Issue

01

September 2016

Dr.

Michael Leiber,

Ciera

White, Karine

Rodrigues

Undergraduate

Newsletter

Editors:

Undergraduate

USF Criminology

@USFCCJ1

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31 23

50 69

In thisissue: Editor's Note

USA TODAY ranks Undergraduate Program in Top10 List; Department of Criminology Also RanksTop 5 Program in Faculty Article Publication

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Alyssa Dunlap

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Jessica McCarty

3 Amber Oderinde

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Undergraduate Spotlight:

Alumni Spotlight:

Jihad Nassar

Caitlin Jewel

Department Activity:

Summer Experience

Faculty Award

Spotlight Sessions

2016 Events

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Christina Crowder

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Internship Program:

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Internship Coordinator

Program Information

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Academic Advising:

Student Organizations:

Alpha Phi Sigma

Honors Program

Tansheem Alasfour

New Faculty:

George Burruss

Bryanna Fox

Richard Moule

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Undergraduate Activity:

Student Resources

Important Dates

Dr. Michael Leiber, EditorCiera White, Assistant Editor

Karine Rodrigues, Assistant Editor

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Welcome to our first annual edition of theDepartment of CriminologyUndergraduate Newsletter! It was anexciting 2016.

We hired George Burruss and RichardMoule, and after a one year experiencewith the FBI, Bryanna Fox returned to ourdepartment. We also hired Joni Bernbaumas our Internship Coordinator and as anInstructor.

The department will be hosting its annualWall of Fame Ceremony on October 7th torecognize our alumni. We are alsoworking with the College of Behavioraland Community Sciences to host acolloquium on the Effects of Incarcerationon Offenders, Families, & Communities tobe held October 28th.

The undergraduate program in criminology at USF is designed to provide a solidfoundation for students who plan to immediately join the workforce after obtainingtheir degrees or who wish to continue on to graduate studies.

The strong curriculum offered by the Department of Criminology provides studentswith the opportunity to explore a variety of topics, including law enforcement, thejudiciary and corrections. Criminology majors are encouraged to view each subjectfrom multiple perspectives so as to better understand the mindsets of both thecriminal justice professional and the offender as well as society as a whole.

An important component of the quality of a graduate program is the publicationproductivity of its faculty. However, previous reviews of graduate programs inCriminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) have failed to consider the breadth ofpublications in journals outside of CCJ. This has changed with the recent reviewconducted by Kleck and Mims (2016), who assessed the journal publicationproductivity of the faculty of all 40 CCJ PhD-granting programs in the United Statesusing both CCJ journals and journals in sociology and the social sciences.

The USF Department of Criminology ranks in the top 5 of the 40 national doctoral-granting CCJ programs examined by Kleck and Mims. Equally as impressive is thatonce faculty productivity was standardized as productivity per faculty member (e.g.,removing the bias for departments with a greater number of faculty members togenerate a larger amount of publications and authorships) that USF’s CCJDepartment clearly secured the #2 ranking.

National speakers are: Marc Mauer,Executive Director of The SentencingProject and Jamie Fader, AssistantProfessor in the Department of CriminalJustice at Temple University.

We welcome your feedback with regardsto the Newsletter and encourage you tocontact us at any time. Please do let usknow what you are up to! If you would like to donate to theDepartment of Criminology, please go to:http://www.usf.edu/cbcs/criminology/about-us/donate.aspx

USF Department of CriminologyProudly Welcomes:

Bryanna Hahn Fox earned her PhD in psychological criminologyfrom the University of Cambridge in England. She is a formerSpecial Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), formerresearch consultant for the FBI's Field Investigation Group inTampa, Florida and former research fellow in the FBI's BehavioralScience Unit (BSU) in Quantico, Virginia. Her main researchinterests relate to the identification of psychological anddevelopmental risk factors for criminal behavior, developingevidence-based training and tools for law enforcement, andconducting experimental field research. Her publications haveappeared in Social Forces, Criminal Justice and Behavior, and theJournal of Criminal Justice.

George W. Burruss received his Ph.D. in criminology andcriminal justice from the University of Missouri — St. Louis in2001. Before earning his doctorate, Dr. Burruss served as afraud investigator with the Office of Missouri AttorneyGeneral. His research focuses on criminal justiceorganizations, including policing, homeland security, andjuvenile courts. Also, he studies the causes and correlates ofoffending in cyberspace and how the police respond tocybercrime. Publications have appeared in Justice Quarterly,Crime & Delinquency, and the Journal of Criminal Justice. Herecently coauthored a book on Policing Cybercrime andCyber-terror (Carolina Academic Press).

Richard K. Moule Jr. earned his PhD (2016) in Criminology andCriminal Justice from Arizona State University. His researchinterests primarily involve criminological theory, the role oftechnology in crime and crime control, gangs and deviantnetworks, and the micro-social processes conducive tooffending. His current research projects focus on thecontributions of technology to police legitimacy andinterpersonal violence. His publications have appeared in theJournal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, Justice Quarterly,and the Journal of Quantitative Criminology.

George BurrussAssociate Professor

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor Richard Moule

Bryanna Fox

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Meet the Advisors

Alyssa earned a B.A. in Psychology from Boise State University inBoise, Idaho, and a M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration &Student Personnel from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.Prior to her position as an Academic Advisor, Alyssa served inthe role of a Residence Life Coordinator at USF for three years. She is passionate about empowering students to discover theirpurpose and how they can maximize their college experience towork towards their career interests. Alyssa enjoys assistingstudents with their transition to USF and working with them toachieve

Jessica McCarty graduated from the University of Florida withher Bachelor’s degree in English and started working in studentservices at Saint Leo University. She also continued hereducation at Saint Leo University receiving an MBA. While shehas worked in various student affairs roles, she found her truepassion advising students in 2006.

Most recently, she obtained a graduate certificate in careercounseling from USF in 2015 and looks forward to continuingher education in the future. Jessica has been advising at USFsince 2007 and joined the Criminology department last fall. Sheenjoys empowering Criminology students to achieve theiracademic and career goals. Outside of education, Jessica lovesspending time with her family and friends in the tropicalparadise that is Florida.

Amber Oderinde is a native of Georgetown, KY., and earned herB.S. and M.S. degrees in criminal justice from Eastern KentuckyUniversity. Before coming to USF, Oderinde held an academicadvisor position at several institutions including West VirginiaUniversity in Morgantown, W.V., Bethel University in Nashville,TN., and Benedict College in Columbia, SC. Prior to herexperiences in post-secondary education, Oderinde worked inhuman services as a case manager for Big Brothers Big Sistersand JAG, a national high school dropout prevention initiative.

Alyssa Dunlap

Jessica McCarty

Amber Oderinde

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Criminology InternshipsThe Department of Criminology is committed to the educational and career development of our students, and isexcited to participate in the Governor’s “Ready, Set, Work” challenge. We have hired a 12-month Instructor to serve asInternship Coordinator whose responsibilities include developing a network of agency partners, enhancing the varietyand number of internships offered, promoting professional development and career-focused activities, establishing astronger employer presence on campus, and promoting post-graduation services. Students will have opportunities tointern in the areas of policing, corrections, courts, victim services, cybercrime, forensics, and economic crimes - withnon-profit, private, local, state, and federal agencies.

There are many important reasons for students to complete internships: 1) It is a great way for students to “test drive”their career. 2) It gives students experience, real world experience – and we know the majority of employers areexpecting new hires to have experience. 3) When positions open, employers often consider interns – after all, they havealready spent time training the person, they know the persons skills set, they know their work ethic, and they know if theperson is a good fit for their agency. In addition, we also know internships help students build relationships and theirresume. Internships help students get motivated, enhance their skills, create good work habits, gain confidence, andunderstand work expectations. Our goal is to provide essential workforce skills and help students make keyconnections that directly lead to job offers.

As we continue to provide agencies with interns who do great work and add value to their organizations, we have nodoubt these agencies will continue to see USF and the Department of Criminology as a primary source to recruitoutstanding future employees.

If you would like more information or your agency would like to host USF Interns, please contact Joni Bernbaum atJoni@usf.edu

Meet Joni BernbaumCriminology Internship Coordinator & Instructor Joni Bernbaum, M.A. is an Instructor of Criminology and the InternshipCoordinator. She began her professional career after an undergraduateinternship through the USF Department of Criminology led to a full timeposition at a local domestic violence center. After working there formany years, she then spent 13 years as the Assistant Director of the USFCenter for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention where she workedclosely with community, state, and federal criminal justice agencies andorganizations. Joni has over 20 years professional experience in the fieldof victim services, helping clients overcome the trauma of theirvictimization by advocating for safety, healing, restitution, and justice.

Joni holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology, both from USF. She is aCertified Domestic Violence Counselor from the National Board of Forensic Counselors, a Certified Instructorfor Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) Systems (for children and adults), and a Designated Victim ServicesPractitioner by the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Florida. Joni served as the Vice-Chair of theHillsborough County Domestic Violence Taskforce, and is currently a member of that task force, and also thelocal fatality review team, human trafficking taskforce, and sexual violence taskforce.

Joni teaches classes on Victimology, Survey of the Criminal Justice System, Social Justice, and Leadership,and has presented on victimization, human trafficking, and sexual and relationship violence at the local,state, and national levels. She has also coordinated nationally recognized/award winning events at USF,including Walk a Mile in Her Shoes and Take Back the Night. Joni has received a lifetime honorarymembership to the Golden Key International Honour Society; received the USF Department of Criminology,Distinguished Alumni Award; received the USF/Student Affairs,“Changing Lives Award”; and was nominatedby students, and awarded the “Inspire by Example,” USF Outstanding Faculty/Staff Leadership Award.

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Student Resources

Important Dates

Make an appointment early in the semester to meet your advisorBe on time for your advising appointmentFamiliarize yourself with DegreeWorks AuditInform your advisor of special needs or circumstances so that theymay assistAsk questions about your degree progress so that you are wellinformed and understand your degree requirementsAsk how you can enhance your academic profile with internships,volunteering, and student organizations.

Academic Advising Tips

OCTOBER 2016October 29 Last day to drop with "W"; no refund & no academic penalty for Fall 16

NOVEMBER 2016November 11 No classes & USF offices closedNovember 24-25 Thanksgiving HolidayNovember 30 Last day of Fall classes, Designated reading day

DECEMBER 2016December 1 Designated reading dayDecember 2 Last class meeting day of Fall semesterDecember 3 Final exams beginDecember 10 Fall, Tampa Campus CommencementDecember 26 – Jan 2 USF offices closed

JANUARY 2017January 9 First day of Spring 2017 classes

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Honors Program

Alpha Phi Sigma

Students in the Criminology Honors Program will have the opportunity to make theirfirst contribution to the study of criminology and at the same time gain valuableresearch, critical thinking, and writing skills. Successful completion of the programwill depend upon the student's ability to absorb the additional workload andproduce a thesis with minimal individual guidance. The rewards upon successfulcompletion of the program include:

Alpha Phi Sigma recognizes academic excellence ofUndergraduate and Graduate students of CriminalJustice, as well as Juris Doctorate students. The goalsof Alpha Phi Sigma are to honor and promote academicexcellence, community service, educationalleadership, and unity. Alpha Phi Sigma is the onlyCriminal Justice Honor Society which is a certifiedmember of the Association of College Honor Societiesand affiliated with the Academy of Criminal JusticeSciences.

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A student will receive experience in designing, conducting, and analyzingresearch.The student's transcript and diploma will, upon successful completion of theHonors Program requirements, state that the student graduated with Honors inCriminology.

The student will be eligible to wear an Honors sash at graduation.

For more information, please contact Dr. Wesley Jennings at jenningswgj@usf.edu.

The USF Chapter has raised several thousand dollars which have been donated tohelp support worthy causes relative to their main goal of the prevention of HumanTrafficking. They also actively participated in and raised money for Race forFreedom. Members engage in a variety of team building events, communityservice, fundraising, and promotion of community awareness. In order to become amember of Alpha Phi Sigma, undergraduates must be a declared CriminologyMajor or Minor and have a 3.2 overall GPA and a 3.2 major GPA, as well as havingcompleted at least 4 courses in Criminology. Graduate students must have a 3.4GPA in graduate school.

Student Organizations

Undergraduate Spotlight is a senior graduating with aBachelor's degree in Criminology this fall. Originally,Christiana enrolled in St. Louis University in Madridbecause she thought she was interested in internationalrelations and political science. However, after herfreshman year, she remembered how interested she wasin criminal justice and legal matters, so she transferred toUSF and declared her major as Criminology. Christianahas been very pleased with her decision ever since. Oneof her favorite classes is Forensic Psychology taught byDr. Bryanna Fox.

Recently, Christiana had the opportunity to participate inthe Summer Research Institute. It is a 10 week programwhere undergraduates from across the United Statescome together at USF to participate in a research projectwith a mentor that they were paired with during the

Christiana Crowder

has always had an interest foranything dealing with law enforcement. She feltincreasingly driven to learn more about Criminology.She took her first class in the spring with Dr. NayabHakim and it immediately captured her mind. Havingthe chance to learn about fighting crime and thejustice system was surreal to her. However, shewanted to understand more than what the classroomoffered, and thus seized the opportunity of doingresearch with Professor Dr. Ráchael Powers.

She is currently pursuing a minor in Criminologyalong with dual majors in Biology and Psychology.Her goal is to continue her education and become aBehavioral Analyst. She believes it is increasinglyinteresting because detecting emotions is vital fordetecting criminal behavior. She sees herself doingwork that improves our stance as humanity. Her aimis not only to help the innocent, but to cure thecriminal from his own mind.

Tansheem Alasfour

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application process. Christiana received the opportunity to work with Dr. Rachael Powers.Participating in the Summer Research Institute has been one of Christina’s favorite academicexperiences while attending USF and she encourages undergraduates to get involved in research.

Alumni Spotlight graduated Magna Cum Laudefrom USF with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminology.While attending USF, Deputy Nassar met with severalDeputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Officethrough the Criminology Department. His interactionwith the Sheriff's Office Deputies led him to complete aninternship within HCSO. While enrolled in theinternship, Deputy Nassar realized how impressive theHillsborough County Sheriff's Office is, and theexperience motivated him to seek employment withHCSO. After graduation, he joined the HillsboroughCounty Sheriff's Office where he has worked for the pastsix years. Deputy Nassar graduated from the HCSO SOTXI academy class earning the highest GPA award, theoverall fitness award, and the overall achievementaward.

After graduating from the academy, he was assigned to District II as a Patrol Deputy. He wasassigned to the District II Bicycle Patrol Team and was also a part of the Republican NationalConvention Bicycle Response Team. He is currently a member of the Hillsborough CountySheriff's Office Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) and assigned to the Recruitmentand Screening Section as a Background Investigator.

Reflections: My time at USF helped to mold me into the person I am now. I was able to learn agreat deal from my professors, especially Dr. Bromley and Dr. Heidi from the CriminologyDepartment. I learned to manage my priorities and balance work and school. The techniques Ilearned help me to this day when I have to balance my time between my home life, primaryassignment and secondary assignments within HCSO. My time at USF better exposed me tothe local law enforcement agencies in Hillsborough County and allowed me to make aninformed decision on my career.

graduated from USF with a degree inCriminology in December of 2015. Several monthslater, she began the hiring process for theHillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Throughout thewhole process there was one phrase that wasrepeated over and over: "Be prepared for SOT." SOT,or Sheriff's Orientation Training, is a two week longresidential program that lays the foundation for therest of the training process. The HillsboroughCounty Sheriff's Office is one of the only lawenforcement agencies in the state of Florida thatconducts this type of training. SOT tested Caitlinboth physically and mentally. Tasks were designedto teach the fundamentals of being in lawenforcement as well as becoming a role model in thecommunity.

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Caitlin Jewel

Deputy Jihad Nassar

Criminology Summer Experience 2016

Criminology Associate Professor Named Outstanding Educator

In June, the Department of Criminology hosted a oneweek no-cost immersion into the criminal justice systemfor high school students from 10 Hillsborough Countyhigh schools including the Law & Criminal JusticeAcademy at Jefferson High School. The program wasdeveloped and designed by USF Department ofCriminology faculty member, Elizabeth Cass andAssistant State Attorney, Felix Vega from the 13thJudicial Circuit. Police officers, prosecutors, defenseattorneys and judges all volunteered to bring thematerial to life.

Utilizing a mock traffic homicide investigation, studentslearned how a case proceeds from investigation to arrestand ultimately makes its way before a judge and jury.The week began at the Tampa Police Department'sTraining facility where students had the opportunity tostudy a crash scene, learn about traffic accident

Wesley Jennings, PhD, is the recipient of the 2016Southern Criminal Justice Association's OutstandingEducator Award. This award recognizes a criminal justiceeducator for outstanding academic achievement inteaching, research and service. He will be presented withthe award at their annual meeting on September 9th at theSavannah DeSoto Hilton in Savannah, Georgia.

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participate in field sobriety tests, and drive the simulated impaired driving cart. The day was topped offwith a simulated car chase/hostage taking /SWAT team demonstration by the Tampa PoliceDepartment. On Tuesday and Wednesday, students heard from USF Police on issues related to campuspolicy and Eric McDade of Spectra Venue Management provided a behind the scenes tour of the SunDome. Later in the week, students took part in a jury selection exercise, and watched closingarguments from Assistant State Attorney, Chris Castillo and private defense attorney Kim Seace. Theweek ended in the courtroom of Judge Lisa Campbell who gave the "jurors" jury instructions beforebailiffs lead them to the jury room for deliberations.

The goal of the summer program was to provide a positive learning experience to encourage students'interest in attending college and pursuing careers in the field of criminal justice and criminology. Wealso hoped that interacting with criminal justice professionals would allow students to develop firsthand impressions of the system. A student who thanked us for "restoring my faith in the police thisweek" gave us hope that we accomplished that goal.

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Spotlight Sessions

Department Events

Agency Spotlights (police departments, lawyers, federal agencies, etc.)Internship Spotlights (recruiting sessions)Job Recruitment/Interview SpotlightsProfessional Development Spotlights (resume review, interview techniques,how to job search, application processes – law school, graduate school, etc.)Career Spotlights (Policing, Corrections, Forensics, Law, Cyber, SocialServices, etc.)

Check Canvas & Facebook often for information on dates and times.

One of our exciting new initiatives will be holding on-site “Spotlight Sessions” inthe Department. These sessions will cover a variety of job readiness/career relatedtopics with guests from various agencies. Topics will include:

Guest Speaker Gil Kerlikowske,Commissioner of U.S.

Customs & Border Patrol Criminology Career Fair Criminology Career Fair

Fall 2016Back to School Party

Professor Joshua CochranGoing Away Party

Inaugural CriminologySummer Experience