Former Head of Cadet Discipline Says She Never Saw a "true Rape" at Academy

Tampa Bay Online ^ | 09/10/03 | Robert Gehrke

[MortMan]

Sep 10, 2003

Former Head of Cadet Discipline Says She Never Saw "true Rape" at Academy

By Robert Gehrke, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Air Force Academy officer formerly in charge of cadet discipline told military investigators that she never saw a "true rape" at the academy, and that problems were merely a result of a permissive attitude toward drinking and fraternization. Col. Laurie Sue Slavec made her comments to an Air Force investigator looking into allegations from female cadets who said leadership at the academy was indifferent to their claims that they were sexually assaulted. They said that in some cases, leaders punished the purported victim for violating academy rules.

Portions of the interview transcript were among the thousands of pages of documents released by the Air Force investigative panel this week. Slavec could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

"Partying is encouraged and partying is a ticket to the acceptance community and partying becomes an environment and you introduce alcohol into that which then dilutes the judgments, then sexual assault becomes an issue," Slavec said. "I've never been party to or witnessed somebody who was ... taken by force, which if you look at that end of the spectrum, a true rape or a true violent assault, I've never seen that happen."

According to Air Force records, there were 142 sexual assaults reported at the academy since 1993. Figures released last week by the Pentagon inspector general said nearly one in five female cadets surveyed said they had been sexually assaulted since arriving at the academy.

Slavec's interview with the panel appointed by Air Force Secretary James Roche came months after problems at the academy had been widely reported and just a week before Roche replaced the academy leadership, including Slavec, who was reassigned to the Pentagon.

Slavec was in the first female class at the academy, graduating in 1980. She became commander for the 34th Training Group last year with responsibilities that included developing and implementing policies for cadet discipline, inspections, housing and conduct and monitoring programs impacting cadet morale and welfare.

Nonetheless, when asked by investigators if she knew how the Air Force Academy defined sexual assault, she said she did not.

She told the investigator that sexual assaults at the academy were a result of a permissive attitude toward male and female cadets sharing dorm rooms.

"So then you find cohabitation going on, and you introduce alcohol into it and there may be more than the two people in there and there's a party going on and nobody is saying stop. Nobody is making any indication that this is not consensual," she said. "Now, at what point does that become sexual assault? ... You get caught after having sex together for the last six months and now all of a sudden that incident becomes rape."

Slavec expressed strong opinions on other academy woes as well.

She said athletes receive special treatment that interferes with the command structure, but the leadership is more worried about doing well in sports than solving problems.

She said Brig. Gen. S. Taco Gilbert III was aggressively trying to solve the "frat house" mentality that existed at the academy, but was not receiving support from Lt. Gen. John Dallager, the superintendent of the school. Both Gilbert and Dallager were reassigned and Dallager retired after a demotion.

And she said that female cadets do not have a good support structure at the academy, with few women in leadership positions - a finding echoed last week by a congressional panel that is conducting an outside inquiry into the academy.

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On the Net:

U.S. Air Force Academy: http://www.usafa.af.mil/

[MortMan]

An interesting viewpoint, to be sure. It certanly highlights the problems caused by the feminists' overloading the definition of 'rape'.

[mbynack]

If you look at some of the "rapes", the story starts "We were drinking in his/her room and got undressed...". Not "I was walking home from late night classes when ...".

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

I've wondered about this for quite awhile and think NOW infiltrated the academy only to make false accusations.I'm sure there was'nt any rapes.

[MortMan]

I was struck how this officer asserted that there were not cases where consent wasn't at least implied. Obviously, nobody knows all the details about every case, but in her position she should have been aware of most of the details in every reported incident.

As a husband and father (1 boy, 2 girls), I am horrified by the thought of rape - being the use or threat of force to compel a woman or man to have sex. I see the gradual degradation of that traditional definition (starting with "date rape") as lessening, not strengthening, a woman's protection.

JMO

[MortMan]

I'm not quite ready to say there were zero incidents of rape, but I certainly don't believe that every time a couple is caught that the man forced himself on the woman. It's a shame that feminists have so broadened the definition of this heinous crime as to include nearly any instance of intercourse (except maybe when the woman initiates and controls the encounter).

[Rubber_Duckie_27]

My brother has a good friend at the Air Force Academy (he is in his second year, I believe). The drinking/partying culture is still alive and well, despite what may be portrayed now. This kid went there to get an education and become a pilot, and he was shocked at how much drinking and partying is done by upperclassmen in particular. He said it's as if all discipline breaks down and it's like being at a frat party at a normal college. Apparently it has toned down a bit, and gone a bit more "underground" but it is still happening.

I wonder if the drinking/partying culture is as strong at the other academies as at Air Force? A friend of mine who graduated from Annapolis said that the frat-house atmosphere doesn't exist there, or didn't between 1999-2003 when he was there. If people wanted to get sloshed, they went off-campus for that. Ditto for Coast Guard, and I also have friends who go to CGA. It is rare, but I do know one guy who was kicked out of CGA at the beginning of his senior year for excessive alcohol violations.

[AlexW]

I think it is all part of the plan to destroy the US.

The left has taken over the Universities with Marxist
teachers, now they only need to put a few Marxist shills
into the service acadamies in order to take them down the tube.

[mbynack]

I find it pretty hard to believe that there's such a difference between the way they treat the 18 year old enlistees and the officer candidates.

They got to the point where enlisted going through basic training couldn't get alcohol at all. When they got to their first training assignment they weren't allowed off base for several weeks unless they were married. I remember that we could only get 3.2 beer in Illinois, even on base.

[Rubber_Duckie_27]

These kids (most of whom are only 17 or 18 themselves) are somehow expected to abstain from what their friends at civilian colleges are partaking in. Cadets/midshipmen are held to a higher standard than are enlistees, and are expected to self-police. They don't have drill sergeants standing watch over them 24/7. Upperclassmen run the place, and those upperclassmen are the ones most likely to be doing the drinking and partying.

The first-year kids do not really engage in drinking and partying too much, they just don't have the time - or the freedom. Juniors and seniors are a different story. At Annapolis, I believe firsties can leave the Yard 3-4 nights a week, and every weekend (Sat. afternoon- Sun. night). Nothing is stopping a 22 year old firstie from going out to a local bar and getting sloshed 3 nights a week.

In addition to talking to my brother's friend, I've spoken to my own friends who attended the Naval and Coast Guard academies. Based on these chats, it is not terribly challenging to get alcohol into one's room at a service academy when you're an upperclassman. Just as an example, CGA has a liquor store right on campus, and cadets of age are not prohibited from buying there (although they are not supposed to bring the alcohol into their room, a few do indeed do just that).

I'm not slandering the kids at service academies...I was accepted to two of them myself and decided to go to a civilian university instead. BUT, they are college-aged kids who don't always have the same level of supervision as an enlistee in basic training or tech school.

[mbynack]

We didn't have drill sergeants standing over us in tech school. Most of them went home at 4:30 in the afternoon and we were left to CQs and "Ropes". The Ropes were like trustees in a prison. They were the same rank as the rest of us, but were given special authority.

My point is that we (enlisted) were treated like 18 year-old hormone-crazed teenagers who were away from home for the first time, (Imagine that), while another 18 year old hormone-crazed teenager is assumed to be more responsible just because they were accepted to the academy.

[razorback-bert]

inspector general said nearly one in five female cadets surveyed said they had been sexually assaulted since arriving at the academy.

This makes me think that the screening process is lacking. If these women can't handle sexual advances during training in a supervised atmosphere, how will they deal with the real world.

[razorback-bert]

Upperclassmen run the place, and those upperclassmen are the ones most likely to be doing the drinking and partying.

Nope, those selected as cadet officers are not going be party animals.

If what you say about alcohol is true, we have a problem with the character of those admitted, because they lack the self discipline to do the right thing when unsupervised or in charge.

[Squantos]

Remember the rash of " I was abused by my father as a child" cases in the 90's ? Investigators can convince you that you were raped Bert !(IRS not inclusive)........besides they were wearing those provocative and really sexy BDU's and had it coming to em.....:o)

All kidding aside I can believe that crimes did occur as did violations of the honor code there. It has happened since the first splitail loootenant wannabe arrived and human nature will make it happen till the last one leaves. There are both male and females that shouldn't be there . A male or female that violates the rules of fraternization should be returned to the civie world before they become a bigger burden on the services by their inability to follow regulations , rules and directives during training and selection processes that were developed to do just that.

If a cadet can't follow, they sure as hell can't lead. Kick their ass to the curb and leave em blinking in bewilderment looking for their mommies IMO.

Stay Safe !

[mbynack]

An 1894 officers’ manual instructed that, "Enlisted men are stupid, but very cunning and deceitful and bear considerable watching,". I guess things haven't changed much.

[happygrl]

problems were merely a result of a permissive attitude toward drinking and fraternization

I'm voting for this assertion.

Nothing new under the sun.

Drinking to excess with men is always stupid and leads to the problems that your mother told you about.