The Arkansas Alumni Association honored its third class of Seniors of Significance on December 2. Seventy-one graduating seniors, commemorating the university’s founding date of 1871, were recognized along with their faculty or staff mentor. The 71 students were selected from more than 400 nominations and represent each University of Arkansas undergraduate academic college. These are exceptional seniors who were selected based on academic achievement, leadership skills and substantial extracurricular campus and/or community activities.
Included in this year’s class of Seniors of Significance is Arkansas Alpha’s Alex Crawford. Originally from Edmond, Oklahoma, Brother Crawford is a Biology and Spanish double manor and has served the chapter as chaplain and as a member of the philanthropy committee. The philanthropy committee has raised thousands of dollars for the ALS research division of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Alongside fellow Phis on campus, Alex founded a local club of the national nonprofit organization Operation Smile. As president, Alex led the club in hosting events to further the awareness of Cleft lips and palates.
Brother Crawford is a member of Order of Omega and also serves on the executive committee for the honors pre-medical society Alpha Epsilon Delta. Alex was funded by the University of Arkansas to do honors biology research on the bacterium Clostridium difficile that focuses on stopping the release of toxins from this bacterium. This research could eventually help stop the associated infections from this bacterium that is seen all too frequently in hospitals across the world. Following graduation, Brother Crawford will attend the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.
Since the expansion of the Arkansas Alumni Association’s senior awards program, a member of Phi Delta Theta has been represented in every class:
- 2016 – Tanner Bone and Clayton Wall
- 2015 – Nathan Hopper
- 2014 – Bo Renner
