Criminal Justice News
Alpha Phi Sigma Chapter Established
The Kappa Mu Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, held its first induction on 5 March 2009. Charter inductees included Carlie Barr, Marlaina Bergeron, Betsy Burks, Tracy Duncan, Mathew Harness, Laurissa Howe, Laura Morrow, Krista Singleton, and Nathan Tipton.
To obtain membership, students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2, and a 3.2 in the Criminal Justice major. Inductees must also rank in the top 35 percent of their class, and have completed at least four (4) courses in the Criminal Justice curriculum.
The next induction will be during spring, 2010. Qualifying students will be contacted shortly after the beginning of the semester. The induction ceremony will be held in April. For further information, contact Dr. Anderson or Mrs. Vukovits.
Toys for Tots
The IUSB Criminal Justice Association raised over $650.00 during its fall, 2008, campus Toys for Tots campaign, and will begin soliciting for donations for the 2009 campaign in November. If you are interested in participating in the Association and its many activities, see Dr. Xu or Mrs. Vukovits.
Department Assessment
The department uses the Educational Testing Service’s Criminal Justice Major Fields Test (MFT) as the centerpiece of its assessment efforts. The test is given during a student’s senior year, and is “designed to measure the critical knowledge and understanding obtained by students in a major field of study. The Major Field Tests go beyond the measurement of factual knowledge by helping…evaluate students’ ability to analyze and solve problems, understand relationships and interpret material from their major field of study.” The department receives “comprehensive national comparative data” that allows it to compare program effectiveness to similar institutions nationwide (Educational Testing Service website). “
Tests were administered during fall, 2008, and spring, 2009. Scores indicate that the department is well above the national average generally. More specifically, the MFT breaks the Criminal Justice discipline into seven sub-areas. Again, our students tested well above the national mean in all seven areas. We are encouraged by these results, but seek to redouble
our efforts raise performance. As we combine the MTF findings with in-class student assessment tools, teaching evaluations, student exit interviews, and graduate and employer surveys, we are confident that we can continue to make refinements to the classroom experience and the criminal justice curriculum.
Faculty Research and Publication
Dr. Xu, joined by Dr. Anderson, will have a book chapter published in October, 2009, on “Domestic Violence in Asian Cultures.” This chapter will appear in Lee Ross (ed.), The War Against Domestic Violence (Taylor and Francis).
Dr. Anderson and Chinese colleagues Drs. Zheng Qingsi and Guo Haoming, published “A Commentary on Beijing’s Chaoyangmen Hospice Unit and the Hospice Concept in China,” in the May/June, 2009, edition of The Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing.
Dr. Xu has completed work on an analysis of social capital and criminal behavior, and continues to investigate crime in South Bend using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He is also doing pro bono consulting for Companions on the Journey, a non-profit dedicated to the effective reintegration of male offenders using a rehabilitative justice philosophy.
Dr. Anderson has completed work on male prostitutes and HIV transmission behavior with Dr. Meng Xiangdong and other Chinese colleagues at the Jilin Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changchun, PR China, and is now working on additional research within the same population.
