Chapter News and Notes

Alpha Upsilon Chapter, Niagara University

Chapter representative Dr. Talia Zajac reports that the Department of Religious Studies at Niagara University will present two students, Amina Shaibi and Preston Bartels with the Ozanam Award, given annually to a student who excels both academically and in community service. The award reflects Niagara University’s Vincentian heritage and is named after the Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813 – 1853). Education major Amina Shaibi, in addition to her studies, has dedicated long hours volunteering in the food pantry at “Heart, Love and Soul,” a non-profit hunger-relief and social services agency in central Niagara Falls. Preston Bartels has taken on student leadership roles in various Niagara University clubs, including as Vice-President of the Muslim Student Association and as President and Co-President of the History Forum (the student history club). He has also been deeply engaged in the wider community as a History and Heritage Intern at the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, taking part, among other activities, in archival digitization projects at Niagara Falls Public Library and in the preservation of the artwork of the Prophet Isaiah Second Coming House in Niagara Falls.^[1] For their academic excellence and community engagement, Amina Shaibi and Preston Bartels will receive the Ozanam medallion at Niagara University’s annual Arts and Sciences Day of Recognition in May.

Alpha Gamma Rho Chapter, Oklahoma City University Wimberly School of Religion

Chapter representative Dr. Lisa Wolfe reports that in late January, the chapter inducted a new member, Alex Porter. In early March, four members of the chapter traveled together to the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies Meeting in Irving, TX, where Senior TAK member Emma Goins presented a paper in the TAK session: “Unwritten Women: The Untold Stories of Women in Faith.” Ms. Goins will attend Boston University School of Theology in the fall, where she has received the United Methodist Church Leadership Fellowship.

TAK Alpha Gamma Rho Induction January 30, 2025. Pictured (L-R): Dr. Lisa Wolfe (TAK Advisor), Alex Porter (new member), Emma Goins (Senior), Landon Cain (Junior)

Establishment of New Chapters

With this issue of the journal Theta Alpha Kappa welcomes a new chapter.

Alpha Xi Iota, University of Houston

The Alpha Xi Iota Chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa has been established at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. The University of Houston was founded in 1927. Its program offerings include a major and minor in Religious Studies. The chapter representative is Dr. Caryn Tamber-Rosenau.

Undergraduate Achievement Awards

Each local chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa may honor a student every other year with the Undergraduate Achievement Award. The $100 award is funded by the national TAK office and is granted to a student selected by the local chapter representative. Please go to the website for criteria and instructions on how to arrange receipt of the cash award. This year (2024–25), chapters whose chapter numbers end in the digits 5–9 may select an honoree (your chapter number is found in the chapter directory on our website).

2025 Albert Clark Awards

Theta Alpha Kappa offers congratulations to the 2025 Albert Clark Award winners and runners up. This year’s prize recipients are as follows:

Undergraduate Submissions

• First Place: Jules Lingenfelter, University of Pennsylvania, “Muslim Women in Court: Exploring the Intersection of Religion, Gender, and State Law Through the Case of Triple Talaq”

• Second Place (tie): Amanda Kuo, Kenyon College, “‘A Run of Crazy Dreams’: The Spectacle of Muddled Orientalism and Hyper-Sexuality in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”

• Second Place (tie): Aidan Puchalik, George Washington University, “Freedom Through Religion: How the Nation of Islam Sparked the Modern Prisoners’ Rights Movement”

Graduate Submissions

• First Place: David Kemp, University of Denver – Iliff School of Theology, “Appropriate American Masculinities: Christian and Nationalist Reorganizations of Queerness”

• Second Place: James Hammond, University of Denver, “Black God, White Hoods: American Racism Under the Lens of James Cone”

• Third Place: Zane Johnson, University of Denver – Iliff School of Theology, “Mystical Bridges to an Imagined East: Meister Eckhart, Christian Mysticism, and the Human as Two”

These essays will appear in future issues of JTAK with other high scoring submissions.

“Start Up” Grant

The national board of TAK offers a “start-up” grant of $200 for any region of the AAR or SBL that organizes a section at its annual meeting for the presentations of papers by chapter members. A $100 award should be given for the best paper presented, and the remaining $100 may be used at the discretion of the region to help organize the session. In subsequent years, the honor society will continue to offer $100 for the best paper presented at a TAK session. Participants should also be encouraged to submit their papers for the Albert Clark Award and possible publication in this journal.

Procedures for Ordering TAK Certificates and Regalia

The Board of Directors of Theta Alpha Kappa has an agreement with Kenneth E. Jernigan & Associates to collect inductee information and fees and to issue the induction certificates to the Chapter Representative. Chapter Representatives should refer to the link on the TAK website for detailed information about recording and processing this information. Please let us know of any problems. Send comments to theta_alpha_kappa_inquiries@ThetaAlphaKappa.org.