Q&A with Amanda Belcher, Fraternity Manager of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Alpha Kappa Psi

Posted On September 17, 2021 By Nicole Klemp In Alumni, Blog Articles, Volunteers /  

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.

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20 Years Later: Remembering the Brothers We Lost on September 11th

Posted On September 9, 2021 By Nicole Klemp In Alumni, Blog Articles /  1

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil and a tragic day for our nation. At 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 collided into the World Trade Center’s north tower in New York City, killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more. Just 17 minutes later, a second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, flew into the south tower. About 30 minutes later, a third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, crashed into the west side of the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., while a fourth plane, United Flight 93, crash-landed into a field in Pennsylvania killing all 40 souls on board.

So many innocent lives were lost during this attack, including three of our own Alpha Kappa Psi brothers: Thomas E. Burnett, Minnesota ’85, David H. Winton, Fordham ’91, and Jayceryll M. de Chavez, Rutgers ’98-Life.

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Multi-Cultural Office Staff Sitting Having Meeting Together

4 Steps to Starting an Employee Resource Group

Posted On August 18, 2021 By Nicole Klemp In Blog Articles, Professional Development /  

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.

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How to Start a Corporate Social Responsibility Program

Posted On August 11, 2021 By Nicole Klemp In Blog Articles, Professional Development /  

More and more companies are beginning to take notice of the importance of social responsibility today, and are realizing how much it matters to both their employees and customers. While many larger companies do offer some form of corporate giving or philanthropy, many organizations still don’t have a formal program in place, and lack any kind of employee-led initiatives.

If your organization doesn’t provide any formal opportunities for volunteering or charitable giving, have you ever thought about taking the initiative to start a program yourself? Some of the best corporate programs were originally started by an employee who wanted to make a difference.

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Finding Purpose and Engagement at Work

Posted On August 4, 2021 By Nicole Klemp In Blog Articles, Professional Development /  

Most of us will spend about a third of our lives at work. (That’s literally thousands of Monday mornings.) So being engaged and passionate about what we do can really impact our quality of life. 

Your ideal job should give you a feeling of purpose and allow you to engage in interesting work with people you like (or can at least tolerate) and bosses that respect you and treat you well. If one or more of those factors aren’t hitting the mark, you could be at risk for disengagement.

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