Partnering up with Justice

How does one earn a criminal justice degree and help out other CJ students at the University of Cincinnati? By partnering up with Justice. The Partners in Justice is a student organization in the criminal justice program that helps with the mentoring of other students. Additionally, this organization has been responsible for sponsoring tours, getting guest speakers, holding bake sales and selling lanyards.You may have seen them around campus sporting the logo "U C Looking for Justice?…Just Us." They have also helped out by … some performing arts programs like the ARTrageous and the Rhythm ‘n' Blue Ash performances. But what else did they do?

The main event for Partners in Justice is a quarterly Registration Party which was a total success this past February. The event was held on Thursday, Feb. 9 from 1pm to 6pm in Muntz 111. The party was lead by UCBA PIJ with advisers Brad Tate and Marilyn Simon. Approximately thirty CJ students attended, all of whom were curious and/or needed help when it came to signing up for spring classes. Considering that quarters are being changed to Semesters (see UCBA's Website) students need all the help they can get. The Partners in Justice Student Mentors were able to mentor other students by helping them sign up for classes and by advising them on what courses to take. There were four available mentors at the party and the good thing about the mentors is that most are juniors and seniors, so they were able to give general information about courses they have already taken. Additionally, they were able to advise newer students on what the best plan of action is. Not only can you get help in signing up for classes, but you can also bring your schedule, if you already signed up for classes, and verify if classes you signed up for are appropriate. For many of the students, this was a great way to start networking with other criminal justice students and a way to help them save money by not signing up for classes they do not need. According to Marilyn Simon, it is a lot of fun for the students, with free pizza and Pepsi. Prof. Simon added: "This helps make the transition for Semester Conversion as seamless and easy as possible."

So if you missed this PIJ event and you want to attend one next year you can. These registration parties are a quarterly, (soon to be a twice a year), event and there will be another one during Summer and Fall Priority Registration. Criminal Justice students will receive an email telling them about when and where it will be held. All criminal justice students are welcome. When you attend, you can stay as long as you like while talking to other students, mentors and/or advisors. They are always happy to help you and try to make sure that you are happy with your schedule.

If you are a criminal justice student and interested in joining PIJ, just attend a Registration Party or email Prof. Simon at marilyn.simon@uc.edu. We will be in need of PIJ Officers in the future. This volunteering opportunity looks great on a resume and like mentioned prior, it's a great place to start networking and getting to know others who have the same interests as you. Do you have a Criminal Justice degree and want to help out at the University of Cincinnati? Then, partner up with Partners in Justice!