AF Manpower Agency Leading USAFA Climate Survey

After last year’s to-do over the USAFA climate survey, it seems an outside agency will be conducting this year’s version.

The office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs decided in January to charge AFMA with conducting the Academy’s 2011 survey, said Col. Bill Hampton, executive secretary for the Academy’s Board of Visitors.

Brenda Gainey, the survey lead, apparently used the current Air Force surveys as a baseline and then modified them for the USAFA environment.  Translation: Much like last year, it may be difficult to analyze trend data due to changes in the survey itself.

The questions seem to be aimed at getting to the heart of controversy at the Air Force Academy:

Other survey questions are designed to get a feel for the climate of inclusivity at the Academy, such as whether respondents have felt pressure to be involved in religious activities, whether leaders respond to complaints about religious tolerance and whether respondents have endured harassment as a result of their religion, race, gender, political views or sexuality.

Because someone who was “forced” to take the survey might skew the data with random answers, the survey is voluntary.

Want to be heard?  Take the survey.  It ends this weekend.

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