In The News

January 30, 2003

Criminal justice group provides educational trip for NU students

By Dan Robinson
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Al Gosselin has always had a dream of joining the Connecticut State Police. With every year that goes by, his aspirations are slowly becoming a reality.

Gosselin has built a respectable resume for himself; he is a criminal justice major at Norwich, along with having served several internships at various police departments, and getting involved with many activities that the major has to offer.

The 21-year-old senior from Lisbon, Conn., is now the president of the Criminal Justice Student Association at Norwich. One of his major tasks involves taking a number of criminal justice majors on the annual trip to Washington D.C.

"Its purpose is to bring approximately 20 people down to Washington DC every March, usually after spring break," Gosselin said. "It provides these students an opportunity to become exposed to the Federal law enforcement programs."

"Each year we have gone down, we leave on a Tuesday and come back on a Sunday," Gosselin said. "We stay in Pentagon City, Va, right across from the Pentagon, and the DEA's headquarters is there, as well."

The program is an entirely student-run operation; the cost is roughly $350 per student, according to Gosselin.

"We fly from Manchester, NH, to Baltimore, MD, and we then rent 15 passenger vans. Then we drive from Baltimore down to Pentagon City," Gosselin said.

Once down there, they have several things to do on their busy agenda. With the students visiting several law enforcement agencies such as the United States Secret Service, United States DEA, FBI, and "Electronic Warfare Associates."

The latter, according to Gosselin, is an entirely Norwich graduate-run government contract business that deals with high-dollar government contracts, such as weapons firing systems and guidance systems.

"The criminal justice trip to Washington, DC, last year was a blast. I got to see a lot of cool things," said Gerard Ditolla, 20, a junior criminal justice major from Nashua, NH. "We went down to the Secret Service training facility, the DEA training facility, and the Pentagon."

According to Ditolla, he and the other student members were the first to receive a tour of the Pentagon from an alumnus, who was able to "pull some strings." It was the first tour group to go through the building since the attacks on Sept. 11.

"Past years, we've gone to the Secret Service Academy, where they have given us driving demonstrations," Gosselin said. "We have also got to see demonstrations of their weapons, and they have exposed us to some of their training."

The trip is not all work and demonstrations, though; there are plenty of moments for the students to have some down-time to themselves.

"The mornings are pretty much set out for you, with visits to all the agencies, but you have the nights to yourself, where you are free to go out on the town and get to see some other things around DC," said Randy Klue, 21, a senior criminal justice major from Orneville, ME.

Not only are the students exposed to federal law enforcement agencies, they also get on opportunity to get introduced to alumni form Norwich.

"Due to the alumni, we get to do a lot of the behind the scenes stuff, which a lot of people do not get to do," Ditolla said.

"I have been on the trip to DC once, and it's a really good experience," Klue said. "I got to meet a lot of connections, from Norwich grads who are all willing to help you out."

"We got a chance to work with some of their agent trainees from the Secret Service; same can be said for the DEA's, where we got to use their Fire Arms Simulator," Gosselin said. "Basically, our main intent is to expose everyone to law enforcement."

Gosselin points out that in the past two years it has been an entirely corps trip, but he stresses that was just a coincidence. According to Gosselin, civilians are welcome to go on the trip.

"The people who are selected to go have been the most active in fundraising for the trip," Gosselin said. "Class year does not really matter; whoever does the most work gets to go."

There are many who have heard about the trip but have not gotten the chance to experience it.

"I would like to check out the capitol; I have never been on the trip, before," according to Cal Thomas, 20, a junior criminal justice major from Simsbury, Conn.

" I am really excited about getting an opportunity to see up close what all the Federal Agencies are all about, and to get the chance to visit the Secret Service, with the driving demo, and weapons displays, it sounds very impressive."

It is best summed up with what Ditolla said, "I highly recommend it to any criminal justice major, because it was well worth my time."

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