The U.S. Military Academy has disbanded a dozen West Point cadet clubs centered on ethnicity, gender, race and sexuality in response to the Trump administration’s push to eliminate diversity programs throughout government.
The famed military academy in New York issued a memo Tuesday shutting down groups including the Asian-Pacific Forum Club, Latin Cultural Club, National Society of Black Engineers Club and Society of Women Engineers Club in order to adhere to recent guidance from the Army and Defense Department. It also shut down the Corbin Forum, a decades-old leadership club for female cadets, and Spectrum, a gay-straight alliance.
President Donald Trump last month signed an executive order aimed at halting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government and ordered the federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off.
The West Point memo also ordered all other cadet clubs to pause activities until officials can review the groups to ensure that they comply with Trump administration rules.
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point released a statement that said it is reviewing programs affiliated with its former office of diversity and inclusion and that the clubs that were shut down 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 statement reads.
The Department of Defense directed questions on the memo to the Army and West Point but sent a link to recent Defense Department guidance that said “Going forward, DoD Components and Military Departments will not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months” such as Black History Month.
“Efforts to divide the force — to put one group ahead of another — erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution,” the Defense guidance reads.
West Point graduate Geoffrey Easterling, who was a member of one of the now-disbanded clubs when he was at the academy, said the groups were open to all cadets and provided a way for students to interact with people from different cultures and build relationships with classmates.
“It was just community. There wasn’t any teaching of all these things people are worried about,” he said. “You could find help with your homework from upperclassmen, get help to know the military.”
Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are intended to provide support for communities that have been historically marginalized. But such initiatives have been criticized by conservatives who argue they are discriminatory against white people.
The nation’s military service academies have slowly become more racially diverse and have admitted more women in recent decades, but female cadets and cadets of color have spoken out about having to overcome hostility.
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