Law Enforcement and Justice Administration

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LEJA Clubs & Organizations 

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Many students in all disciplines, including law enforcement and justice administration, do not realize the full potential of their employment options. Western Illinois University's School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration strives to prepare students for prospective jobs within the criminal justice system in a number of ways. Besides building a solid educational foundation for future law enforcement employees, the School of LEJA offers opportunities for students to discover their marketability. The following are eight organizations within the school that offer students the chance to interact with fellow LEJA students, practitioners, and professors:

Alpha Phi Sigma (National Honor Society for Criminal Justice)

The Western Illinois University Omicron Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma is a nationally recognized division of the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. APS has guest speakers from local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies and contributes to local and national community service projects. In the past, there have been presentations on a variety of topics from private and public organizations. Applications can be downloaded from the national website.

See Dr. Troy Stinson, Stipes Hall 456, for information about this organization.

American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS)

The student chapter of ASIS at Western Illinois University is the second such chapter of this professional and internationally known organization. The chapter received its charter in 1982 in order to provide insight and explore opportunities within the growing areas of security/loss prevention. Today, ASIS has over 30,000 members nationally and over 35 councils for the various special areas of security, including hospital, hotel/motel, retail, and computer security. The Western Illinois University chapter has been active in sponsoring guest speakers, field trips, and establishing a scholarship for students interested in the security field. Presentations have been given by security directors of major corporations based in large metropolitan areas. There is a membership fee to join the student chapter and an additional fee to join the national chapter.

See Professor Glenn Daugherty, Stipes Hall 405 for information about this club.

Concert Safety Corps

The Concert Safety Corps was initially formed in 1977 by Lambda Alpha Epsilon to provide a source of income for their organization. The Corps was created to be used as an alternative to uniformed police officers at University functions such as concerts, plays, and athletic events. Duties include, but are not limited to, access control, taking tickets, limiting contraband, controlling and limiting access to restricted areas, dealing with first aid situations, and handling disruptive patrons. Past events covered by the CSC have included Olivia Newton-John, Macomb Balloon Rally, Jim Gaffigan, Gus Macker, tailgating activities, Yellowcard, T-Pain, and other BCA/UUB/BSA events. To become involved, students must be a pre-LEJA major or a declared LEJA major with a minimum overall and major GPA of 2.25. Members must also attend all training sessions.

See Professor Glenn Daugherty, Stipes Hall 405 or Professor Glen Schwartz, Stipes Hall 403J for information or e-mail "WIU Concert Safety Corps" <wiucsc@gmail.com>

Corrections Club

The purpose of the Corrections Club is to advance student knowledge and interest in correctional agencies as a component of the criminal justice network. Professional justice system speakers (many of whom are Western graduates), discussions, debates, correctional facility tours, and other strategies developed by the officers and members of the club are used to raise student awareness of current correctional policies and practices. Areas of interest include probation, parole, intermediate sanctions such as boot camps and electronic monitoring, legislation, sentencing practices, jail, prison, and offender management. The Corrections Club is open to all LEJA students regardless of vocational goals. Reasonable dues are assessed to help fund the organization. The club's goal is to return the dues to the membership via activities, food, fun, and learning.

See Professor Professor Barry McCrary, Stipes Hall 403I for information about this club.

IESMA

See Professor Heriberto Urby, Stipes Hall 410, Russell Greene, Dean Alexander, Stipes Hall 403E, or Stacy Dorsett for information about this club.

Investigator's Club

The Investigator's Club provides students with opportunities to meet investigators from private and public investigative bodies. The club gives all students the opportunity to see what investigations are all about. Speakers have included professionals from the Macomb Police Department, the Illinois State Police, the U.S. Marshals, the FBI, and the DEA. The Investigator's Club is open to all students, but students must be LEJA majors in order to hold an office. There is a one-time $25 membership fee. With that fee, the individual will receive a T-shirt and a membership certificate that is good for life.

See Professor Todd Lough, Stipes Hall 403K or Rob Kelly, Stipes Hall 403H for information about this club.

Lambda Alpha Epsilon (The American Criminal Justice Association)

LAE is a professional criminal justice association, which serves as a student school organization. With more than 100 members, this organization sponsors many criminal justice-related activities, including sponsoring field trips to criminal justice agencies, hosting guest speakers, and presenting films. Additional activities include an annual career day, student/faculty gatherings, and volunteer work with local criminal justice agencies. LAE provides an excellent opportunity for students to meet other LEJA majors and to interact with faculty. Past presentations were given by a Davenport Drug Enforcement Unit Officer and a special agent with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Law Enforcement.

See Professor Tom Meloni, Stipes Hall 411 or Frank Schweitzer, Stipes Hall 403M for information about this organization.

Minorities in Blue (MIB)

MIB is interested in serving a wide variety of students who are pursuing careers in the law enforcement/criminal justice system. The number of employed women and minorities is troubling in today's changing society; therefore, MIB is promoting a growth of minorities in this field. The organization seeks to motivate, enhance, and empower a diverse population of students to become leaders in the field by aspiring to not only be entry-level professionals, but to be executives and administrators as well. The organization's objectives are based on the core values that WIU instills in its students.

See Professor Anthony McBride, Stipes Hall 408, Niyazi Ekici, Stipes Hall 406, or Dave Young, Stipes Hall 403N for information about this organization.

Mock Trial Team

See Professor Phil Entzminger, Stipes Hall 409 for information about this club.

Omega Gamma Phi

The Fire Studies Club is open to all WIU students interested in fire studies. Its purpose is to engage students in an educational, friendly, supportive, and open environment in the pursuit of fire-related studies. The objectives of the organization are to promote fellowship among attending members, provide fellowship among students and faculty, provide members with learning experiences supportive of career pursuits in the Fire Service, and engage in public service initiatives related to fire safety.

See Professor Russell Greene for information about this club.

Phi Alpha Delta

See Professor Phil Entzminger, Stipes Hall 409 for information about this club.

Quad Cities Criminal Justice Society

See Professor Suzanne Bailey, Quad Cities 2407 for information about this club.

For more information about the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration's student organizations, contact the sponsor of the respective club, the LEJA website, or the School of LEJA office.