According to the Military Times, US Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler has expressed displeasure with the decades old tradition of “freshmen” midshipmen climbing the Herndon monument.  The annual climb is the symbolic end of the plebe year.

The article does specifically say Fowler is not canceling the event, though he anticipates that “risk management” will eventually lead to its demise.

The article contains a fairly detailed description of the climb, as well as its history.