Survey: 'Happy with progress' at AFA

A biennial cadet survey completed in early 2010 showed much to be proud of at the Air Force Academy but also hit on several “challenges,” including perceptions of racial discrimination by minority groups on base, Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michael Gould said Thursday.

“Overall, I’m happy with the progress we’ve made,” Gould said. “We also have some challenges that we need to work on, and we are.”

The biggest change from past years, however, appears to be the academy’s approach to releasing the survey results.

The academy declined to provide figures to support its many rosy assessments, a switch from previous years when the data was summarized and made available warts-and-all in lengthy reports.

“This is still a work in progress,” Gould said of sorting through the six-month-old surveys, in which nearly 4,000 cadets and faculty and staff members were asked to rate their experiences on campus.

The survey was administered online during a two-month period that ended Jan. 31.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference on campus, Gould said any analysis conducted so far is “pre-decisional,” a legal term often invoked as grounds to deny Freedom of Information Act requests.

The Air Force Academy began administering the anonymous and voluntary “climate surveys” in their current form in 2004, after a national uproar over claims that female cadets were being harassed and abused by their male counterparts.

The inaugural surveys were analyzed in a 68-page report that broke down cadets’ responses to questions about attitudes toward female cadets, drug use, racial matters and many other sensitive topics.

The 2005 report – which is available on the academy’s website – found that among white cadets responding to the survey, more than half believed racial minorities received unfair advantages, and nearly 30 percent questioned the criteria “when minority gets the job.”

The only written document summarizing this year’s results was an 11-paragraph news release hailing that “responses generally reflected a positive work and learning environment.”

The news release praised the academy’s faculty involvement, academics, guest speaker programs and clubs and activities. It noted several areas in which the academy strives to improve, such as “institutional pride, equity and our No. 1 priority of respect for human dignity.”

Without mentioning numbers, Gould elaborated on those findings during remarks and a question-and-answer period.

Most cadets, faculty and staff feel valued, supported and welcomed, he said. Few felt “disconnected” or ostracized, and overall, cadets and staff gave the work environment a positive rating.

Gould said that religious discrimination, once a hot topic at the academy, no longer appeared to be a significant complaint, and that perceptions of athletes receiving special treatment are on the decline – a dramatic about-face.

In 2007, the last time the survey was administered, the academy reported that more than half the cadets who completed the survey said they believed athletes got preferential treatment; two-thirds said athletes received special privileges.

Gould said coaches have led the way in showing that athletes are held to the same standards as everyone else, and that the message is spreading.

“I think we have a pretty healthy climate in that regard,” he said.

Gould identified several “challenges” revealed by the surveys, including a finding that cadets tend to ignore disparaging remarks about race and religion rather than confront the offender.

In other troubling findings, Gould said that “some minority cadets” feel less accepted than other groups, and that there is a perception of discrimination and harassment among "some minority groups.”

Gould said the academy consistently works to instill respect for human dignity, and he pledged a swift response to racially motivated offenses: “We have a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of harassment or discrimination.”

Cadets also reported that they felt “overwhelmed,” which Gould attributed to a mix of factors, including academic pressure, the prospect of multiple deployments into war and Air Force downsizing that has resulted in young officers getting laid off.

Academy spokesman Dave Cannon said Thursday that no decision has been made about what more, if anything, will be released when the analysis of the survey is complete.

“We’ll work with the lawyers when we get the final results,” Cannon said.

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