[]
WEST POINT – The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has banned organizations centered primarily on ethnic and gender affiliation to ensure that it complies with President Donald Trump’s initiative to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
The move was outlined in a memorandum issued Tuesday by West Point. It reportedly told 12 campus clubs to immediately shut down all activities. The directive also canceled all trips, meetings, and activities associated with the designated clubs until their status could be reviewed, according to a memo shared on social media.
The memo was first authenticated by the Washington Post and asks all the clubs to “unpublish, deactivate, archive, or otherwise remove all public facing content.” Trump previously signed an executive order rolling back DEI programs, calling the decision a return to “merit-based” opportunity.
“In accordance with recent guidance, the U.S. Military Academy is reviewing programs and activities affiliated with our former office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” USMA at West Point said in a statement. “The clubs disbanded yesterday were sponsored by that office. More than one hundred clubs remain at the U.S. Military Academy, and our leadership will continue to provide opportunities for cadets to pursue their academic, military, and physical fitness interests while following Army policy, directives, and guidance.”
The clubs disbanded by the academy are the Asian-Pacific Forum Club; Contemporary Cultural Affairs Seminar Club; Corbin Forum, a group for female cadets founded in 1976; the Japanese Forum Club; Korean-American Relations Seminar; Latin Cultural Club; National Society of Black Engineers; Native American Heritage Forum; Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers; Society of Women Engineers Club; the Vietnamese-American Cadet Association; and Spectrum, which served LGBTQ cadets.
West Point’s minority enrollment for the Class of 2027 is about 38 percent, according to an Academy news release.
