The goals of a land grant university are simple;
to provide students with an education that will aid them in contributing to society as engaged, confident leaders, with a diverse educational background. A world grant university uses this same concept, but expands on it. Instead of focusing on making great U.S. citizens, they produce great world citizens; citizens that will help the world through their education and learning experience in college. I am lucky enough to attend one of the premier land grant and world grant universities in the country, Michigan State. My degree in IDS-Human Capital and Society is especially focused on helping myself and others become better citizens through the workplace.
My concentration of Human Capital and Society focuses on the workplace; how to survive in it, how to be productive in it, and how to improve it. Like the ideas of land grant and world grant, this concentration puts a focus on diversity in the workplace. In the U.S. and abroad, it is important to respect others, and their beliefs, in order to create a healthy and prosperous work environment.
Article one: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1925607,00.html
This article tells of a young woman who was denied employment at Abercrombie and Fitch, due to her religious beliefs. After she went for an interview at her local store, a friend, who also works at the store, told her that wearing her hijab had cost her the position. While this is a clear violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the look policy of Abercrombie and Fitch does point out that employees must wear Abercrombie and Fitch clothing, no hats or head coverings, and absolutely no black clothing. Her hijab was black.
Article two: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8116231.stm
This article from BBC News in the UK tells of a young woman who was born without an arm, and was hired by an Abercrombie and Fitch store in London. The issue here is that, while she was hired, she was forced to work in the stock room and could not come onto the main sales floor unless she was wearing a cardigan that covered her prosthetic arm. She left the job voluntarily, as she felt she was bullied out of her position.
These issues are extremely similar in nature, besides the fact that Abercrombie and Fitch was involved in both incidents. The case in the US deals with religious freedom, while issue in the UK deals with discrimination against the disabled. Both cases were handled in court, and both girls walked away with rewards for speaking up about the wrongdoing of the company.
In the first case, concerning religious expression, Abercrombie was in the wrong. While it is basic knowledge that we should not discriminate against others, learning more in depth about their struggles in my IDS degree has opened my eyes ever further to the discrimination against Arab families. In a Human Development class I was able to take, I learned that Arab Americans are the most discriminated against group of citizens in the U.S.. People are misinformed about Islam, and about Arab culture. A hijab is a religious expression, no different than someone wearing a crucifix around their neck. If Abercrombie allows employees to wear those, an Islamic woman wearing a hijab should be no different. The company policy states that employees cannot wear black, and while the hijab that the girl was wearing to her interview was black, why not compromise? What about wearing a different color scarf? Abercrombie even sells scarves, why not one of those? It is not right to discriminate against people due to religious beliefs, and in 2012, this should not even be an issue. The girl in questioned was awarded $20,000 by a court in Oklahoma for damages.
In the second case, which involved discrimination against a disabled woman, Abercrombie and Fitch, or rather the employee who vanquished her to the back of the store, was in the wrong without a doubt. Looking at this issue from a psychological, and economical perspective, it is easy to see why this woman was so upset. Losing her job at A & F due to her arm, something she could not help, was no doubt a huge blow to her confidence and probably affected her social life and school work. She also could have spiraled into a depression, which could have affected her for many years to come. She lost valuable wages, and was forced to find a job in a market that, even in the UK, is overflowing with prospective employees.This woman was born without an arm, and was in law school by the time she was hired at Abercrombie and Fitch. The company stated that they try to convey an All American image, despite this incident taking place in London, and that she did not fit with that image. What exactly is so un-American about a young girl overcoming an adversity in her life, and becoming the best that she could be? This British girl exhibits the American spirit more than the executives at Abercrombie and Fitch themselves. The girl was eventually awarded £8,000 by a London court for damages. Abercrombie should examine their policies to make sure another issue like this does not happen again, and the manager of the store should be dismissed.
My concentration of Human Capital and Society focuses on the workplace; how to survive in it, how to be productive in it, and how to improve it. Like the ideas of land grant and world grant, this concentration puts a focus on diversity in the workplace. In the U.S. and abroad, it is important to respect others, and their beliefs, in order to create a healthy and prosperous work environment.
Article one: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1925607,00.html
This article tells of a young woman who was denied employment at Abercrombie and Fitch, due to her religious beliefs. After she went for an interview at her local store, a friend, who also works at the store, told her that wearing her hijab had cost her the position. While this is a clear violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the look policy of Abercrombie and Fitch does point out that employees must wear Abercrombie and Fitch clothing, no hats or head coverings, and absolutely no black clothing. Her hijab was black.
Article two: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8116231.stm
This article from BBC News in the UK tells of a young woman who was born without an arm, and was hired by an Abercrombie and Fitch store in London. The issue here is that, while she was hired, she was forced to work in the stock room and could not come onto the main sales floor unless she was wearing a cardigan that covered her prosthetic arm. She left the job voluntarily, as she felt she was bullied out of her position.
These issues are extremely similar in nature, besides the fact that Abercrombie and Fitch was involved in both incidents. The case in the US deals with religious freedom, while issue in the UK deals with discrimination against the disabled. Both cases were handled in court, and both girls walked away with rewards for speaking up about the wrongdoing of the company.
In the first case, concerning religious expression, Abercrombie was in the wrong. While it is basic knowledge that we should not discriminate against others, learning more in depth about their struggles in my IDS degree has opened my eyes ever further to the discrimination against Arab families. In a Human Development class I was able to take, I learned that Arab Americans are the most discriminated against group of citizens in the U.S.. People are misinformed about Islam, and about Arab culture. A hijab is a religious expression, no different than someone wearing a crucifix around their neck. If Abercrombie allows employees to wear those, an Islamic woman wearing a hijab should be no different. The company policy states that employees cannot wear black, and while the hijab that the girl was wearing to her interview was black, why not compromise? What about wearing a different color scarf? Abercrombie even sells scarves, why not one of those? It is not right to discriminate against people due to religious beliefs, and in 2012, this should not even be an issue. The girl in questioned was awarded $20,000 by a court in Oklahoma for damages.
In the second case, which involved discrimination against a disabled woman, Abercrombie and Fitch, or rather the employee who vanquished her to the back of the store, was in the wrong without a doubt. Looking at this issue from a psychological, and economical perspective, it is easy to see why this woman was so upset. Losing her job at A & F due to her arm, something she could not help, was no doubt a huge blow to her confidence and probably affected her social life and school work. She also could have spiraled into a depression, which could have affected her for many years to come. She lost valuable wages, and was forced to find a job in a market that, even in the UK, is overflowing with prospective employees.This woman was born without an arm, and was in law school by the time she was hired at Abercrombie and Fitch. The company stated that they try to convey an All American image, despite this incident taking place in London, and that she did not fit with that image. What exactly is so un-American about a young girl overcoming an adversity in her life, and becoming the best that she could be? This British girl exhibits the American spirit more than the executives at Abercrombie and Fitch themselves. The girl was eventually awarded £8,000 by a London court for damages. Abercrombie should examine their policies to make sure another issue like this does not happen again, and the manager of the store should be dismissed.
