The Air Force Academy still has issues to resolve regarding religious tolerance and acceptance of women in the ranks, according to results of the 2009-2010 Cadet and Permanent Party Climate Assessment Surveys, which were released Oct. 29. “Acceptance reflects respect for human dignity and appreciation of diversity, which is part of character development,” said Col. Miken Therianos, the school’s director of Strategic Plans and programs, Requirements, Assessments and Analyses. “In a perfect world, we would have all categories move significantly toward becoming more accepting of those who are different than us.” Among the results:
* Acceptance of non-Christian cadets remains an issue, with 48 percent of the religious non-Christian cadets who responded to the survey stating that their classmates have “low tolerance for those who do not follow a religion or believe in a divine being.”
* Anonymous reports of sexual harassment rose in 2009 from 2006 survey levels. Academy officials note, however, that the scope of the newest question was widened to include the entire academy rather than a respondent’s individual unit.
* The number of women saying they experienced unwanted sexual attention dropped to 10 percent; in 2006, the figure was 18 percent.
* Some respondents said they feared for their safety because of their gender, religion, or race.
