1. Perceptions of Leadership and the Willingness to Report Sexual Assault at the U.S. Military Academies
Heidi L. Scherer
Department of Sociology &Criminal Justice
Kennesaw State University
Coauthors:Jamie A. Snyder, University of West Florida
Bonnie S. Fisher, University of Cincinnati

2. Literature Review
A notable proportion of cadets/midshipman report experiencing sexual victimization at the military academies (Snyder, Fisher, Scherer, and Daigle, 2012)
Unwanted sexual attention: 23%
Sexual harassment: 56%
Unwanted sexual contact: 16%
Sexual coercion: 8%
Rape: 4%

3. Literature Review
Estimated that less than 20% of cadets and midshipmen report sexual assaults to military authorities (DOD, 2012)
Military culture, perceptions of leadership, and organizational structure shape victimization and reporting
Victimization: male-dominated culture, informal code of silence, and power differentials (Pershing, 2003, DOD, 2012)
Reporting: fear of reprisal/retaliation, lack of support from chain of command, and concern about peer response (GAO, 1995; Bastian et al., 1996)

4. Current Study
Past studies on the reporting of sexual assault in the military academies have been limited methodologically
Small n’s, qualitative interviews, female-only samples, analyses restricted to descriptive statistics/bivariate relationships
Examines the willingness to report sexual assault to the military chain of command and how willingness is affected by: 1) prior sexual assault, 2) perceptions of leadership, and 3) academy climate
Multivariate analyses

5. Data
The Service Academy 2005 Sexual Harassment and Assault Survey (SASA2005)
Congressionally mandated survey to track sexual harassment and assault
Administered at the Army, Naval, and Air Force Academies
Includes questions on academy climate, perceptions of leadership, and sexual victimization
N = 5,200 male (62%) and female (38%) cadets and midshipmen

6. Dependent Variable Willingness to Report Sexual Assault
Respondents were asked: “Would you be willing to report a personal experience of sexual assault to officer/non-commission officer chain of command?”

7. Independent Variables
Prior Sexual Victimization: Rape
Academy Climate: 1) Violation of Honor Code, 2) Get Away with SH, 3) Personal Loyalty Above Victims, 4) Confront Perpetrators, 5) Report Perpetrators of SA, 6) Sexual Assault Increasing Problem, and 7) Gender Equality
Perceptions of Leadership: 1) Commissioned Officers’ Morality and 2) Commissioned Officers’ Intolerance for Sexual Assault
Controls: 1) Sex, 2) Academy, and 3) Class

8. Willingness to Report Type of Organization/Authority % Yes
(Full Sample)
(Rape Victims)
Officer/NCO Chain of Command 68 41
Cadet/Midshipman Chain of Command 53 45
Academy Counseling 62 38
Military Police/Security Forces 52 32
Academy Hotline/Helpline 58 36
Academy Faculty 73 54
Academy Chaplain/Clergy 81 63
Parent/Family Member/Friend 87 75

9. Results: Multivariate Binary Logistic Regression
Variable
AOR
Controls
Academy Climate
Female
0.54*
Honor Code
1.49*
Naval
0.61*
Get Away with SH
0.72*
Air Force
0.73*
Personal Loyalty
0.78*
Class of 2006
0.88
Confront Perpetrators
1.42*
Class of 2007
1.10
Report Rape Perpetrators
1.54*
Class of 2008
1.46*
Sexual Assault a Problem
CO Leadership
Gender Equality
1.30*
Morality
1.39*
Prior Sexual Victimization
Intolerance for SA
1.85*
Rape
0.43*
p < .01**

10. Discussion Willingness to report was significantly impacted by:
The cadets’ and midshipmen’s perceptions of commanding officers’ morality and intolerance for sexual assault
The climate at the academy
Perception of support = More likely to report
Perception of non-support = Less likely to report
Prior rape victimization

11. Policy Implications
Military leadership can increase reporting by setting the tone that sexual assault is not tolerated
CO have discretion to charge;
Only 13% of eligible court martial cases resulted in a conviction (DOD, 2013)
Increase bystander intervention awareness and acts among cadets and midshipmen (see Coker et al., 2011)

12. Questions?