April 3, 2014
American Criminal Justice Association members participate in national conference
Submitted by Megan Powell, treasurer of Sigma Kappa Upsilon
It has been quite a successful year for the members of the Kappa Sigma Upsilon chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association — an academic fraternity devoted to the education and integration of criminology majors — and those interested in the field of criminal justice. For the first time in the chapter's history, members attended American Criminal Justice Association's national conference in Overland Park. The chapter was established four years ago.
The national chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association, Lambda Alpha Epsilon, hosted the 77th annual national conference, which brought together chapters from six districts across the U.S. We were able to send five members: Jordan Oatsvall, chapter president; Cora Lucia, director of student relations; Trey Schwarz, director of recruitment; Dilon Altwegg, associate vice president; and Cody Blake, director of promotions.
These members got the opportunity to attend lectures and seminars given by professionals in the criminal justice field, partake in academic, psychical agility and firearm competitions, and attend crime scene investigation workshops and mock crime scenes. The members also attended a career fair and connect with professionals from law enforcement agencies in the Kansas and Missouri area.
The conference helped chapter members develop more networking connections and has opened up doors to new opportunities both on campus and after graduation.
We could not have attended the conference without the help of our many supporters. The association members would like to thank the Riley County Police Department for sending officers and agents week after week to prepare us for the competitions by giving lectures and hands-on experiences in the field. We would also like to thank Orange Leaf, Purple Swirl, Panda Express, Sonic and Papa Murphy's for allowing us to raise funds through their businesses.
Lastly, a big thank you to the Student Governing Association for providing the funding for us to make the trip to Kansas City and participate in the entire week of activities. The experiences we gained at the national conference will allow our organization to continue bringing knowledge of the criminal justice system to non-criminology majors on campus and to others in the community.