changed/removed I will gladly do that for you.  Otherwise...

PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMPLAINTS AND CRITICISMS TO YOURSELF. 

Remember that I am giving up my life and personal time or family time to provide you with this FREE service.  This is not a paid job- it is strictly volunteer- so don't treat me like an employee.  Giving me garbage when I am going out of my way to help you out of the goodness of my heart will affect everyone as I will shut the site down for good!

13) I will no longer spend money on this site.  Even after this last reunion, donations, and gifts, I am still $1000 in the hole from helping people over the years.  The infrequent times I ever received a site donation, I put it toward site or reunion costs NOT my pocket.  If you would like to send me a donation to compensate me for my losses or for the time I still put into the site to keep it alive, I will gladly accept it.

What I've just stated may come as a surprise to a lot of people, but I have suffered a fair amount of garbage in the years of maintaining the site and it's database.  I must lay down the law if the site is to still exist in some form.

-Tami, the webmistress    

FREQUENTLY ASKED SITE QUESTIONS

  1. Why do I need to include both past and present surnames?
  2. Why doesn't my sign up information show up in the website immediately after I submit it?
  3. Do I have to fill in all of the blanks of a sign up form?
  4. Why are there entries for people with no contact information in it?
  5. What does the date in a person's entry refer to?
  6. Why does the info in a missing person's entry change, even if they are still missing?
  7. Why aren't all of the people from my class year listed on the website?
  8. Why does the site limit how many photographs a person may have in their entry?
  9. What if I want to find a classmate or faculty member that is not listed on the website?
  10. Can I link to this site?
  11. How can I contact the person behind this website?
  12. Why don't I get my photographs returned that I submit?
  13. Why do I have problems accessing this site with my WebTV system?
  14. Is the information I submit to this site sold or rented to spam services or telemarketers?
  15. Why is my information out of date?
  16. Is it possible to visit GTMO? What's it like nowadays?
  17. Is WTSampson High School still open on base in GTMO?
  18. Why can't the next reunion be held in or near my city of residence?
  19. Why did I have to pay in advance for the reunion rather than at the door of the event?


1. Why do I need to include both past and present names?

This makes it possible for people that either knew you then or know you now to find your information. Many people have changed their surname for a variety of reasons (marriage, using one's stepparent's surname back in school, legal name change for personal reasons, you name it). Another reason is that I (the webmistress) have gotten to know many of you by your current surname. Many of you may have gone by a different/abbreviated/nick name back in school, but as an adult now use your legal name. No matter which name you click on when using the directory, it will take you to the same entry.


2. Why doesn't my sign up information show up in the website immediately after I submit it?

This is not an automated system. I run this site out of the goodness of my heart and I have a life. When I have the chance, I check email and manually transfer the information (that I receive in a sign up form/email) to my database. I upload it to the website at my earliest convenience- within one month at the latest.


3. Do I have to fill in all of the blanks on the sign up form?

No you do not. The bare minimum required is your name, class year, parents' name (to identify which family you belonged to, as we have many people with the same surnames and even same first and last names) and some form of contact information (one of the following: mailing address, email address, telephone number). However, the more information you provide the better- it provides me with backup contact information (good when email fails), etc. Another reason to provide more than one way to contact you: many of you who provided only an email address and then changed ISP's were unable to be contacted some other way, and thus missed out on the reunion. The rare time that I send out mass emailings regarding the site, a large number bounce back. After several failed email attempts, I remove your email address from your entry on the website and, if it is the only form of contact I have for you, you are then marked as missing.


4. Why are there entries for people with no contact information in them?

People with no information in their entry are missing. It is a blank entry for a person whom someone asked that I add to the website as missing. OR, I may have had contact info for them once upon a time, but they moved or changed ISP's, did not provide me with their current mail or email address, thus becoming missing people. Do me a favor and send me a change of address when you move or change ISP's- not only do you make the site up to date but I really appreciate it and it helps all of us out and helps you know about upcoming reunions.


5. What does the date in a person's entry refer to?

It refers to the last time I heard from the person OR knew some part of their information (usually their email address) to be current.


6. Why does the info in a missing person's entry change, even if they are still missing?

It may refer to the last time I tried to search for them or heard about a last known whereabouts.


7. Why aren't all of the people from my class year listed on the website?

The people listed on the website goes back to the original 200+ I found in the early 1990's and thus were listed on the website when it was launched on 1 January 1999. I can't possibly list every person that ever attended because, like most of you, I only lived in Gtmo for a certain amount of time and only have yearbooks from the years I attended- in fact I don't even appear in the yearbook from my first year at WTSampson because my family moved there after it had been sent to the printer. The solution was to add people's names as requested or as they turn up. If you have the urge to compile lists of people from the years you attended WTSampson (to fill in the website blanks) and forward them to me (for me to add to the site at my convenience), please feel free and my thanks to you in advance.


8. Why does the site limit how many photographs a person may have in their entry?

We do not have an unlimited amount of space for the website and photographs use up a significant amount of that space. To be fair to everyone, we limit each person's entry to no more than three photographs. As it stands, if everyone had just one photograph in their entry, then we would exceed our site's allotted space.


9. What if I want to find a classmate or faculty member that is not listed on the website?

I keep notes to myself on who is looking for whom and I write to let people know when their missing friend turns up. People searches are LONG and grueling. Typically, I'd lucky to find one out of every ten or twenty people I searched for. Add to that the fact that the list of missing people grows many many times faster than missing people turn up. Adding the names of all of these missing people takes time in and of itself. Please remember that SOME PEOPLE WISH TO REMAIN MISSING. I have been in contact with some who let it be known that they do not want to be contacted and I have respected their wishes.

I will no longer be going out of my way to do missing people searches as I've grown tired of being used as a free detective service.  You can ask me to add people to the site as missing and if they ever turn up I'll email you and let you know.  Beyond that, I recommend that you either try contacting others from their classyear or whom you remember the missing person hanging out with in Gtmo or you consult one of the many free people finder online sites such as Switchboard.com or whitepages.com.  If you found this site, then you are capable of finding a person yourself.  If the free services do not work, then try many of the online people finder services.  Good luck.


10. Can I link to this site?

Yes, please do add my website as a link on your own website or refer my site to other webpages of interest to former brats, military personnel, GTMO-ites, etc. I only ask that you link to the main page of my website, which includes the site introduction, etc., to prevent confusion for the person who links to "GTMO WTSHS Students".  If you have/know about a website that is Gtmo related, I will gladly add it to the "links" section of this site.  I reserve the right to disqualify site links for improper content, actions, etc.


11. How can I contact the person behind this website?

You can write, telephone, or email me at:

Tami LoBasso
17051 SW Cobblestone Drive
Sherwood, OR 97140
503-925-1594
tlobasso@yahoo.com

I was Tami Weeder in high school, Class of 1986, and lived there from Fall 1983 to December 1985. My family was attached to Supply. You can click on my entry in the website under either surname for additional information.


12. Why don't I get my photographs returned that I submit?

I cannot afford to return ship all photographs that I receive for addition to the site. If you would like to have your photograph returned, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope when you mail it to me in the first place.  After 12 months, photos will be disposed of.


13. Why do I have problems accessing this site with my WebTV system?

WebTV has known problems with sites that utilize 'frames'. This site uses 'frames' formatting for much of its content. When we first launched this site, we received complaints from a few WebTV users who could not access it or had their machines crash in the process, but not from all WebTV users. At the time, we found that upgrading one's WebTV system to a newer model seemed to solve the problem. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone.

Note: WebTV seems to have worked out the kinks and its users no longer complain about the problem.


14. Is the information I submit to this site given out or sold or rented to spam services or telemarketers?

NO! WE DO NOT GIVE AWAY, RENT, OR SELL ANY INFORMATION FROM THIS SITE TO ANYONE. I am personally against telemarketing, spamming, and all other irritating forms of home/life/computer privacy invasion. While anyone 'out there' could access your information in this website and abuse it, it is much easier for them to get your contact info from any number of services (the kind that send you junk mail at home/on the computer/try to sell you garbage over the telephone/give out your contact info when you buy a house, etc., not to mention simply one little unscrupulous company or catalog selling it to another and it then snowballs). We set up this website in such a manner as to make it more difficult for anyone to gather information on people by having to go through several steps before reaching someone's entry. I can't help the fact that there are unscrupulous people/companies out there that specifically hire individuals to gather email addresses and info for their own purposes.  And don't get me started on web-bots...


15. Why is my information out of date?

You may have forgotten to let me know your current whereabouts or contact info following a move or change of address. A classmate or acquaintance may have submitted your information for you- which may or may not have been correct at the time. Or if you've sent in current info and it hasn't appeared just yet, it may be that I am out of town (or downright busy) and haven't had the opportunity to make the change and get it uploaded so continue to be patient until it appears.


16. Is it possible to visit GTMO? What's it like nowadays (circa new millennium)?

Yes, it is possible to visit GTMO. Flights still run on the same schedule as they have since the 1980's (Tuesday and Friday flights) to and from Norfolk, VA, and Jacksonville, FL. You must be sponsored by a current resident of the base, they must receive command approval, and then you need a chunk of change! Last I heard (circa 2000), it cost $800+ round trip to fly from one of the above mentioned bases. I've heard that you have the choice of staying with your sponsor or at the Navy Lodge, though it may have changed since Gtmo turned into a prison. Once upon a time the base population was around 5,000 people and we could get an aircraft carrier in and double the base population. Nowadays, I hear it is barely 2,000, with many the 'commands' run by smaller groups of contractors instead of military personnel. There are now, however, many amenities we could only dream about when we were there- internet access, cable, a 'mall', McDonald's, etc. 

*NOTE: with the prisoners, base population has swelled again, to the highest numbers seen in years, and you can learn about life there these days by clicking on the links page and reading and article published August 2004.


17. Is WTSampson High School still open on base in GTMO?

Yes. The students moved from the old high school up on Chapel Hill (back when the chapel was used for assemblies) into the new high school (down back by the golf course/enlisted club/enlisted barracks/swimming pool) in the fall of 1985, though the class of 1985 was able to use the gym (which had been completed at that time) for their graduation ceremony. Graduating classes peaked at several dozen, however, the class of 2000 had a whopping 6 students!


18. Why can't the next reunion be held in or near my city of residence?

This is to be fair to everyone, as people registered on the site reside all over the world. It's true that groups of people settled in/near big Navy towns such as Norfolk and Jax- however that consideration can't be the ruling factor for all reunions. I had to take into consideration many other things such as big airline hubs (which means lower airfares for people flying to the event, especially if they live too far away to drive), accommodations for a large group of people at an affordable rate, a place for the event that can hold the large number of people expected to attend (and then a bit extra- based on the unexpected reunion turnout we had in 2000), and other things for people to do in the area (many want/need the reunion to double as a personal/family vacation in order to get the most for their travel dollar/vacation budget). Locations vary from reunion to reunion to make up for the fact that most people have to travel great distances to attend.  For  example, I had to organize and travel to St. Louis for the first site reunion in 1993, from Utah to Florida for the 2000 reunion, and from Oregon to Las Vegas- even though I was the one putting on the events.

Note: I will no longer put on reunions.  Someone else will have to step up to the plate in the future.  I will advertise reunions that others put on.  However, don't bug me if you have questions- bug the person putting it on.


19. Why did I have to (or why did Tami want me to) pay in advance for the reunion rather than at the door of the events?

Because I had to pay for the events in advance as well. There were many up front costs involved in pulling off the reunion (making and mailing invitations for those of us without net access, researching and contacting hotels for the event, not to mention finding people and maintaining this website). Then there were payments to the place where the event was held- a deposit before most of you even knew about the reunion, half of the money which was due way in advance of the reunion, and the final payment which was again, due weeks before the reunion. The hotel also needed to know how many people they would be buying and cooking dinner for. We also needed to know how many would attend in order to have a large enough room and so that enough tables could be set up (as witnessed by the staff setting up more tables as we outgrew the banquet facilities). As it was, at the 2000 reunion I also ended up paying the hotel out of pocket (beforehand-as I learned more people did not bother to rsvp yet were attending).  I also had to pay additional money in the middle of the event for more food (as so many unexpected people showed up at the door). Also, if we had more money to work with beforehand, we might have been able to afford luxuries such as a professional DJ. Bottom line, I have lost a good $1000 running the site and putting on reunions over the years and I simply cannot afford to front this kind of money for an event of this magnitude again.