UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – During a breakfast for Chapel Executive Interns last fall, Aditya Datta, a third-year Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar majoring in economics, pitched the idea of creating the Business Fraternity Diversity Council to Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
As a member and former director of diversity, inclusion and community engagement for professional business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi, it was important to Datta that business fraternities at Penn State provide an inclusive culture and reflect the school they serve, said he.
Datta, a native of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, said he knew that for this venture to be successful, he would need access to professional networking leaders and a scalable idea. Lang put Datta in touch with Melissa Landrau Vega, director of the Multicultural Resource Center, who opened the way to communicate with Charles Whiteman, dean of the Smeal College of Business, and Olivia Lewis, director of diversity outreach at Smeal.
“When we met as a council, we started having meetings with high-level leaders in the school. We all agreed that the privileges afforded only to certain groups must change and that we must equally distribute membership within our fraternity,” said Datta. “The only way to do this is through outreach to communities and organizations, which in the past, we have ignored.”
The Business Fraternity Diversity Council aims to increase the participation and retention of minority members of each business fraternity. Council members want their respective fraternities to be accessible to anyone who wants to join. In order to be successful in their endeavors, the council discusses important issues affecting the Penn State community and their fraternity community.
“I think being able to have an open conversation with people in your fraternity opens the door to being a more inclusive organization,” said Ekow Asomaning, a member of the Business Fraternity Diversity Council and a senior at sophomore and fellow of Bunton-Waller. graduates in economics and finance. Asomaning grew up in Royersford, Pennsylvania.
Eswar Chelliah, another council member and a third-year international student from Bengaluru, India, majoring in economics, said the idea of joining Greek life was intimidating because of the preconceived notions and prejudices stemming from the portrayal. through the media. These personal experiences encouraged Chelliah to join the Business Fraternity Diversity Council in order to help create an environment where everyone feels welcome and combat these prejudices she once held.
“Starting this council has allowed the five business fraternities to come together and not only bring them all closer together on a diversity spectrum, but a full spectrum,” Chelliah said. “We bounce ideas off each other and ultimately the enthusiasm and energy we bring to make a difference allows us to get things done.”
In collaboration with the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network, the Business Fraternity Diversity Council is planning to host a field event to share the professional and social benefits of a business fraternity at Penn State. The council plans to offer professional photos, a resume and cover letter workshop, and information about Penn State’s five official business fraternities.
“The partnership with the College of Liberal Arts is mutually beneficial,” said Datta. “The college has such a strong history of success in the business world, and I think we, as a business fraternity, offer a unique pipeline to getting a lot of these coveted positions and building that network.”
Outside of his business fraternity, Datta is involved with the Presidential Leadership Academy, which he says prepared him to have conversations with University leaders while starting the diversity council. Asomaning’s involvement in Penn State THON and his commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion also contributed to Asomaning’s contributions to the council.
Datta, Asomaning and Chelliah said they were able to use the skills they learned from their time at the College of Liberal Arts and the Smeal College of Business and apply them to the work they do with the diversity council to work effectively and effective.
Although Datta is studying abroad in Italy this semester, he said he remains confident the diversity council is in good hands and looks forward to meeting again next fall.
