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BNOW in the News

Midshipman Charged with Rape

Baltimore, MD; February 23, 2006--Violence against women is a priority issue for the National Organization for Women (NOW). Sexual assault is a criminal act and inflicts life—long harm on the mental and physical well-being of women and their families. We must not tolerate violence at our academies, on our college campuses, or in our communities.

The recent case of the Naval Academy quarterback being charged with rape of a female midshipman is yet another in a long series of sexual harassment and assault cases at the Academy in recent years. The case reinforces last summer’s Pentagon task force report that criticized military academies for failing to make adequate progress to correct a culture considered hostile to women. We are not surprised by this latest allegation, and military academies need to do better.

In this specific case, the Naval Academy has allowed alleged abuser to remain living in the very same dormitory where the female midshipman was raped--a typical concession. BNOW has strong concerns about the victim under these living conditions, one very similar to that of college campuses across the country. The victim may very well still be in danger from the alleged abuser as well as possible retribution from other midshipmen, and less able to heal and deal with the trauma as well. A football player at a Coast Guard Academy recently charged with rape was removed from the school’s barracks as soon as the first complaint was filed, so there is precedent for creating a more protective environment for the victim and we urge the Academy to reconsider this arrangement.

The academy environment brings up the larger issue of why academies/academic institutions insist on dealing with rape within the institution instead of through the criminal justice system. The stark discrepancy between the two approaches is clear: Most rape cases in the military never reach the court-martial stage where penalties can include prison time; most cases are dealt with administratively rather than criminally, meaning that offenders are expelled or pressured to leave rather than given jail time.

The military has certainly not handled rape allegations well in the past, and we hope that this time the situation will be handled fairly and with sensitivity, and that punishment for a proven offender is appropriate to a criminal rather than academic offence. NOW will be monitoring the case accordingly.

NOW Member Speaks Out Against Schaefer in a Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

So, you don’t think that William Donald Schaefer’s ogling of a young female staffer and his generally Neanderthal behavior were inappropriate and unacceptable? You just don’t understand what the fuss is about? If you don’t get it on a professional workplace or personal respect/dignity level, perhaps you might want to ask yourself these few questions:

1. Is this how you want to be represented nationally? Schaefer’s antics have reached well beyond the halls of Annapolis and the hallways of workplaces across the state, with the “walk again” story receiving national exposure. The Board of Public Works meeting was—duh, a public meeting—attended by more than 100 state officials, workers, and journalists, and was videotaped for posterity with footage carried by CNN and other news organizations across the country. Schaefer’s remarks reflect on the entire state body politic and the citizens of Maryland, on you.

2. Do you believe that shameless is the same as shameful? Schaefer has a long and fine legacy of public service for the City and State. His notoriously over-the-top antics in pursuit of publicity have been mostly successful and largely beneficial—and highly tolerated. However, his behavior towards a State staffer was not a shameless publicity ploy; it was the shameful public humiliation of a professional colleague—and subordinate—and must not be tolerated. Schaefer didn’t wade into the Inner Harbor in a striped Victorian swimsuit with a rubber duck; he created an unprofessional and uncomfortable if not hostile environment for a state employee doing her job.

3. Do you want a leader who can insert his foot without opening his mouth? Schaefer’s mouth got him in trouble—again—but Ehrlich doesn’t need to open his mouth to insert his foot in this situation. Ehrlich didn’t speak out on behalf of the staff member, who was his employee. He didn’t have anything to say about the situation, either as it unfolded or afterward. What the governor did instead was snort with glee and shake his head in amusement at the camera, displaying that “aw, shucks,” good ‘ole boy grin we know so well. Not only did Ehrlich not stand up for his employee, he did not and still refuses to admonish Schaefer in any way. Ehrlich’s lack of action and concern speaks volumes, saying loudly and clearly that such hostile and disrespectful shenanigans are appropriate for the State House as far as he's concerned.

4. Do you want a leader who is not savvy enough (forget sensitive enough) to recognize or rectify their mistakes? Like everyone, politicians make mistakes. Unlike the rest of us, politicians have press secretaries to spin the blunder and professional council to advise how to best to position or make amends. Despite this support, Schaefer still refuses to properly apologize and continues to proclaim that he is actually the offended party. Whether in the White House or the State House, such strident and stubborn refusal to admit and learn from one’s mistakes is a mistake that dangerously affects us all. (WMD anyone?)

Now do you get it?

Christine R. Brodak, Baltimore NOW