News Release

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April 26, 2005

Criminal Justice Honor Students Receive Top Awards At National Conference
 

Twelve members of Boise State’s chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma (APS), the national criminal justice honor society, recently attended Alpha Phi Sigma’s national conference in Chicago, where they earned several awards and honors.

• Chapter President Brandon Williams, along with Simon Billinge, competed on a team of members from several universities to win the College Bowl tournament.
 

• Williams and Billinge also posted the highest scores on the criminal justice general knowledge test, each winning $125 in scholarship awards.
 

• Amanda Freeman submitted two papers for the undergraduate paper competition, winning $1,250 in scholarship awards. Freeman was awarded second place for her paper on “Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice” and first place for her paper covering “Forensic Science in Criminal Justice.”
 

• Thanks to efforts by APS member David Lynch, the Boise State chapter also won the annual community service project award for its involvement in the Books for Israel project.
 

• Billinge, Freeman, and Vanessa Aguilar were subsequently elected as national president, secretary and treasurer, respectively, for 2005-2007.

Boise State’s chapter is one of the largest and most active of the more than 300 chapters nationwide. Its 40 members are all criminal justice honor students, and their adviser is Andrew Giacomazzi. Conference attendees participated in events that included presentations on gang units by the Chicago and Miami-Dade police departments, a crime scene investigation competition, and a tour of the historical Chicago gangland. Guest speakers at the conference included Chicago Police Superintendent Philip Cline and Kevin Green, who served 16 years in prison for murder before DNA evidence led to his exoneration.

The national conference capped off a banner year for Alpha Phi Sigma at Boise State. The chapter’s fundraisers included running election booths for ASBSU, as well as working with PublicSafetyTesting, Inc., where members administered written and physical testing of police and fire department applicants. Finally, APS members worked with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to conduct a successful community service project. Through the donations of members, students, faculty, businesses and the community, APS raised more than $2,600 to buy holiday gifts for 50 children under protective supervision during the holidays. With a strong commitment toward academic excellence and community service, Alpha Phi Sigma members continue to exemplify the goals of the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs and those of a metropolitan research university of distinction.

Contact: Brandon Williams, Alpha Phi Sigma president, BrandonWilliams@mail.boisestate.edu

Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, University Relations, (208) 426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu

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Last reviewed on Thursday, December 22, 2005