Skip to main content

Westminster CSI Class Solves "Campus Murder"

Share on:

Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2003

Members of the Westminster College Forensics/Detective Class recently solved the "campus murder" of Dr. Richard Sprow, professor of English and chair of the fictional "Faculty Misconduct Committee."

"This is the first time for this cluster class, a mixture of Detective Fiction English 107 and Forensic Science 150," said Dr. Deborah Mitchell, assistant professor of English and Public Relations at Westminster College.  "In addition to writing a creative story about the crime scene, the students had to use the elements of science to gather evidence."

"I dusted the murder weapon, a steel rod, for prints, but got nothing conclusive," said Mary Kingston, a junior English major and lab technician for the Westminster team.  "The killer probably wore gloves."

"Hair samples were collected by our police department," said Todd Fleckenstein, a junior environmental science major and chief medical examiner for the Westminster team.  "There are different variations of hair patterns.  Dr. DiLalla's matched the closest to the hairs found at the scene."

Hair samples were collected from all the Westminster "suspects" including Dr. Joseph Balczon, assistant professor of biology; Dr. Jennifer DiLalla, assistant professor of English; Dr. Dwight Castro, professor of classics; Dr. John Bonomo, assistant professor of computer science; and Dr. David Swerdlow, associate professor of English.

"The note found at the crime scene closely matched that of Dr. Balczon," said Katie Miller, a junior music education major and lab technician for the Westminster team.  "We collected hair and fiber samples from a bag found near the murder.  The bag smells of something&I just couldn't identify it."

"I took at least 50 photos of the crime scene," said Carolyn Miller, a junior broadcast communication major and a crime scene investigator for the Westminster team.  "I love to read and write, and this combination of detective fiction and forensic science was a perfect combination."

"Forensics is a great way to explore the principles of science, especially for non-science majors," said Dr. Helen Boylan, assistant professor of chemistry at Westminster College.  "It is something that we all can relate to because we see forensics in the news, in major court cases, and on prime time TV.  That makes it a science that is accessible for everyone."

Many real-life investigators such as Matt Mangino, a 1985 Westminster graduate and Lawrence County district attorney; Russell Noga, Lawrence County coroner; and Jim Braden, a police officer and father of Jennifer Braden, a junior music education major from Wheeling W.Va., visited the class.  The students were also required to hear a lecture from Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat, a nationally-known forensics expert and the only board-certified forensic anthropologist in Pennsylvania.

"I would recommend this class to anyone who not only wanted to learn more about science, but also what goes on behind writing crime novels," said Kingston.

"There was great competition to get into this class, and it closed early," said Carolyn Miller.  "This class will run again."

"This class was fun," said Megan Elias, a senior public relations and police investigator for the Westminster team.  "I'm not good in science, but this kept my interest and incorporated real life with fiction."

Cluster courses, usually taken during the sophomore or junior years, consist of two linked courses taught by at least two faculty members from different disciplines to the same group of students.  Clusters offer opportunities for students to integrate knowledge and development into a community of learners, and all Westminster students are required to take at least one cluster.

"This information has just been received from the police," said Boylan.  "Dr. Joseph Balczon has just confessed, and will be held for further classes."

For more information, contact Boylan at (724) 946-6293 or e-mail boylanhm@westminster.edu, or Mitchell at (724) 946-7030 or e-mail dmitchel@westminster.edu.