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Corporate criminologist studies fall-out of white collar offenders
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June 2, 2003
When most of us ponder crime we think of car thieves, burglars, drug offenders and other common felons.
But Jordan Tesluk is more interested in corporate criminals – the ones who directly or indirectly cause as much death, devastation and financial ruin as all other criminals combined, according to some estimates.
"I’m particularly interested in workplace transgressions that aren’t always prosecuted as seriously as other crimes," says the Governor General silver medal winner, who is graduating with a BA in criminology and a 4.22 cumulative GPA, just shy of the 4.33 maximum.
That includes employee crimes like inventory theft and injury insurance fraud, says the Victoria native and Oak Bay high school graduate who begins his masters in criminology at SFU next fall. But the most damaging – and least punished – violations are typically executive-level crimes, he says, like embezzlement, stock manipulation, pollution and occupational health and safety violations.
Tesluk’s interest in corporate criminology was reinforced during his highly praised three-month practicum with the West Coast Environmental Law agency. But he says his nine-year work history with tree-planting contractor Zanzibar Holdings has also played a role. He was instrumental in developing Zanzibar’s health and safety program, of which he is the director, and the company’s employee dispute resolution program.
SFU criminology undergraduate director, Gail Anderson, describes Tesluk as an "excellent speaker and a conscientious, creative young scholar." Citing his 23 A+ grades spanning a variety of disciplines, she says, "We rarely see superlative academic accomplishments in our field and related fields, where A+ grades are a rarity. Other staff and faculty have also spoken very highly of Tesluk’s articulate, positive outlook and his leading-by-example approach to academic life and the community."
That’s high praise for someone who began his academic career with a criminal justice diploma from Langara College, thinking that would be it. "I didn’t really think I’d make much of a student," says Tesluk, who plans to eventually complete his PhD in criminology.
"I thought I would get this diploma and then maybe I could get a job with customs or something like that. But it turned out that school was an alright thing for me."
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Contact
Carol Thorbes, Media & PR, 604.291.3035; cthorbes@sfu.ca
But Jordan Tesluk is more interested in corporate criminals – the ones who directly or indirectly cause as much death, devastation and financial ruin as all other criminals combined, according to some estimates.
"I’m particularly interested in workplace transgressions that aren’t always prosecuted as seriously as other crimes," says the Governor General silver medal winner, who is graduating with a BA in criminology and a 4.22 cumulative GPA, just shy of the 4.33 maximum.
That includes employee crimes like inventory theft and injury insurance fraud, says the Victoria native and Oak Bay high school graduate who begins his masters in criminology at SFU next fall. But the most damaging – and least punished – violations are typically executive-level crimes, he says, like embezzlement, stock manipulation, pollution and occupational health and safety violations.
Tesluk’s interest in corporate criminology was reinforced during his highly praised three-month practicum with the West Coast Environmental Law agency. But he says his nine-year work history with tree-planting contractor Zanzibar Holdings has also played a role. He was instrumental in developing Zanzibar’s health and safety program, of which he is the director, and the company’s employee dispute resolution program.
SFU criminology undergraduate director, Gail Anderson, describes Tesluk as an "excellent speaker and a conscientious, creative young scholar." Citing his 23 A+ grades spanning a variety of disciplines, she says, "We rarely see superlative academic accomplishments in our field and related fields, where A+ grades are a rarity. Other staff and faculty have also spoken very highly of Tesluk’s articulate, positive outlook and his leading-by-example approach to academic life and the community."
That’s high praise for someone who began his academic career with a criminal justice diploma from Langara College, thinking that would be it. "I didn’t really think I’d make much of a student," says Tesluk, who plans to eventually complete his PhD in criminology.
"I thought I would get this diploma and then maybe I could get a job with customs or something like that. But it turned out that school was an alright thing for me."
-30-
Contact
Carol Thorbes, Media & PR, 604.291.3035; cthorbes@sfu.ca