<p>I am a bit removed from the current situation as I graduated from USAFA in 1978 – women were first admitted during my Junior year.</p>
<p>However, my personal experience (along with some secondary experience with my Daughter who is at UVA), is that most (but not all) of the sexual assualt issues do seem to have some component of alcohol abuse associated with them – this problem is not relateged to just the Service Academies.</p>
<p>During my time at USAFA, we experimented with segregating the women from the men in the dorms, integrating the women with the men in the dorms and instituting a locked door policy, and finally went with integrating women and going with an open door policy when men were in the room.</p>
<p>All of these approaches had their pros and cons, and none eliminated unacceptable actions by someone who went out and got drunk.</p>
<p>While not a complete answer to the problem, I do believe finding ways to reduce/prevent alcohol abuse is a central issue that needs to be addressed.</p>
<p>Every year Cadets are injured or killed in drunk driving incidents, so the alcohol abuse problem go beyond just the sexual assualt issue.</p>
<p>Anyway, I encourage all of you to maintain the high standards of conduct your parents have instilled in you while you are away at College…this includes making smart choices about who you hang out with and avoiding situations that may put you or your friends in potentially dangerous situations.</p>
<p>The Academies are in the end made up of students who come from across America and have all kinds of different views on what is acceptable and what is not. I expect there will be individuals in every class that do not live up to the high standards of behavior we all expect of them. At the end of the day, it is often your own personal moral compass and the choices you make that will determine how well you do at West Point.</p>
<p>Sorry for the lecture, but I have had these same discussions with my Son who is trying to become a member of WP 2010 and would like to see all of you succeed in your quest to become leaders in our Army!</p>