Eastern Student Karolina Chrzanowska of Southington Gives Oral Presentation at CREATE Conference

2016 May 5

More than 250 talented students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented research and creative work at the university's second annual CREATE conference this past April. CREATE stands for Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern, and is the university's premier, academic year-end showcase. At the culminating event, students of all majors presented professional posters, live music, dance performances, artwork, photography, documentaries and panel discussions.

Karolina Chrzanowska '16 of Southington, who majors in Accounting, gave an oral presentation at the event. Her oral presentation was titled "The Analysis of Suspicious Transaction Reporting in the Bahamas."

"This presentation explores the impact of the global anti-money laundering campaign on the financial sector of The Bahamas, more specifically the implementation of the suspicious transaction reporting requirements in noncompliant nations," said Chrzanowska. "Furthermore, by examining the financial sectors of two vastly different economies, this presentation seeks to analyze the financial implications of the suspicious transaction reporting system. The Bahamas and Switzerland have been chosen for this paper because both are known for the significance of offshore banking within their economies. It is noted that since the time of its independence in 1973, The Bahamas has used offshore banking as a strategy for economic development and is considered to be a prime offshore financial centre (OFC), while Switzerland has had a reputation for the size and secrecy of its offshore banking sector. Both nations are seeking to comply with the global anti-money laundering requirements and this paper examines the differences between them. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of the suspicious transaction reporting system in The Bahamas and Switzerland, through the use of qualitative and quantitative measures. Through the application of Forensic Accounting, which is a multi-disciplinary field, this paper utilizes both economics and statistics in its analysis."

Remarking on the variety of presentations, Professor Dickson Cunningham, conference co-chair, said, "CREATE encapsulates the essence of the liberal arts in one afternoon. It is an intellectual smorgasbord."

Speaking to the value of CREATE, Eastern President Elsa Nunez said, "It takes a very strong and dedicated student to produce this quality of work, and it's important for other students to see this output." Praising the faculty, she added, "It takes a committed and skillful mentor to guide students to the work that is on display. Mentorship is such an integral part of undergraduate research."

During the one-day conference, the Student Center crawled with artistic and scholarly activity. Students in professional attire addressed their peers, faculty and family. In the cafe, ensembles performed; in the theatre, student-produced documentaries were shown; in the Betty R. Tipton Room, aisles of posters depicting scientific research were displayed; across the hall, a gallery-worth of paintings lined the walls; and on the ground floor, panel discussions and oral presentations about the humanities took place.