Photo By Maj. Chad Nixon | The Lady Justice Fountain, originally purchased from the J.L. Mott Company of New York...... read more read more
SAN ANTONIO – The 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support) hosted an Equal Opportunity Leader (EOL) course for forty Army reserve students stationed throughout the country, June 12-19.
“An EOL is the eyes and ears of the commander,” said Mr. Gregory Rogers, Equal Opportunity Program Manager for the 807th MCDS. “They are a resource leaders use to understand the positive and negative climate within the unit.”
Company and battalion level commanders are required per AR 600-20 to assign an Equal Opportunity Leader or EOL within their unit to serve as an additional duty assignment.
EOLs are responsible for assisting with command climate surveys, providing cultural training and awareness on the six categories protected under Equal Opportunity, providing information on Department of Defense cultural observances, and more.
“Commanders should select people that are easy to approach and talk to about sensitive issues,” said Master Sgt. Eric Kramer, Equal Opportunity Adviser and course instructor for the 807th. “They will serve as the first point of contact when issues arise.”
Keeping any classroom instruction interesting and captivating can be challenging for some, but the 807th EO program has some creative ideas to save students from pain of standard PowerPoint presentations.
“We focus on leadership development by taking students to cultural events or teaching through group activities like power poker,” said Rogers.
From the outside looking in, power poker may seem like a normal game of cards. However, Soldiers playing the game realized after just a few hands that the cards were stacked against them.
“I was selected to be a card dealer and briefed before the other students arrived,” said Staff Sgt. Erik Fardette, a broadcast journalist and future EOL for the 807th. “Instructors had me stack the deck or show a certain demographic of students an unfair advantage so they could witness firsthand privilege based on race or gender… It was very eye-opening to say the least.”
“This was not what I expected, and not the typical military class,” stated Staff Sgt. Robynn Soriano, a native of St. George, Utah assigned to the 308th Medical Logistics Company. “Playing power poker and seeing people getting treated differently just because of race is unforgettable.”
The cultural event was more than just a field trip to see the sites of beautiful San Antonio. It was a scavenger hunt where eight different teams had to navigate the downtown area and use clues to solve puzzles.
“I wrote clues and picked locations throughout the city that would explain each site’s historical significance and further educate the Soldiers on Hispanic history and culture,” said Kramer. “I want to force them out of their comfort zones by participating in team building exercises that make them explore and learn.”
For one student, San Antonio looked differently after the experience.
“I have family in the area and have been to the city a few times,” said Capt. Bryan Bradbury, assigned to the 949th Medical Detachment in Ames, Iowa. “I had an idea of the history, but getting out and walking the streets to experience the historical sites was educational.”
Until recently, the Equal Opportunity program had five protected categories: race, color, religion, gender, and national origin. The Defense Department added sexual orientation to the list on June 11.
“We are waiting for future guidance on how to implement the new addition,” said Rogers. “We have started planning for adding the new category to our program and classroom instruction.”
If you are a service member interested in serving as an EOL for your command, contact your unit’s Equal Opportunity office.
| Date Taken: | 06.23.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2015 17:13 |
| Story ID: | 167852 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 170 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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