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The Coast Guard is expected on Friday to release the results of a six-month long study into the leadership climate at the Coast Guard Academy, of New London, Conn.</p>
<p>Officials announced Wednesday that Academy Superintendent Rear Adm. J. Scott Burhoe will meet with media at 2 p.m. to discuss the findings of a task force convened last September after the conviction of an academy cadet on sexual assault charges....
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<p>By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
March 30, 2007 2:59 PM EDT </p>
<p>NEW LONDON, Conn. - The U.S. Coast Guard Academy has lost its way and is struggling with a climate of distrust and cynicism in which nearly one in four cadets say they would not report classmates who commit sexual assault, a task force reported Friday.</p>
<p>The task force, created last year after the first student court-martial in the academy's 130-year history, said the academy must restore its focus on leadership and character development to create the best officers to safeguard the nation's coast.</p>
<p>Otherwise, the report warned, the academy is in danger of losing the distinct identity that separates it from other colleges.</p>
<p>The task force began its work last fall after Cadet Webster Smith was acquitted of rape but served five months in prison for extorting a female classmate for sexual favors. It did not find widespread problems feared in the wake of Smith's case.</p>
<p>"The task force made an exhaustive effort to uncover whatever misconduct or malfeasance may have represented the potential unseen iceberg below the recently reported events," the report states. "What it found was a dearth of this behavior, and precious little that had not been duly investigated and adjudicated."</p>
<p>An annual anonymous survey released with the task force report found that 13 - nine women and four men - of nearly 1,000 enrolled cadets reported being subject to an actual assault or attempted rape over the past year or since reporting to the academy. A total of 23 incidents were reported, up from 18 in 2005, according to the survey.</p>
<p>The task force said that an emphasis on sports and academics has overshadowed leadership development and a focus on core values.</p>
<p>Many cadets accept underage drinking, pornography and sex among cadets on campus, where it is banned, the report said.</p>
<p>Most cadets do not trust or respect their company officers. Nearly 23 percent of cadets said they would not report other cadets who commit sexual assault, while 65 percent say they would allow personal loyalty to impact their decision to report sexual assault, the survey found.</p>
<p>"Cadets' expressed feelings of cynicism and distrust of the academy institution represent a serious obstacle in achieving the academy's mission," the report stated.</p>
<p>Rear Adm. J. Scott Burhoe, superintendent of the academy, predicted Friday that the report would lead to meaningful change. He said 97 percent of graduates become highly successful officers.</p>
<p>"I know that sustaining that record of success requires constant self-reflection and improvement," Burhoe said.</p>
<p>While the number of female cadets has risen, some cadets and faculty have not fully adjusted to the presence of women and minorities at the academy, the report said. It said that minority cadets and faculty also perceived that white students were held to a different standard than minority students.</p>
<p>Smith, who is black, claimed he was treated differently than white cadets accused of sexual offenses.</p>
<p>I hope everyone takes this report with a considerable amount of salt. </p>
<p>Basically you are having 60-year old admirals judge 19 and 20 year olds who for better or worse have been raised in a society in which they are bombarded 24/7 with sexual imagery, glorification of drinking, and a general lack of civility and moral standards.</p>
<p>These same kids are plunked into a restrictive, compacted environment in which their every move is scrutinized. </p>
<p>Despite this type of environment and the culture in which they have been immersed, just over 1% of the corps has been subject to any kind of assault. While even this minuscule amount is too much, it is not the kind of doomsday scenario this report seems to paint. </p>
<p>The 23% who would not turn in a fellow cadet is a disturbing number; but that is based on a hypothetical. Given the actual situation, particularly if a friend or fellow company member was the victim, I bet this number would be considerably lower.</p>
<p>Cynicism and distrust among the corps? Nothing new here...probably you could have gotten the same results in a survey 50 years ago.</p>
<p>Perhaps sports and academics have been overemphasized. This is somewhat questionable, since in both arenas the school has excelled greatly in the recent past. If all we want is a leadership academy, then shut the place down and send people to the Cape May Training Center.</p>
<p>The large majority of cadets are honorable, hard-working kids who are living in a society gone wild. Some will stumble along the way, but most will make our country proud in the long run.</p>
<p>Boss,</p>
<p>Has the CGA initiated a program similar to that establsihed by USNA?
The USNA has established a sexual assault violence initiative that speaks of these issues to mids. [Perhaps not soon enough if the cruise ship antics are true.]
It is my understanding that, heretofore, it has been taught by non-mids.
Beginning next year, these briefs will be conducted mid to mid.
I don't know that the subject matter will be any better received [guys rarely acknowledge they have "crossed the line" when it comes to sexual assault], but at least the NA is trying to reach them peer-to-peer.</p>
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The U.S. Coast Guard Academy has lost its way, struggling with a climate of distrust and cynicism in which nearly one in four cadets say they would not report classmates who commit sexual assault, a task force reported March 30.</p>
<p>The task force, created last year after the first student court-martial in the academy?s 130-year history, said the academy must restore its focus on leadership and character development to create the best officers to safeguard the nation?s coast....
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