Published on February 24, 2016 | by Julia Robinson Photography by www.alphaphisigmasjsu.org

Guelph-Humber’s only honour society thriving in third year

Alpha Phi Sigma is not your typical fraternity, despite what its Greek name may suggest.

The co-ed criminal justice honour society is the only one of its kind at the University of Guelph-Humber. It is an exclusive, academic research-based club for justice studies students who are interested in having meaningful conversations about issues in the justice system.

Now in its third year, the university’s chapter has flourished under new president Alice Zheng. The club’s small population of 10 students will increase significantly when 26 new members are inducted in a ceremony this upcoming March.

Despite Zheng’s initial hesitation to run for the position in the society’s election last year, she has succeeded in the role. “Since I’ve become president, the society has blown up,” said Zheng. “More people know about it, I was able to create more partnerships between the society and other organizations. It has been great.”

One of those organizations is The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, where Zheng did a placement in her second year of study. Her relationship with the association led to Alpha Phi Sigma hosting a “wrongful conviction day” at Guelph-Humber this past September. The event featured New Jersey native John Artis, who spent 15 years wrongfully incarcerated for a 1966 triple-homicide he did not commit. In addition, the event had a trivia contest and the opportunity to have a simulated mug shot taken.

“We wanted to bring forth focus that the justice system is not always correct,” said Natalia Michenko, the club’s vice-president of activities.

Michenko explained that Guelph-Humber’s chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma wants to focus equally on both the policing side of the justice system and the law side, and she plans the events and activities to reflect that.

“This semester, we have trips planned to the Ontario Police College and the detention centre,” said Michenko.

“In order to attract those that are interested in the law program, we are looking into getting a student that’s actually in the law program at Osgoode Hall [Law School], just to talk about the application process and some of the things they have learned over the past year.”

There are also plans to schedule a Law School Admission Test (LSAT) prep test for Guelph-Humber students who are planning on taking the standardized exam in the future.

Glenn Hanna, assistant program head of the justice studies department at Guelph-Humber, brought Alpha Phi Sigma to the university in 2013. He said he was looking to implement something different than any other club on campus, and was attracted to the academic aspect of an honour society.

“It brings students attention back to what they are learning. It rewards students who work hard in class and have good marks. Not everyone can join the society. You have to have goods marks and show interest in the subject. I saw it as a win-win,” said Hanna.

“This is an academic club, but students find out it is still a lot of fun.”

To be eligible as a member, students are required to have completed three semesters in the justice studies program and have a minimum average of 75 per cent. Members are selected after interviews with the executive committee, who “look for professionalism” and preparedness, according to Zheng.

Hanna said while the focus has been on getting the chapter up and running smoothly, he hopes they will soon be able to have interaction with other chapters and possibly attend the Alpha Phi Sigma national conference in the near future.