SUNY Canton Criminal Justice Students, Professor Shine at Regional Competition

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Gilberto J. Gonzalez (left), Emily R. Murphy, Don Milos, Katie E. Hornbeck, and Dacia S. Arokium recently competed at the ACJA Lambda Alpha Epsilon Region IV conference in New Haven, CT.

CANTON, NY (12/01/2011)(readMedia)-- Five SUNY Canton criminal justice students and their professor recently brought home three trophies they earned at a regional competition in October.

Junior Don Milos of Poestenkill, sophomore Dacia S. Arokium of Brooklyn, and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Brian K. Harte were among the top finishers from the College's American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) Chapter, Beta Psi Delta, at the ACJA's Lambda Alpha Epsilon Region IV conference.

Three other students joined them at the competition, held at the University of New Haven in New Haven, CT, where they competed against other colleges and universities throughout the Northeast.

"Year after year, our criminal justice students continue to impress with their vast knowledge and skill sets they have acquired through their work with our top-notch professors," SUNY Canton President Joseph L. Kennedy said. "Their many hours of hard work and determination to represent the College well truly paid off and I'm proud to have had these students represent us at this year's regional competition."

Arokium earned a first place trophy in the Lower Division: Police Management and Operations category while Milos earned third place in the Upper Division of the same category.

"Everyone takes the same exam," Milos, who is the chapter's president, explained. "The only difference between the divisions is age and year in school. The Lower Division is for freshmen and sophomores, while the Upper Division is for juniors and seniors."

The conference included exams, agility tests, and crime scene competitions. In addition to police management and operations, the other four categories included criminal law, juvenile justice, corrections and knowledge of Lambda Alpha Epsilon.

"SUNY Canton's criminal justice and criminal investigation students have a long standing reputation for being fierce academic competitors," Harte said. "The criminal justice department promotes a culture of academic excellence and our students' ability to continue to be competitive at both the regional and national levels is evidence of that. I appreciate our department's hard work, but especially want to thank two of my colleagues, Shani Y. Curry and Paul Bowdre, who both helped with the students' preparation for the competition."

Harte, who is the chapter's advisor, placed first in the Over 36 Physical Agility category, where he competed against professors as well as law enforcement officials.

In addition to Milos and Arokium, freshmen Emily R. Murphy of Colonie and Katie E. Hornbeck of Geneva, as well as sophomore Gilberto J. Gonzalez of Brooklyn, competed.

"I was proud of each member of our team, but especially our younger teammates who really stepped up to compete," Milos, who is president of Beta Psi Delta, said. "They read through textbooks that would normally take an entire semester and learned the material in about a month. Most of the classes the exams cover are upper level and taken late during sophomore or junior year."

Milos noted their efforts extended beyond cramming a semester's worth of information into such a short amount of time. "My teammates learned how to process a crime scene in a month, something we don't even begin to do until senior year. I feel nothing but pride for them and their ability to take on the commitment to compete at this level. Not only does it show their dedication to their future profession, but also their enthusiasm."

SUNY Canton offers 21 career-driven bachelor's degrees in addition to its associate and certificate programs. SUNY Canton OnLine features more than 190 courses online each semester. The College's athletic teams belong to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. The College is home to a brand-new athletic facility, nicknamed Roos House, and the Grasse River Suites, offering students single rooms in apartment-style settings while they live on campus.

-www.canton.edu-