Coastie academy facing scrutiny
IG probing racial discrimination claims
HARTFORD, Conn. — The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is investigating allegations of racial discrimination at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and inadequate follow-up by the school’s leadership, the agency said yesterday. The investigation will bring a new layer of scrutiny to the service academy that is already under pressure from Congress to address concerns about racial insensitivity, disparities in discipline and the administration’s handling of complaints. The probe began within the past few months and could take up to a year, Arlen Morales, a spokeswoman for the Office of Inspector General, told The Associated Press. It will look into how the academy responds to allegations of race or ethnicity-based discrimination. Ultimately, the academy will be required to provide a corrective action plan, with the inspector general’s office updating Congress on any shortcomings. The academy is cooperating with the investigation, spokesman David Santos said. “It is important for us to examine our policies and practices, and where necessary, take action to improve them,” he said in a prepared statement. The academy has made strides with mentoring programs and other initiatives to recruit and retain minorities, but it is also clear work remains to be done, said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney. “It’s an issue that’s got to once and for all get fixed,” said Courtney, a Democrat whose district in eastern Connecticut includes the academy’s New London campus. “What I think is good about the IG’s office is they give perspective in terms of solutions. That would be welcome.” One of the nation’s smallest service academies, the Coast Guard Academy is overseen by Homeland Security, unlike others such as the U.S. Military Academy and the Naval Academy, which are run by the Defense Department. It enrolls more than 1,000 cadets, who attend the school tuition-free and graduate as officers with a bachelor of science degree and a requirement to spend five years in the service. Like many other predominantly white institutions, it has struggled with diversity. This spring, it graduated its most diverse class ever, including 18 African-Americans in a class of 209 (8.6 percent), though last year it had only four black graduates in a class of 195 (2 percent).