The number of allegations of sexual assault at the U.S. Air Force Academy declined from 14 in the 2003-04 school year to three last year, academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. John Regni told the school’s civilian oversight board at a meeting Thursday in Washington.
All three cases involved inappropriate touching, groping and fondling, and two were substantiated.
“These results show that we are on the right track,” Regni said in comments prepared for the meeting. He added that there has been a steady rise in the willingness to report an assault, from 18.6 percent of alleged victims reporting in 2003 to 35.8 percent in 2004 and 44 percent in 2005, according to anonymous surveys.
Regni said commanders recognize that sexual assault does not exist in a vacuum and have developed programs to deal with other issues that contribute, such as underage drinking.
The academy’s leadership was ousted in 2003 when some female cadets complained they had been punished for reporting sexual assaults.
Regni told the academy’s Board of Visitors that phase two of a program to promote religious respect began with staff and faculty last month, and with cadets last week.
The academy has been criticized for allegedly allowing evangelical Christians to harass those who do not share their faith.
When the controversy arose, the academy initiated an educational program aimed at encouraging religious tolerance.
Phase two, Regni said, is a three-lesson plan to give “everyone an overview and broad understanding of the world’s major religious groups.”
