Harold (Hal) White was initiated as a faculty member of Alpha Kappa Psi 61 years ago. He was instrumental in the founding of Arizona State University’s Iota Xi chapter, and has made an impact on countless students, faculty members, and friends across the country. This article is about Hal’s professional life in academia and his involvement with AKPsi.

It’s also a love story.

Hal’s early life

Hal was born in 1931 in northeastern Washington in a town called Colville, near both the Idaho and Canadian borders. His family later moved to Walla Walla for his father’s car dealership business.

In the 7th grade, Hal met Lucille (Lucy) Angell, the girl who would later become his wife and the love of his life. “Lucy was just one of those girls in class, you know. Our freshman year of high school, I was smitten, and she was the only girl in class,” recalls Hal.

At the end of Hal’s sophomore year of high school, his father passed away. His mother remarried and the family moved to Pendleton, Oregon, about 45 miles away. Hal and Lucy went off to college in two different towns, but he had finally worked up the courage to ask her out.

“I want you to be my girlfriend, but you do not seem to be interested,” Hal told Lucy. “But if you ever want to see me, I’m gonna come running. And she called, and I came running.”

Hal and Lucy dropped out of college and were both 21 when they married. The next year they had their daughter, Angela. Hal joined the family business. But this wouldn’t last long, as Hal saw the need to continue his education.

A harpist and a Ph.D.

Hal returned to school at the University of Oregon and received his master’s degree at age 29. He went on to teach at Idaho State College. At Idaho State, Lucy completed her degree.

Idaho State had an active Alpha Kappa Psi chapter, which happened to be one of the top chapters in the country at that time. In 1960, they invited Hal to be initiated as a faculty member of AKPsi, and he served from 1960-1963. Then in 1963, Idaho State College was renamed Idaho State University. To teach at a university, Hal would need to have a Ph.D.

The family moved to Gainesville, FL and Hal received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. At Florida, his first scholarship was under Russ Jordan, the director of the school’s teaching hospital and clinics. Hal was selected because he was an AKPsi alum and Russ was a past national president.

During Hal’s years in school, Lucy was employed as a legal secretary, university secretary, and grade school teacher. Then the family moved once again to Arizona (where they would remain) in 1966, where Hal became a professor of management in the college of business at Arizona State University.

While Hal had become an academic, Lucy was a musical talent. She was an accomplished violinist, and eventually learned to play the harp. She played the harp professionally for 30 years, and played at many ASU events.

“People would say, ‘are you the husband of the harpist?’ not was the harpist my wife,’” Hal recalls with a smile. He reflects lovingly on the fact that she was a harpist with the maiden name “Angell.”

Lucy White pictured with her harp.

Iota Xi becomes a chapter

At the time Hal joined ASU, there was not an AKPsi chapter. But he recalls there were about 18 or more student groups in the college of business, including Delta Sigma Pi.

“A few years later, there were two transfer students from Idaho State who came to ASU and they were outraged that there wasn’t an Alpha Kappa Psi chapter. They looked to faculty to help start one and I discouraged it! There were already so many clubs. But they didn’t pay any attention to me and went on to sign up 40 students,” recalls Hal.

One of the students recruited was Steve Vasquez. “Hal really helped us organize as a colony early on and put together the Iota Xi Chapter. He was and always is so open to helping the students out,” Steve says.

The Arizona State chapter was founded in the spring of 1972. Steve remembers how involved Hal was right from the start. “Our first year as a chapter, we had regional meetings and the southwest regional meeting in Tucson at the University of Arizona, and Hal volunteered to take a bunch of us down in his car and helped us out with some of our expenses. That’s just one of the ways he dedicated himself to the chapter.”

Steve ended up becoming chapter President, and in 1975, his chapter awarded Hal with the Silver Distinguished Service Award, which still hangs on his wall today.

After three years as a faculty advisor, Hal decided to step down and asked his trusted colleague, Elmer Gooding, if he would be willing to step into the role. He agreed, and asked another colleague, Lonnie Ostrom, to be co-advisor. Together, they helped the students build Iota Xi up to a 100,000 points a year chapter.

Hal went on to become president-elect of the ASU faculty senate in 1980, and president the following year. Then in 1982, Iota Xi approached him again to be faculty advisor and he agreed, going on to serve for three more years. In 1994, the chapter presented Hal with the Second Degree Silver Distinguished Service Award. “I was quite honored,” he said.

“He and Lucy were very supportive of all our activities, and always went above and beyond. He was more than just a chapter advisor,” Steve recalls. “For me personally, he was very supportive when I was in college. I worked full-time at a local supermarket, and Lucy would shop there every week. I always felt that I had an extra ear to listen to my concerns or help me in my own professional development. That’s just the type of guy he has always been to all the brothers.”

He’s still that guy, even in retirement

Upon his retirement 28 years ago, Hal was inducted into the ASU College of Business Faculty Hall of Fame. He and his family remained in Arizona and their daughter Angela went on to have a son and a daughter. His granddaughter went on to have a son and daughter of her own, Hal’s beloved great-grandchildren.

20 years ago, Lucy was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and she passed away of complications in 2012 at age 81. Hal says that she always maintained her sweet and kind disposition throughout her illness.

Today, Hal lives in an assisted living community, where, despite his degenerative muscle disease, he stays active in his community and keeps his mind sharp. He exercises twice a day, 6 days a week. Every morning he drives his power chair half a block away to his parish for mass. He’s also involved with the men’s Catholic service group, Knights of Columbus. He’s an avid reader, and a member of a monthly book club in his assisted living community.

“It’s all women and me. They like to read fiction and I’d rather read history and biographies, but it’s a social opportunity. They were so encouraging to me to continue and said “‘we’d like a man’s point of view!’”

Hal still stays in regular contact with AKPsi brothers, like Steve. He has attended several events over the years, including anniversary celebrations for the ASU chapter and the Convention in Phoenix in 2011.

Steve Vasquez pictured front center with Hal White to the right at the Alpha Kappa Psi Iota Xi chapter’s 45th reunion in 2017.

“One of the biggest things about Hal is he is an exceptional active listener. At just the right time, he will provide advice or other ways to think about something. He’s that way even to this day,” Steve says of his longtime friend and mentor.

How You Can Support Organizations Important to Hal

Donate to the Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation to help create impactful educational programs, scholarships, and grants that empower members to live with purpose and exceed their potential.

Learn more and donate to the Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation here >

Currently, more than 180,000 people are living with Alzheimer’s disease in Arizona and southern Nevada. Consider making a donation in Lucy White’s name, to help provide education and support to all those facing Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Donate to the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter here >

Whether you’ve personally experienced hazing or not, the reality is, it’s a very real problem that still happens today in all different types of groups and organizations.

Hazing is especially prevalent on college campuses, most specifically, in student organizations like fraternities and sororities. A 2008 study at the University of Maine found that over half (55%) of college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing at some point.

To address the realities and dangers of hazing, we decided to bust a few common myths. We hope this helps educate you and your peers on what hazing looks like, so you can recognize it, help prevent it, and stop it in its tracks.

Myth #1: Hazing is not a problem for AKPsi.

If you think or have heard that hazing never happens in a professional business fraternity or that “it only happens in social fraternities,” unfortunately, you’d be wrong. Hazing is a widespread societal problem and not isolated to any specific type of organization or area of the world. Hazing incidents have been documented in the military, on athletic teams, in marching bands, in other college and high school groups, and yes, even in AKPsi.

As professional business leaders, it’s even important to also consider how hazing is neither tolerated nor condoned in the corporate sector and should not play a part in any organization. Whether you’re a business student or a company VP, it’s never okay.

Myth #2: Hazing is just a foolish prank that goes awry.

Many activities that might be considered to be “all in good fun” have the potential to turn into a serious accident. Even simple pranks have the potential to cross a line and become dangerous or harmful to someone’s physical or emotional wellbeing.

Think of it this way: If you don’t feel comfortable participating in an activity in broad daylight and talking about it with your parents or university faculty, it’s probably not something you should be doing. Any situation that tests boundaries and causes discomfort should be a red flag. Be a leader and stop the situation before it crosses a line.

Myth #3: It’s not hazing if someone agrees to it.

Simply put, hazing is a demonstration of power by those carrying it out.

In hazing situations, if someone agrees to participate in a potentially hazardous action, they may not be giving true consent. They might feel peer pressure or that they “have to do it” in order to remain in the group or become part of it. They may only agree to the dangerous activity because they’re afraid of what would happen if they say no.

No one ever deserves to be put into a situation like that.

Myth #4: Hazing is an effective way to teach respect.

Respect is an important characteristic, but hazing is not an appropriate means of “teaching” it. Respect is earned by doing the right thing and being considerate of others.

Rather than teach respect, hazing breeds mistrust, apathy, and alienation, as it creates fear in those who are looking for acceptance.

Would a principled business leader earn the respect of their new employees by hazing them during orientation? Of course not. They would earn their respect by welcoming them in and providing support during their transition. Respect goes both ways.

Myth #5: Hazing is limited to physical acts.

While you might think of or be most familiar with stories of physical acts of hazing, there are other methods of hazing that may not involve physical abuse. Hazing can also be psychological.

The negative impact of psychological hazing can affect an individual years after it occurs and cause lasting trauma.

Hazing not only has a negative effect on the organization in which it takes place, but can cause lasting detrimental effects for the individuals involved.

Remember that whether or not someone expresses their feelings at the time, how you interact with them can have a lifelong impact. Make sure those lasting impressions you leave on people are positive ones.

Sign the Hazing Prevention Pledge

National Hazing Prevention Week 2021 is happening September 20-24. Go to hazingprevention.org to see the calendar of events and register for the virtual presentations, including sessions on fraternity and sorority life.

You can also sign the Hazing Prevention Pledge and pledge to prevent hazing before it occurs, stop hazing when you see it happening, report it when you know it has transpired, and help empower others to do the same in their organizations, schools, and communities.

During the fall of 2020, we launched an anonymous survey regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to better understand how well our fraternity fosters a culture in which all members can be their true authentic selves.

In this survey, we found that over 80% of our student members and 65% of our alumni members believe that Alpha Kappa Psi has a responsibility to provide DEI training.

Some of that foundational work has already begun, so to learn more, we sat down with Amanda Belcher, AKPsi’s Fraternity Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to learn more.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about what you do in your day job?

AB: I’m the Director of Human Resources for Sarah Cannon, which is the Cancer Institute of HCA Healthcare. Sarah Cannon provides integrated treatments to those facing cancer in communities across the U.S. and U.K.

DEI is a part of my current role and something I’m passionate about advancing in the organization. I have also worked as a member of our Strategy Team, where I built out a number of people strategies, including those focused on DEI.

Q: How did you get involved with this new volunteer role for AKPsi?

AB: I’m an AKPsi alumni (Spring ‘08) — Western Kentucky University, class of 2010! Shout out to Zeta Tau! I’ve always had a passion for AKPsi, as it provided me with some of the best experiences I had in college. I made so many great connections and am still connected with many of my brothers.

With my background and passion for DEI, I decided to raise my hand and get involved. I wanted to help in any capacity I could, and it turns out I’ve been able to directly support and lead the efforts that were already underway with the DEI task force that the fraternity put together last year (2020).

I’m still learning how to best balance my role with AKPsi and my day job — and sometimes wish we could move even faster— but we’re working to get even more people involved, so we can accelerate our progress.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your background and how you became so passionate about DEI?

AB: I come from a tiny, one-stoplight town in Kentucky with some, but not much diversity. Everybody knows everybody; we all went to the same school and had very similar experiences. I remember growing up and feeling like there was so much more to explore! I truly appreciate where I come from and am grateful for the experience growing up in a small town, and it’s also been exciting to somewhat grow out of that space and venture into other parts of the country and the world!

When I went to college and joined AKPsi, we were a very diverse chapter, not only across racial dimensions of diversity, but across gender, age and generation, sexual orientation, and even with varying family dynamics. A semester or two after I joined, many of the white members graduated and I became the only white student in my chapter. I don’t remember any of us thinking much about it then. We simply were who we were: collectively, individually, authentically. And we accomplished great things on our campus and in our community.

These experiences, which I’d never attempt to compare to the experiences of anyone else, certainly trained my eyes to see the world through a lens I may not have otherwise picked up. I notice when a team lacks diversity, or when there’s an “only” in a room. I pay closer attention to others in my surroundings, to how groups form, to the ways people do or don’t find commonality amongst themselves. As a family member, a friend, a colleague, a leader; every day I’m consciously striving to develop genuine connections with and among people, which I hope contributes to increasingly inclusive environments.

The need for refined focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion within organizations is far from new. Also, while in college, I went to a leadership camp along with several other students, and we were an amazingly diverse group of young people. At the camp, we were asked to imagine we were on the front page of a newspaper in 2030, and to share what we would want that headline to say. I still have the big flipchart paper where I wrote that my headline would read:

“The 10th Annual Diversity Speaks [my fictional company name] Convention was held this week, preparing students to enter the business world with culturally competent communication and leadership skills.”

I wanted to help students and business leaders learn to work together effectively within diverse teams. To think I wrote that in college and it’s now part of what I actually do today is quite inspiring and keeps me motivated to continue to contribute to this work in any way I can.

Q: How is AKPsi weaving a commitment to DEI into the organization and programming?

AB: I’m excited to share that we have a second iteration of the website that we’ve launched. On the DEI page, you’ll see “where we’re going,” which is an overview of the goals that the 2020 DEI Task Force put together. I’ve been supporting the continuation of these goals, chipping away at the number of goals we have in front of us.

Our DEI  goals are:

• Increase the diversity of our brotherhood
• Enhance unity and sense of belonging
• Include diversity, equity, and inclusion in fraternity education
• Ensure systemic integrity
• Serve one another

What’s cool about those goals is that they’re really woven into the existing AKPsi core values of brotherhood, unity, knowledge, integrity, and service.

To start, we really want to focus on foundational education, to make sure everyone has a basic understanding of what diversity, equity, and inclusion are and why they’re important. We’re starting to roll out foundational courses, including an Introduction to DEI, an unconscious bias course, and courses on identity, microaggressions, and allyship.

There are also things behind the scenes we’ll be looking at—like the systemic pieces of the organization—to see if there are any traditions or practices that may need to be reevaluated or modified.  But all of that will take some time to work through.

Over time, we’ll have iterations on our goals and create new goals, and this work will continue for years to come. In fact, this work is part of a journey that will not end. I believe a commitment to true inclusion is lifelong work, both personally and organizationally.

Q: How do inclusive practices help develop future business leaders?

AB: The business world is diverse. The consumer world is diverse. Whoever your stakeholders are, they will be a diverse group of people. So if we build businesses with a singular perspective, we’re not going to understand the needs of our diverse consumers, or clients, or patients, or whoever we’re serving.

It’s a bit of a no-brainer that business leaders today, and in the future, need to prioritize DEI; and to do that, they also need to have diversity within their own organizations. There should be people at every table who can help a leader see things from a multitude of perspectives.

There’s this quote I love: “If you only see what you see, then you haven’t seen all there is to be seen.” It’s so important to have people around you, personally and professionally, who can help you see what you don’t already see.

Q: How can DEI be embraced at the chapter level?

AB: Creating a Chapter DEI Toolkit is something we intend to prioritize. While we’re in early stages of that development, there are ways chapters can begin to focus in this area.

From a recruiting perspective, a great thing you can do is develop some partnerships with other student organizations on campus, whether they’re greek or otherwise. Every college has so many different types of groups you can engage with. You can partner to host events or initiatives and bring together students from all dimensions and intersections of diversity. This will help our chapters build relationships and reach a wider, more diverse audience.

Internally, make sure the diversity you do have is celebrated. Make sure the people in your chapter—each and every individual—see themselves in the celebrations you have, the conversations you hold, the ideas you toss around, the officers you elect. Be sure every member of your chapter knows without a doubt that they belong and that the differences among all of you are celebrated.

Learn more about AKPsi’s commitment to DEI

Diversity, equity, and inclusion practices are a vital component of optimal business outcomes in addition to being the right thing to do. As the premier developer of principled business leaders, Alpha Kappa Psi must include awareness, understanding, training, and the practice of DEI as critical parts of our work.

Read more >

An Employee Resource Group (ERG) is a voluntary, employee-led group that aligns with a company’s mission and helps foster a safe and supportive working environment and professional development opportunities for specific groups of employees. ERGs are important to the creation of more inclusive workplace cultures. 

As Aiko Bethea writes in the Harvard Business Review: “Typically organized around a shared identity, such as race, gender, age, or mental health, they serve as a haven of belonging, offering a space for underrepresented employees to find one another, stave off a sense of isolation, and experience a reprieve from the daily aggressions they’ve endured at work.” 

Many companies today have active ERGs, but since they’re employee-led groups, it’s not a given that your company has any, or, that they cater to your specific demographic or interest. If you’d like to be part of a group that doesn’t currently exist in your organization, why not start one! 

Here are four steps along with some handy tips from the experts for getting your ERG off the ground.

1. Define your group and mission

To start an ERG, you need to first understand who your group is and what it will stand for. In order to get support and approval from your company, your group should also align with the company’s goals and values. (Your mission doesn’t have to be directly related to what your company does, but it certainly shouldn’t run counter to the business you’re in.)

A good place to start when developing the mission and vision for your ERG is to get input from other members or potential members of your group — what will they benefit from most?

As you get feedback from your peers, think about what you hope to accomplish with your group. Just getting together regularly and supporting one another is a perfectly fine goal. But if there’s more you’d like to see happen, define what that would look like and what roles and responsibilities will be needed in the group to make it happen.

Oh and don’t forget, your group needs a name! Alber Lin shared some tips for naming your ERG in his article for DiversityInc:

• Avoid complicated acronyms
• Have the name of the demographic group in the title
• Include “allies” or “friends” in your title to make it inclusive

2. Get support from company leadership

Starting an ERG with buy-in from company leaders will help you get the resources and visibility you’ll need to make the group successful.  

“Effective ERGs are both top-down and bottom-up. First, the executive management team needs to fully support, fund, and endorse any ERG. One best practice is to ensure that each ERG has a senior leader as their executive sponsor and full participant,” writes Claire Hastwell of Great Place to Work.

Depending on how much you want to do and the goals of your group, you might need funding for programs and events, so an executive sponsor can be a great help. Again, aligning your group’s mission and goals to that of the greater organization can help leadership see how your group can bring value to the employee base and help the company meet its goals. 

3. Recruit members and be inclusive

Obviously, a successful group needs people. But how many members you have and what your growth goals are differs for every group. Some ERGs invite allies to join, while others prefer to focus on recruiting members from their own interest group.

If a goal is to grow your membership and expand your reach, you might consider opening it up to allies and friends. This is also a great way to share your message more widely and educate others about your group and how to best support its members.

For example, if you have a women’s group, you could consider inviting men to participate in your events, to help them learn more about the struggles women face in the workplace and how to be better male allies. 

Take advantage of company communication platforms like Slack or Teams, or the company’s internal newsletter to spread the word about your group and let employees know how to get involved. Just make sure to get permission first (this is another great time to have an executive sponsor on your side).

4. Start small and build a coalition

There’s no need to build a huge ERG right out of the gate. Take your time and lay a great foundation for your group to grow and thrive. As Noelle Salerno of Indeed.com writes: “A small, but mighty team of engaged members can make a big impact.” 

Make plans and set realistic goals for how you want to grow your group. There’s no right or wrong pace, no set amount of events or meetings you need to have. Do what works for you and your fellow group members, and only take on what you’re able to handle. Just be sure that you’re always moving forward toward those established goals. 

Another great way to gain momentum is to collaborate and share resources with other ERGs, both inside and outside of your company. You can work together with other groups to amplify your messages and work together on intersecting goals. 

Laura Folks, an Inclusion Resources Group Program Manager at Indeed said, “I can be a woman, parent, veteran, and Latina. Every issue we explore encompasses more than one identity, so it makes sense to look at your ERG program from a holistic perspective.”

AKPsi’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices are a vital component of optimal business outcomes in addition to being the right thing to do. As the premier developer of principled business leaders, Alpha Kappa Psi must include awareness, understanding, training, and the practice of DEI as critical parts of our work. 

Read more about our commitment to DEI >