Student Conference on United States Affairs

ALLIES members Leah Averitt (08) and Chas Morrison (11) attended the 59th annual Student Conference on United States Affairs (SCUSA) at West Point. The year’s theme was “Uncertain Future: Freedom, Security, and Responsibility.” SCUSA brings together students from over 100 colleges to discuss the salient issues of United States foreign policy. Leah sat on the Homeland Security Panel, where she discussed issues such as immigration, port security, and civil liberties. Chas sat on the Challenges of Insurgency panel, where he discussed counter-insurgency strategy. The SCUSA delegates also heard from keynote speaker General (Retired) John Abizaid (U.S. Army; former Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)). While the delegates benefited tremendously from the expert perspectives, the true value of the conference was in the interaction between fellow student delegates and cadets, both intellectually and socially. In addition to the conference, ALLIES participants were able to eat lunch in the West Point Mess Hall, attend mixers, live in the West Point barracks with cadets, tour the West Point campus, and interact informally with West Point cadets at meals and before and after formal panel discussions.