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SC, MUSC work to achieve equal opportunity by Dick Peterson Public Relations It’s S.C. Human Affairs Commissioner Jesse Washington Jr.’s objective to work with and help state agencies with laws regulating equal employment, housing and public accommodations—not to heavy-handedly enforce their compliance. Washington was here Sept. 18 to shore up relations, explain his approach to achieving equal opportunity goals and offer his help. After meeting in the morning with President’s Council and in the afternoon with an overflow crowd of management-level personnel, Washington said that he stressed the need for state agencies to “tap into fair representation of South Carolina’s qualified workforce” in their hiring and promotion practices. Jesse Washington Jr. “It’s important that state agencies hire qualified employees in a manner that fairly represents minorities in the qualified workforce,” Washington said. He said all too often state jobs go to unqualified persons based on who knows whom, not based on qualifications. His agency keeps current assessments on qualified minority representation in various job categories, he said. MUSC equal employment opportunity director Wally Bonaparte said that MUSC is under federal scrutiny for past indiscretions in hiring. “It was a positive message that he brought to the council,” Bonaparte said. He encouraged a workforce planning initiative using the TERI program as one of several means to anticipate workforce needs, plan ahead for the hiring of qualified employees, and achieve equal employment goals, Bonaparte said. The S.C. Human Affairs Commission seeks to prevent discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. Its mandate comes from three laws: the S.C. Human Affairs Law of 1972; the South Carolina Fair Housing Law of 1989 and the  Equal Enjoyment and Privileges to Public Accommodations Act of 1990.  “Under these laws, it’s the commission’s job to resolve employment discrimination complaints for the state’s 46 counties. And we receive affirmative action plans from state agencies and work with them on the plans, giving them assistance and training in equal employment opportunity laws,” Washington said. “His afternoon address to management-level people was broad and more inspiring,” Bonaparte said. “He urged people to be more altruistic and to do what they can to help one another.”  Washington considers the commission’s Community Relations Council its most important and effective tool for improving race relations and preventing the sort of discrimination the commission seeks to eliminate. “Participation in the council is totally voluntary, but I see it as the answer to improving race relations in the future,” Washington said. “It operates by exploring common ground among groups in the community and encouraging them to work out problems through changed attitudes.” Washington said the council requires time, patience and a willingness of people to come together and talk in a non-threatening environment. He said that the commission receives about 2,300 employment complaints or allegations each year that it has to “look into to see how each can be resolved, or see if it even has merit. Mediation is a good tool,” Washington said. Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.