In recognition of the dedication and skill of dozens of students, Mount Saint Mary College recently introduced two new honor societies: Chi Rho Iota for Criminology and Chi Alpha Sigma for student-athletes.
The Chi Rho Iota (CRI) Criminology Honor Society seeks to develop a community of young scholars dedicated to enhancing their understanding of the causes, prevention, control, treatment, and responses to crime and delinquency. The society also strives to use the Mount’s mission of service to help its members become more well-rounded and effective scholars and practitioners in the many areas of Criminology.
While there is a national honor society devoted to the discipline of Criminal Justice, there is no national honor society devoted specifically to Criminology. Thus, faculty advisors Jenifer Lee-Gonyea, associate professor of Criminology, and Kate Burmon, assistant professor of Criminology, decided to create this new honor society to celebrate hardworking Mount students. The two even created a seal for Chi Rho Iota for use on the society’s documents and certificates.
“We wanted our honor society to not just focus on GPA, as is the case with most other honor societies,” Lee-Gonyea explained. “We wanted to incorporate a focus on service into our honor society, in part because we believe in the connection of our program to service.”
Chi Rho Iota recently inducted the following students: Angelina Dragonetti of Poughquag, N.Y.; Samantha Mazzella of East Patchogue, N.Y.; Albert James Bolger of West Milford, N.J.; and Victoria Guglielmo of Farmingdale, N.Y. In addition, the Award for Excellence in Criminology went to Troy Grant of Hyde Park, N.Y.
The Mount’s Criminology major explores the varied aspects of crime, from victimization and the criminal justice system to exploring society’s response to criminals and the reasons people break the law. Those who complete the Criminology program will have many career options, including positions in law enforcement, corrections, community service agencies, child welfare programs, adult protective services, mental health, and more.
Also this semester, the Mount’s Athletic Department announced that nearly 50 student-athletes were inducted into the college’s second new honor society, Chi Alpha Sigma, New York Alpha Si Chapter.
A nonprofit organization, Chi Alpha Sigma was established to recognize college student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and the field. Chi Alpha Sigma honors student-athletes who receive a varsity letter in their sport, achieve junior academic standing or higher after their fifth full-time semester, and earn a 3.4 or better cumulative grade point average.
The Mount welcomed 48 student-athletes into the inaugural cohort, covering 20 of its 21 varsity sports. Women’s Tennis and Women’s Track and Field led the way with five inductees each, with Women’s Soccer, Women’s Volleyball, and Cheerleading clocking in at four inductees each.
“In this time of uncertainty, it’s nice to be able to bring positive attention to our student-athletes and their accomplishments in the classroom,” noted Jessica Mushel, Mount Athletic director. “We are so proud of this group, and the future is bright for these Knights.”
For a full list of inductees, visit msmc.edu/ChiAlphaSigma
Chi Rho Iota and Chi Alpha Sigma join nearly 20 other honor societies at the Mount, alongside societies for Science, Mathematics, English, Education, and more.