128 ARW Military Equal Opporunity Office to conduct climate survey in Sept.

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ryan Kuntze
  • 128th Air Refueling Wing
MILWAUKEE --  The 128th Air Refueling Wing Military Equal Opportunity Office is scheduled to conduct a Wing Climate Survey starting in September. 

The climate survey will provide an opportunity for Col. Ted Metzgar, the wing commander, to get a feel of things on base, said 2nd Lt. Tina Hopwood, the 128 ARW equal opportunity officer. 

Climate surveys are mandatory for every change of command, Hopwood said. 

The surveys are a chance for wing personnel to talk with senior leadership without the need for an appointment or a face-to-face meeting, Hopwood said. 

"These surveys let commanders know if there are serious issues, such as discrimination or sexual harassment," said Hopwood. 

If a work area gets a net low score, MEO can initiate an interview process to determine the cause of the low scores and how best to satisfy any professional problems, said Tech. Sgt. Scott Kwiatkowski, an equal opportunity specialist. 

"Last year, we were at 63 percent participation," said Capt. Chris Leipski, the assistant director of equal opportunity. "We want to get that to about 75 percent. The thing is it's completely anonymous: people think we track it, but we don't. We use blind results to keep the survey anonymous." 

People are anonymous throughout the survey process, said Hopwood. The only information that comes back to the commanders is a tally of work areas that have completed the survey and any comments that participants gave during the survey, Hopwood said. 

"This is the base's opportunity to provide feedback," Hopwood said. "Use it, because leadership is listening."