'I'm Disgusted': Air Force Academy New Superintendent Reacts To Sex Assault Allegations
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- The Air Force Academy's new superintendent, Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, talked about the six-month CBS News investigation into sexual assault allegations at the academy.
Silveria appeared on CBS This Morning on Tuesday to discuss the investigation.
"I'm disgusted," Silveria said.
More than a dozen current and former cadets talked about being sexually assaulted and harassed at the Air Force Academy in a special investigation that aired on Monday's CBS This Morning.
Emily Hazen and Melissa Hildremyr both said the AFA was their "dream school" -- but say they abandoned their military careers after they were sexually assaulted by fellow cadets.
"I was sexually assaulted my freshmen year... and the sexual harassment I endured eventually made me leave," Hazen told CBS News.
A former top official on sexual assault says she believes the academy undercounts sexual assault cases.
Silveria said that the academy has many outlets for cadets to go for support.
"We have a layer of care for the cadets. We have mental health professionals, they have student counseling services, they have chaplains that are available for cadets of faith. All of our commanders are trained, they have an accredited master's degree in counseling from the University of Colorado system. So cadets get the type of support the way they want to get support."
Silveria also said that he doesn't believe there are problems with the way sexual assaults are reported at the AFA.
"You talked about some of the reporting of the sexual assaults, I want numbers of reports to go up. I know that doesn't make sense right on the surface, but I want reporting to go up. We know that this is an under-reported crime. We know that across the nation, and across campuses, this is under-reported. So I want reporting to go up so I can provide that care, provide that support. Last year, 38 percent of the assaults that were reported to our offices, 38 percent were assaults that happened prior to arriving at the Air Force Academy, which means some cadets received care and support for something that happened prior to arriving at the academy. That's why I want to have that available to them, that support."
