Sexual Harassment at USNA

Colleges and Universities A-Z Naval Academy - Annapolis
1

<p>REPORTING INCIDENTS OF SEX HARASSMENT GAINS MORE RESPECT </p>

<p>The Washington Post 032406 (C3-24)
Copyright 2006 The Washington Post </p>

<p>The Washington Post </p>

<p>BYLINE: Ray Rivera, Washington Post Staff Writer </p>

<p>Midshipmen who report sexual harassment at the U.S. Naval Academy are increasingly viewed with respect by other midshipmen, and more students believe the campus provides a positive environment for women, a new survey shows. </p>

<p>Academy officials say the responses represent big leaps forward in how male and female students view academy culture. The results also come as reports of sexual assault at the academy have been increasing, in part because of an effort to encourage victims to report incidents, officials say. </p>

<p>About 3,000 midshipmen, most of the sophomore, junior and senior classes -- responded to the academy's annual quality of life and values survey in October. Asked whether midshipmen at the Annapolis college who report sexual harassment are respected, resented or neither, 65 percent of women said "re-spected." Just 5 percent said "resented." </p>

<p>Two years ago, 66 percent of women checked "resented" to the same question. </p>

<p>Fifty-six percent of men also said "respected." It was the first time in at least the last five surveys, the only data available yesterday, in which the majority of both sexes answered positively. </p>

<p>Asked whether the Naval Academy provides a positive environment for women, 62 percent of men and 44 percent of women said they agreed, also higher percentages for both than in any of the last five surveys. Twenty percent of women and 12 percent of men disagreed. The rest marked "neither." </p>

<p>Academy officials say they are encouraged by the results but that more work needs to be done. Gov-ernment studies have repeatedly criticized the school's culture as being hostile to women since it began ac-cepting them in 1976. </p>

<p>Those issues were recently cast in the spotlight again in two court cases. In the first, Lt. Bryan D. Black, an academy instructor, is facing a special court-martial on suspicion of using sexually offensive language in front of male and female midshipmen. </p>

<p>The second case involves Lamar S. Owens Jr., last season's starting quarterback, who is accused of raping a female midshipman in her dorm room in January. Neither case has gone to trial.</p>

2

<p>The Baltimore Sun
March 24, 2006
Females surveyed feel they won't be resented for reporting misconduct </p>

<p>By Bradley Olson </p>

<p>A growing number of female midshipmen at the Naval Academy believe students won't be resented if they report sexual misconduct, according to survey data released by the military college yesterday.
The survey revealed that 5 percent of female Mids who responded last fall said they believe those who report sexual harassment will be resented, a sharp decline from 66 percent in 2003.
Academy officials said the data reflect a significant improvement in the climate of the academy about the reporting of sexual harassment and assault, a priority of Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt, the superintendent.
"One incident of sexual harassment, misconduct or assault is too many," Rempt said in a written statement.
But the data also show continuing cultural challenges.
Less than half of the female midshipmen at the academy - 44 percent - believe that the school provides a positive environment for women, the survey found. However, that is up from 24 percent in 2003.
The data released yesterday were based on the academy's annual "values survey" of sophomores, juniors and seniors, conducted in October.
Release of the figures comes several weeks after the academy charged senior Lamar S. Owens, the former Navy quarterback, with raping a junior midshipman in her dorm room on Jan. 29. He has denied the charges.
In court testimony, a friend of the alleged victim painted a different picture of the culture at the military college, saying that women who report sexual assaults are "crucified" on the campus, mostly by peers.
In August, a Department of Defense task force faulted the academy for failing to improve a culture deemed hostile to women.
Senior academy officials said they are encouraged by some of the numbers in the survey, noting that 98 percent of midshipmen said they have not experienced sexual assault of any kind; 97 percent of female Mids said they feel safe sleeping in Bancroft Hall, the academy's dormitory; and 95 percent of women said they would recommend the academy to a friend.
The academy also released statistics yesterday showing that of 56 accusations of sexual assault since 2001, two resulted in convictions, and both of those convicted were sentenced to one year in prison.
Officials acknowledged that adjudicating rape cases is often a challenge at the school because many allegations lack sufficient evidence, because of "he said, she said" scenarios, the use of alcohol or past relationships between the accuser and the accused.
In 17 of the 56 allegations, midshipmen were reported to be victims of an assault perpetrated by a non-midshipman. The other 39 involved midshipmen accused of sexual assault, and 10 of those cases were not investigated because the victim declined to participate.
Of the remaining 29 cases, four are still under investigation; 13 yielded evidence of other misconduct and were processed in the academy's conduct system; and in eight cases "the evidence supported the sexual assault allegations."
Six of the accused midshipmen in those eight cases were referred to court-martial or civilian trial, and the remaining two were disciplined in the academy's conduct system. Seven of the eight midshipmen were eventually expelled.</p>

3

<p>Admiral Rempt has made this issue a priority and it seems to be working.</p>