As of Feb 5th, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has been forced to disband 12 sanctioned clubs that were for women and minorities. This was done in accordance with Donald Trump’s executive order that got rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The academy’s deputy commandant, Chad R. Foster, said that the clubs were being disbanded “in accordance with recent presidential executive orders, Department of Defense guidance, and Department of the Army guidance.”

The Corbin Forum was a prominent group that promoted female leaders and was founded in 1976 when women were able to be admitted into West Point. The National Society of Black Engineers was another club that was forced to be disbanded due to this executive order. These clubs were ordered to “unpublish, deactivate, archive or otherwise remove all public-facing content.”

This decision has sparked controversy and left people disappointed. AP News conducted an interview with West Point graduate Geoffery Easterling, who was formerly a member of a now-disbanded club. “It was just community. There wasn’t any teaching of all these things people are worried about. You could find help with your homework from upperclassmen, get help to know the military.”

Donald Trump claims that “Illegal DEI and DEI policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity.”