In Light of #MeToo Movement, Three Student Clubs Collaborate on Seminar
Image by Ed Brennen
04/27/2018
By Ed Brennen
To prepare for a career in human resources, senior business administration major Anastasia Clark has taken on multiple internships and co-op jobs with area businesses over the past four years. Working in HR departments has given Clark real-world experience with many facets of the industry 鈥� including one of its most serious and challenging sides.
鈥淚鈥檝e had people come to me reporting instances of sexual harassment at work,鈥� Clark says. 鈥淎nd I鈥檝e personally had to terminate people for it.鈥�
Given that experience, as well as the increased awareness of the issue nationally with the #MeToo movement, Clark was particularly interested in the university鈥檚 recent seminar, Sexual Harassment and Workplace Conduct.
鈥淲e have more of a hyper-awareness of workplace harassment at the moment, so this was an important event,鈥� says Clark, an Atlanta native whose concentrations are in management and marketing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 useful information for students to have as they go into the workplace.鈥�
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Three Manning School of Business student organizations 鈥� the Management Society, Manning Women in Business and Beta Gamma Sigma 鈥� hosted the seminar, which was open to the entire university and drew 80 students to the Saab ETIC atrium. It was part of the university鈥檚 efforts on multiple fronts to combat sexual violence and harassment.
The seminar was created and moderated by management lecturer Michael Beers. In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which led to the swift downfall of several 鈥渢itans of journalism and entertainment,鈥� Beers decided to put together a seminar that addressed the issue of sexual harassment from an organizational behavior perspective.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important that we start talking about these things with students while they鈥檙e in college, rather than after they go into the workplace,鈥� Beers says.
The seminar covered three areas: how to act in the workplace, how to react if you become the target of harassment, and how to help others as an active bystander.
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Assoc. Prof. of Management Brooke Hargreaves-Heald and visiting instructor Elissa Magnant, who both hold law degrees, took part in a panel discussion on legal rights. Asst. Prof. of Management Karoline Evans led a discussion on bystander training.
鈥淚t was very empowering to hear the female professors鈥� perspectives on what they鈥檝e seen in the workplace,鈥� says junior business administration major Kelly Bradford, who serves as co-vice president of the Management Society along with Clark. 鈥淗arassment itself isn鈥檛 new, but learning these tactics and recognizing it is.鈥�
Senior business administration major and Management Society President Keviana-Joy George was encouraged to see students raise their hands and discuss such a delicate subject.
鈥淪ome people are afraid to say anything, but we wanted students to have an opportunity to address the issue,鈥� says George, who hopes to see the seminar become an annual event.
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Monserrat Flores, a junior business administration major and Management Society member, was happy to see so many male students in attendance.
鈥淎 lot of people think harassment is only happening to women, but it鈥檚 happening to men, too,鈥� Flores says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see that men are more aware that this is happening.鈥�
One of those young men, sophomore business administration major Kevin Coluci, left the seminar feeling more attuned to the problem.
鈥淚 appreciated how they covered so many different aspects of where and when it can happen, and how you can get involved to stop it,鈥� Coluci says.
