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The Lambda Theta Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi partnered April 23 with the Business Program at South Carolina State University to host a Diversity in the Workplace Forum.

Participants consisted of board members from the South Carolina Diversity Council.

This forum was implemented as part of Beta Alpha Psi’s plan to participate in the Ernst & Young Diversity Initiative.

The Diversity Forum provided an opportunity for business students and others to hear about diversity challenges at major companies in South Carolina and how they are dealing with the issue.

During the program, a differentiation was made between “affirmative action” and “diversity” and between “affirmative action” and a “quota system.”

Cheryl Behymer, attorney with Fisher & Phillips and one of the participants in the program, defined affirmative action as a moral and social responsibility to amend past wrongs primarily related to race and gender discrimination.

Federal and state equal opportunity laws were enacted to specifically protect employees from these types of discrimination in hiring, firing and promotion decisions.

Behymer said affirmative action did not mean that companies should use a quota system to justify maintaining a certain level of minorities and women. She said all employees should be hired and promoted according to their hard work and achievements.

Diversity was defined as by Dr. Roosevelt Thomas as “the differences, similarities, and related tensions that exist in any mixture.”

The forum pointed out the challenges, including resistance to change, that organizations should overcome to manage a diversified, team-oriented workforce that is motivated and focused.

Forum leaders say managing diversity means the acknowledgement of differences in people, but aims to recognize the value of those differences and create an inclusive environment.

Forum leaders encouraged on-going training for employees in diversity.

The forum also encouraged employers to recognize that diversity must be recognized as a process that should be interwoven into the business strategy of the organization.

Beta Alpha Psi is an honorary organization for Financial Information students and professionals.

The primary objective of Beta Alpha Psi is to encourage and give recognition to scholastic and professional excellence in the business information field.

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