4/8/24

By FHSU University Communications

HAYS, Kan. - The FHSU Criminal Justice Club's Delta Tau Omega Chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association/Lambda Alpha Epsilon attended the 87th national conference in Grapevine, Texas, March 17-22.

The conference included a range of competitions such as written testing, physical agility, crime scenes, firearms, scholarships, national paper competitions, and scholarly posters. 

In addition to competing in each area, club members attended sessions about serial killers and crime scene processing and a career fair. Club members also engaged in a team-building activity, dividing the team into two groups to solve an escape room. Both groups successfully escaped within 60 minutes, with Criminal Justice Program Chair Dr. Tamara Lynn's group escaping in a record time, for their room, of 42 minutes. 

Club members also traveled to Cafe Momentum in downtown Dallas to tour and serve the organization at the Community Service Center, where youth ages 15 - 19, previously involved in the juvenile justice system, attend school, meet with social workers, learn job skills, and can even attend college. 

“Attendance at the national conference is always a highlight for club members who are challenged to do and be better versions of themselves,” Lynn said.

Members won the following awards: 
Dr. Morgan Steele, assistant professor of criminal justice - Homeland Security, third place professional division.

Mackenzie Hagerman, Rush Center - Forensic Psychology, third place lower division.

Dr. Ziwei Qi, assistant professor of criminal justice - Forensic Psychology, first place; Corrections, first place; Juvenile Justice, second place; Criminal Law, third place, all professional division; Physical Agility, second place, Female 36 +.

Morgan Drake, Parker, Colo. - Physical Agility, second place, Female 25 and Under

Madelyn Underwood, Lawrence, scholarly poster competition, first place, graduate division. 

National Paper Competition - Students earning first through third place receive a cash award, and those earning first place get their paper published in the LAE Journal of the American Criminal Justice Association.

Vanessa Diaz, Hays – “Due process vs crime control philosophies of justice,” first place, lower division.

Karen Thew, St. George – “Probation conditions: Are offenders being set up to fail?”, second place, upper division.

Accacia Pedigo, Great Bend – “Police interactions regarding individuals with mental illness,” third place, graduate division.

Madelyn Underwood, Lawrence - “The lack of mental health as a priority in prisons,” first place, graduate division.

ACJA/LAE Scholarship, students placing first through third at each level of competition:

Vanessa Diaz, Hays, first place, lower division.
Harleigh Smith, Concordia, second place, upper division. 
Karen Thew, St. George, first place, upper division. 
Madelyn Underwood, Lawrence, first place, graduate division.

Students brought home a combined total of $4,100 in cash awards. A group of seven club members and faculty earned second place in the annual talent/lip sync competition.