Applications soar at AFA

Applications soar at AFA

(EXCERPT) Rise in patriotism, free education cited for high numbers,
by Dick Foster, Rocky Mountain News December 3, 2003

COLORADO SPRINGS - Months of publicity about sexual assault problems
at the Air Force Academy have not cooled the enthusiasm or the numbers
of high school students applying to attend the prestigious school.

Applications are actually higher than last year, before the
sexual-assault scandal became national news.

Despite statements by dozens of female cadets that they were sexually
assaulted at the school, the number of female applicants has risen
more than 43 percent.

"People look at this school and see we have challenges, but they have
a lot of faith that we will take on those challenges and correct
them," said academy admissions director Col. William Carpenter.

In mid-November, the academy had 10,555 applicants for the freshman
class that will begin next June. The number is 1,616 more than the
8,939 applicants the academy had last November, said admissions
associate director Rollie Stoneman.

Stoneman cited a variety of possible reasons for the upturn, including
a rise in patriotism in the midst of the war on terrorism, and the
chance for a free education and upscale careers in a time of
diminishing economic opportunities. The cost of an academy education
is currently computed at $33,468 per year.

This year's applicants include 2,704 women, an increase of 821 from
last year's 1,883.

Prospective students are focused not on the academy's sexual assault
scandal but on its curriculum t...

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The American War Library
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