IN ACTION STUDENTS TRAIN FOR FUTURE CAREERS The Harding Criminal Justice Association was an organization geared toward preparing students to undertake a career in criminal justice, whether police work or law work, by exposing them to real life situations. The group included criminal justice majors as well as pre-law or political science majors. Director of Criminal Justice and HCJA sponsor Dr. B.J. Houston was a deputy prosecuting attorney in circuit courts before coming to Harding. She also worked for the Criminal Justice Institute and was a law enforcement instructor. Houston started HCJA in 2003 in conjunction with the national American Criminal Justice Association. In 2005, she made HCJA a private organization no longer affiliated with the national organization, so the members of the organization would make closer ties with each other that would provide connections in the future. "It gives them the opportunity to build camaraderie and, as I emphasize, the brotherhood," Houston said. "The criminal justice majors are really close." Junior Alex Goy, the president of HCJA, joined the Army Reserves as a combat engineer in 2011 and wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement after graduating and leaving the military. Goy, who was in charge of organizing activities for HCJA, said he tried to get the group involved in things that would prepare them for the criminal justice field. The group activities included learning how to shoot guns such as AR-15s, training as a first responder, and visiting the local jail. According to Goy, the idea behind these events was to get members involved in things that would make them one step ahead of others competing for the same positions in the future. "The field of criminal justice is so limited, and there are so many people applying that you have to have something that puts you a step ahead," Goy said. "You have to have something that makes you stand out, and that's what we're trying to do." One event the group initiated in the fall was a jail ministry. Goy was a member of Downtown Church of Christ, which already had a jail ministry in place. Goy asked the leaders if HCJA could go with them once a month. In this ministry, the members went into the White County Detention Center and led devotionals for the inmates. Senior Brandus Howard, vice president of HCJA, joined the organization because of the influence of his dad, who was a police officer. He talked about the importance of shadowing or doing ride-arounds with officers as a foretaste of what they could one day do. Because his dad worked in law enforcement, he got to see firsthand how the criminal justice field worked. Goy and Howard were both criminal justice majors. For their major, they took a class that required them to go to a correctional facility. They both said it was an eye-opening experience for them and showed them the reality of their future careers. "I was terrified my first time," Howard said. "You're standing there, and you're face to face with a murderer. When you're wanting to go into law enforcement, you have to see that sort of stuff because you're going to see that constantly." That sort of experience was crucial to the criminal justice majors and was exactly the type of experience HCJA existed to provide. The organization was built around preparing the members for the challenges of their professions among supporting peers and knowledgeable professors. Senior Brandus Howard and junior Alex Goy load an AR-15 at the Searcy shooting range on Nov. 15. Members of HCJA learned to fire weapons, trained as first responders and participated in prison ministries in order to prepare for future work in the criminal justice field. Matt Dobson Professor of Art Paul Pitt discusses hypnosis with senior Kinsey Morgan and other members of Psi Chi following their induction ceremony on Nov. 7. Psi Chi offered service opportunities, hosted professional speakers and held informative sessions about psychology graduate programs throughout the year. Henry Gonzalez 251
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