NJIT Fraternity and Staff Honored During a National Fraternal Convention

Humberto ‘Humby’ Baquerizo, assistant director of the Campus Center at NJIT, was honored with the Delta Beta Xi Award, which honors those who have given outstanding service to the vision of the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity, a national social fraternity to which he belongs.

He received the award during the recent Alpha Sigma Phi National Convention held in Orlando for his many years of volunteering on behalf of the fraternity’s national chapter. Baquerizo, of Newark, has also served as an alumni facilitator to the Ralph F. Burns Leadership Institute, which is sponsored by Alpha Sigma Phi.

At NJIT, Baquerizo also serves as assistant director of Conference Services, where he is responsible for coordinating all external university events and conferences. He is also part of the Student Activities team that manages the day-to-day operations of student programming and long-range planning for all student- life programs and campus initiatives.

Baquerizo, who everyone on campus refers to warmly as Humby, meets the students when they first arrive on campus as freshman. Over their years here, he helps them navigate their way socially through NJIT, where many of them join clubs and organizations, sororities and fraternities, thereby enhancing their college experience. He is always at the Campus Center, the hub of NJIT’s communal life, where he advises and counsels students, helping them to become engaged and involved, until the day they graduate.

“We know that the more engaged students are, the more likely they are to succeed,” says Baquerizo, who graduated from NJIT in 1995 and was a student leader on campus. “I enjoyed being active on campus when I was a student so want to replicate that experience for as many students as I can.”

Also during the Alpha Sigma Phi national convention, the NJIT fraternal chapter received the Grand Senior President’s Award -- the highest honor a chapter can receive within the national fraternity. The chapter must be in good standing with fraternity headquarters and excel in all aspects of the fraternity’s annual report. The chapter also received eight out of 10 citations in the following categories: alumni relations, ritual exemplification, membership development, scholarships, communications, risk management, philanthropy and financial management.

In addition, two recent NJIT graduates and Alpha Sigs, Matt Nicosia, of Parsippany and Anthony Araujo, of Kenilworth, were inducted into the fraternity’s Undergraduate Hall of Fame. Those inducted into the Hall of Fame are the fraternity’s most accomplished undergraduates who have made significant contributions to better their chapter and their organization.

“These awards are great distinctions and another milestone in the history of the chapter at NJIT,” says Baquerizo. “They also illustrate the university’s continued support for its fraternities and sororities, which enliven campus life for hundreds of students.”