WESTERN SKIES - June 25, 2005

*** RELIGION AT USAFA ***

ERIC WHITNEY: The Air Force panel investigating charges of religious discrimination at the Air Force Academy released its report last week. It found evidence that officers and faculty members periodically used their positions to promote their Christian beliefs and failed to accommodate the religious needs of non-Christian cadets. But the panel found no "overt religious discrimination," only "insensitivity."

Colorado's senators both said they were happy to hear that there was no finding of discrimination, but differed on how much follow-up they think is necessary to reform the "insensitive" religious environment at the Academy.

Democrat Ken Salazar said he'll request hearings on the matter before the Senate Armed Services Committee, so the panel's findings can be shared with other service academies.

SEN. KEN SALAZAR: Secondly, I am going to request the Secretary of the Air Force to ask the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to monitor the Air Force Academy's compliance with the recommendations outlined in the report, and to make its own assessment of the religious climate at the Air Force Academy.

WHITNEY: Salazar described the Commission on International Religious Freedom as a body set up by Congress to monitor respect for religious rights around the world.

Republican Wayne Allard, however, has made no mention of calling for hearings into the Air Force report. Nor has he called for monitoring by an outside group.

SEN. WAYNE ALLARD: I think the Air Force Academy already has a policy in place to deal with the religious problems, the religious tolerance problem they've run into. I think they're minimal, probably minimal compared to a lot of other universities, and the reason they picked it up is because they were doing things right to start with.

WHITNEY: Allard says he'll personally check up on progress toward creating a more tolerant attitude at the Academy, as did Salazar. The senators agreed that the Academy needs to come up with explicit policies on what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate religious expression at the school.