Parents trust academy is safe, despite cadets survey
By Robert Weller
Associated Press
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Parents' weekend at the Air Force Academy was marred by a new survey showing that nearly one-fifth of female cadets report being sexually assaulted by fellow students, but many of the mothers and fathers still expressed confidence in the prestigious school.
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"I would never hesitate to send my kids here," said Col. Mike McPherson, an academy graduate based at nearby Peterson Air Force Base, who has two daughters at the academy, a freshman and senior.
Air Force cadets seek shelter after rain canceled their "Parents Day Parade" Friday at the Air Force Academy. In a survey conducted last spring by the Defense Department, many female cadets said they didn't report sex assaults to academy authorities because they feared being punished.
Eighteen-year-old freshman cadet Kevin Winblad of Mission Viejo, Calif., escorts his parents, Dave and Sherry, across the terrazzo at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
"It is still one of the premier institutions of higher learning in the country," McPherson said.
The survey of 579 female cadets was addressed by Lt. Gen. John A. Rosa, the academy's new superintendent, in a speech Friday to about 1,000 guests. He called the sex-assault scandal a threat to the academy's very existence and blamed his predecessors for ignoring obvious signs.
"I don't buy that nobody knew what was going on. It's just unbelievable to me that nobody knew what was going on," Rosa said. "We've got to stop rationalizing, fooling ourselves that the survey wasn't right."
In the survey, conducted last spring by the Defense Department, many of the female cadets said they didn't report sexual assaults to academy authorities because they feared being punished or ostracized. The cadets said they reported only 33 of the 177 incidents of sexual assault.
Those who did not report assaults were asked to list several reasons why they did not speak up. Nearly half said they feared being ostracized by their peers for reporting an assault.
About 45 percent said they feared nothing would be done about the assault. A quarter said they feared being punished for other infractions and the same proportion said they feared reprisals from command officials.
"When you have such tremendous fear on the part of victims, fear of reprisals for reporting to the authorities, and you have a lack of services available, it shows there's a great deal of work still to be done," said Kate Summers of the Miles Foundation, which helps victims of violence in the military.
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In 89 percent of the academy cases, the alleged assailant was identified as another cadet.
Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. John A. Rosa said it was "unbelievable" that no one knew how bad the sexual- assault scandal was.
Rosa's comments were viewed positively by Rick Palmer of Corvallis, Ore., whose daughter Alyssa is a freshman.
"My feeling when I walked out of there is that this is an excellent group of leaders," Palmer said. "With all this scrutiny this is the safest place she could be."
A survey will be done this fall to determine the extent of sexual assault problems at the nation's military academies, "but we can't wait. We've got to attack this problem now," Rosa said.
Rosa took over in July, after top commanders were ousted for failing to correct the climate in which female cadets said they were ostracized after they reported being assaulted.
Said Neil Mullin of Gadsden, Ala., whose son Reagan is a freshman: "I feel sorry for the female cadets who dreamed of coming here and being pilots and maybe astronauts and had their dreams dashed."
The scandal broke in February after female cadets began going public with details about the sexual climate at the academy.
At least three investigations are under way, and the Air Force has instituted an "agenda for change" to address some of the problems. The Air Force has indicated it wants claims of sexual assault handled openly, though critics say that will discourage assault victims from coming forward.
