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Equal Opportunity: here to help

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Equal Opportunity is here to help.

The two main objectives of Equal Opportunity are to eradicate unlawful discrimination and to promote a positive human relationship environment throughout the base.

“I think EO is a proactive tool for commanders, first sergeants and anybody who may need it,” said Staff Sgt. Windham McSwain, 92nd Air Refueling Wing Equal Opportunity specialist.

EO provides assistance to base leaders and teaches courses at the Right Start and First Term Airman Center briefings as well as other courses.

“We provide briefs on anything EO related to include human relation climates, harassment in the workplace and anything you could see but shouldn’t see,” McSwain said.

If an Airman is in a hostile work environment, they’re not going to be able to focus on their job and will start making mistakes, McSwain said.

“The mission of EO is to help people and to prevent people from getting into trouble,” said Master Sgt. Elizabeth Bartch, 141st Air Refueling Wing Equal Opportunity advisor. “We make people aware of what is going on in their shops and bring awareness of issues to Airmen.”

EO offers tools to supervisors, first sergeants, commanders, superintendents and anyone who is in a leadership position. They provide proactive training that goes into more depth, covers diversity, how stereotypes occur and how toxic environments begin.

“Whoever comes through I let them know EO is your tool and I work for you,” McSwain said. “We at EO are a helping agency who works for the Airmen to help promote a positive work center so Airmen can focus on the mission.”

EO also offers the Alternate Dispute Resolution Program. This program assists commanders and other Airmen with mediation facilitation for disputes. The program assigns a specialist to mediate the dispute regardless of the type, whether EO related or not.

Another big tool for EO is the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute Survey. The survey is distributed out to the wing and provides a full report of how the different climates around base are doing. The survey identifies 23 sub factors including communication, trust and leadership.

“Often there is a negative stigma to EO,” McSwain said. “I want people to know we are here to help the Airmen and better the mission. EO is for everybody.”