Air Force Academy – A new superintendent took command of the Air Force Academy today, saying his goal is to make the school a safe environment for cadets amid complaints of sexual assault and religious intolerance.
“We have to have a positive learning environment, one that is free from discrimination and assault,” Lt. Gen. John Regni told reporters. “Right on the heels of that is safety.” He became the 17th superintendent of the 50-year old academy, replacing Lt. Gen. John Rosa, who was brought in to help the school recover from a sexual assault scandal in 2003.
Dozens of female cadets said they were punished or forced out after reporting sexual attacks. Under Rosa the academy developed a system to deal with sex assaults that was adopted by the entire Air Force.
Regni said his job would be easier because of the changes Rosa made in his 2 1/2-year tenure.
In recent months, the school has been shaken by allegations that evangelical Christian staffers and cadets at the academy had harassed students of other faiths. The Air Force issued new guidelines on religion in August, but an academy graduate filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the school’s leaders fostered an environment of intolerance.
Rosa and his staff addressed religious discrimination claims with sensitivity training and more attention to the needs of minorities.
Regni, who had been commander of the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., said his experience in Air Force education would help in his new job.
“Every time you are given an opportunity to command it is daunting,” he said. “We’re not fearful of the challenge that lies ahead.” Rosa is retiring from the Air Force and will become president of his alma mater, The Citadel, a state military college in South Carolina.
“We played the cards that were dealt to us,” Rosa said today at a change-of-command ceremony on a sunny but brisk day.
He said he wanted to ensure parents could be proud of sending their sons and daughters to the academy, and he believed he and his team had succeeded.
Senior cadet Brett Black of Williston, N.D., one of several hundred students who attend the ceremony, said Rosa “brought us out of our toughest times. There is a whole lot of respect for him.” “We’re not really expecting a lot of change,” he said.
