thedrifter
09-25-07, 07:00 AM
Mids. Respond Well To Sexual Harassment Prevention
CBS 13 Baltimore
(AP) WASHINGTON The first midshipmen to take part in a new sexual harassment prevention program involving peer training at the U.S. Naval Academy responded positively to the program, an academy official said Monday.
The initiative is called the Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Education Program (SHAPE). It was designed to
incorporate midshipmen into the teaching process, because peers have been found to communicate better with people their own age on the subject.
Cmdr. Ricks Polk, the academy's sexual assault response coordinator, said 32 midshipmen have been trained to teach the program. About 900 of 1,200 first-year students, also known as plebes, have been gone through the first session of the initiative. The other 300 will get the training in the next two weeks.
"We found out that midshipmen aren't as resistant to the education as we thought they were going to be," Polk said. "In
fact, they were more interactive than we anticipated."
In a report to the academy's Board of Visitors, Polk said the service academy was prepared "take on a more confrontational approach" to make midshipmen take the lessons to heart, but that wasn't necessary.
Polk said "closing the discussion down was more challenging for us than it was to get them to interact on the discussion."
"There was good interaction across the board with all of them and good positive feed back from the midshipmen," Polk said.
The program also was established to create a more structured approach to raising awareness of sexual misconduct over a midshipman's four year years at the academy.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who is a member of the Board of Visitors, which acts in a similar way as a college board of trustees, took the report as a positive sign, after a tough year at the academy with sexual harassment cases.
"That seems as if that's a good sign that they want to take on the responsibility of doing the right thing," Cummings said.
The class of 2011 is the first to be take part in the program, which will incorporate one class per year. For example, the classes of 2011 and 2012 will take part next year.
The initiative focuses on explaining details about what constitutes rape and the psychological impacts of the crime. It
also will include discussions about dating, consent, the role alcohol plays in relationships and the legal aspects of sexual assault.
The academy ended up expelling former football star Lamar Owens in April after he was acquitted of raping a fellow midshipman but convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer. Also in April another former football player, Kenny Ray Morrison, was convicted of sexually assaulting a fellow midshipman.
In other business, Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler told board members that changes such as increased mandatory study time and more emphasis on getting students exposed to sailors and marines were made to better prepare midshipmen for wartime.
"I think the shake-up is good," Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., who is a board member, told him during the meeting.
Academy officials also assured board members that a flap last month relating to the academy's food service has been resolved. A new policy increasing mandatory meals for midshipmen and renovations where the students eat caused a disruption at chow time at the academy, with some students complaining about it.
Fowler said the issue was quickly resolved.
Ellie
CBS 13 Baltimore
(AP) WASHINGTON The first midshipmen to take part in a new sexual harassment prevention program involving peer training at the U.S. Naval Academy responded positively to the program, an academy official said Monday.
The initiative is called the Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Education Program (SHAPE). It was designed to
incorporate midshipmen into the teaching process, because peers have been found to communicate better with people their own age on the subject.
Cmdr. Ricks Polk, the academy's sexual assault response coordinator, said 32 midshipmen have been trained to teach the program. About 900 of 1,200 first-year students, also known as plebes, have been gone through the first session of the initiative. The other 300 will get the training in the next two weeks.
"We found out that midshipmen aren't as resistant to the education as we thought they were going to be," Polk said. "In
fact, they were more interactive than we anticipated."
In a report to the academy's Board of Visitors, Polk said the service academy was prepared "take on a more confrontational approach" to make midshipmen take the lessons to heart, but that wasn't necessary.
Polk said "closing the discussion down was more challenging for us than it was to get them to interact on the discussion."
"There was good interaction across the board with all of them and good positive feed back from the midshipmen," Polk said.
The program also was established to create a more structured approach to raising awareness of sexual misconduct over a midshipman's four year years at the academy.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who is a member of the Board of Visitors, which acts in a similar way as a college board of trustees, took the report as a positive sign, after a tough year at the academy with sexual harassment cases.
"That seems as if that's a good sign that they want to take on the responsibility of doing the right thing," Cummings said.
The class of 2011 is the first to be take part in the program, which will incorporate one class per year. For example, the classes of 2011 and 2012 will take part next year.
The initiative focuses on explaining details about what constitutes rape and the psychological impacts of the crime. It
also will include discussions about dating, consent, the role alcohol plays in relationships and the legal aspects of sexual assault.
The academy ended up expelling former football star Lamar Owens in April after he was acquitted of raping a fellow midshipman but convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer. Also in April another former football player, Kenny Ray Morrison, was convicted of sexually assaulting a fellow midshipman.
In other business, Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler told board members that changes such as increased mandatory study time and more emphasis on getting students exposed to sailors and marines were made to better prepare midshipmen for wartime.
"I think the shake-up is good," Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., who is a board member, told him during the meeting.
Academy officials also assured board members that a flap last month relating to the academy's food service has been resolved. A new policy increasing mandatory meals for midshipmen and renovations where the students eat caused a disruption at chow time at the academy, with some students complaining about it.
Fowler said the issue was quickly resolved.
Ellie