By Eva Rachert – News Editor

On Monday, Nov. 7, the Bishop’s Commerce Society (BUCS) hosted an EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) workshop to discuss the importance of equity in a corporate setting. The workshop was led in the Centennial Lobby from 11:30-1:00 by Amy Abe, the Special Advisor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Bishop’s. While it was attended primarily by commerce and business students, it was open to all across the Bishop’s community, and was attended by students, professors, and administrative staff. Abe has led similar events in the past, both at Bishop’s and elsewhere; however, this was the first BUCS EDI event.

The workshop focused on the flaws of the corporate approach to diversity. Abe cautioned the attendees against complacency, analyzing why attendees chose to sit in certain seats and behave in certain manners. This segued into the first of several activities, in which Abe prompted attendees to define diversity. Abe then invited volunteers to try to create diverse teams by splitting up the group, dividing them by age, gender, appearance, and dress. Each group was expected to explain why they were the most diverse — this activity concluded with a discussion around the invasion of privacy that corporate diversity often invites. After drawing the activity to a close, Abe concluded that a person cannot be diverse, and the categorization of people according to their identity is dehumanizing.  

Other activities included a discussion of how to identify feelings, by providing attendees with prompts like “I feel angry” and “I feel disrespected” in order to provide perspective of what should be treated as an emotional versus a logical response. Attendees categorized the prompts as “feeling” or “not a feeling.” The ensuing conversation focused on the limited English vocabulary used to define feelings. 

Attendees were also given questions to answer in a group while facing away from all other attendees. These questions ranged from prompts about one’s degree program, to salary, and to mental and physical health issues. This exercise, which was intended to provide perspective on why certain people choose to share information about themselves, led into a wider discussion of cultural differences and how different people interpret social cues. 

The event ultimately concluded that, in the workplace, if one person does not attempt to be supportive of diverse environments, others will create environments to their liking, which may not be in accordance with what everyone wants. It also concluded that diversity is not something to be managed, but rather fostered by providing an open and non-invasive environment where different people can work together. 

The first BUCS EDI workshop was a success within the program, and will be expanded to the rest of the Bishop’s community in future months. Anyone interested in these workshops can find the dates and times on the BUCS Instagram @bucsonline. The event is open to feedback, and all those who attended are encouraged to send responses to Abe or BUCS.