Civic Engagement – Page 94 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Moot Court Practices

The LEAP Center runs SHSU’s Moot Court team, and students have been working feverishly to prepare for the upcoming scrimmage (October 9-10) and tournament (October 23-24). The Moot Court is a great way for students to prepare for law school, and it combines people’s greatest fear (public speaking) with pre-law students’ greatest anxiety (preparing for law school)!

The Team

SHSU’s Moot Court team consists of six students: Kaitlyn Tyra, Alex Galvan, Austin Campbell, James Perry, Chelsea King, and Kristyn Couvillion. They receive no academic credit for being on the team, but it is something that law schools look at, and if done correctly, can result in enhanced skills, increased confidence, a resume entry, and even a letter of recommendation. Their coach is Jean Loveall, a Program Coordinator for the LEAP Center, professor of the pre-law cohort, and an attorney who received her JD from SMU School of Law. Mike Yawn is the LEAP Center director, and he helps out when needed.

The Process and Timeline

The Texas Undergraduate Moot Court Association provides the Moot Court problem in May, and students and coaches work on the problem over the summer and early fall. After much reading (the entire problem consists of 19 cases, each average 15-20 pages) and many questions, the coach has a better idea of who is ready and who isn’t. If necessary, the coach may cut team members who are not putting in the necessary work or who aren’t showing the necessary improvement. Some students, after getting a better sense of what attorneys do, change their mind about being on the team.

By September, team members should be ready for public, semi-formal practices. In the last month, for example, the SHSU Team has engaged in two practices . Local attorneys served as judges, and the students got their chance to show their stuff in a courtroom setting, while having questions fired at them.

It can be rough going, but it is also rewarding.

Students have the chance to improve their critical thinking skills, their understanding of legal and political issues, and their ability to think on their feet.

October is the month for the formal scrimmage and the tournament. This year, scrimmages will be held at St. Mary’s and UNT Law schools. SHSU chose to participate in the UNT law school scrimmage because all three of its teams could participate (St. Mary’s limited participation to two teams). This scrimmage will take place October 9-10. Although the performances do not count in the point system determining whether a team goes to finals, it’s an important performance. Coaches assess the students’ performances and have the chance to make final team assignments for the tournament.

Teams consist of two members, and both argue in front of the three justices, with time roughly split between the two members.

This year, the tournaments are held at Texas Tech Law School and Texas A&M law school. SHSU is participating in Tech’s tournament on October 23-24. This is the real deal, and the winners of this tournament will go to Nationals in Washington, DC, which are held in January.

Looking Ahead

Loveall and Yawn are always on the lookout for potential members. Some students, for example, watched the practice moot court proceedings to see what might be in store for them next year. Other activities also provide Loveall and Yawn the opportunity to find students who have strong oral communication skills, a knowledge of basic law and politics, the desire to become an attorney, and a strong work ethic.

Jamaus, Brittany, & Beatriz get a head start
on next year’s tournament.

LEAP Center Does Time: Huntsville Unit Tour

With some help from TDCJ CFO Jerry McGinty, LEAP Center students and guests went behind bars on Thursday, touring the Huntsville Unit (aka Walls Unit). The guest list included attorneys Audrey Biggar and Jeremy Romoser, City staff Marla Diers, SHSU Staff Deanna Briones and Renee Starns, and retired teacher Leanne Woodward.

The extensive tour included the historic part of the Walls Unit, where Clyde Barrow and Chief Satanta once served time, and the solitary confinement cell of John Wesley Hardin–who spent two years in solitary. It also included the holding cell for the death chamber, as well as the death chamber itself, by far the most sobering part of the tour.

The execution chamber is a small room, painted green, with a gurney located in the center. The gurney has numerous straps to hold down the inmate in his final minutes, and only three individuals are permitted in the room: the condemned inmate, the warden, and the chaplain. Invited guests witness the execution from viewing rooms. The execution has a live feed, but no recording equipment.

Also of interest was the textile mill, supervised by James Langley, who gave us a tour of its many-faceted operations. We saw how inmates made cotton for the uniforms; material for the mops, used at units across the state; and even the material used in mattresses for the inmates (and sold to Universities for dorm bedding!).

Finally, we concluded the tour with a walk-through of the chapel, the cell block, and a Q & A period following the tour. Perhaps most interesting is the sheer magnitude and diversity of running the prison system. While most people realize this involves guarding and housing inmates, few people probably realize that there more than 100 units across Texas; or that TDCJ owns some 1,600 horses; or that TDCJ farms produce millions of eggs; or that TDCJ is left to bury some 100 inmates annually, inmates who either don’t have families or whose families don’t have the means or desire to provide a burial themselves.

TDCJ Captain Joe Byrd (Peckerwood Hill) Prison Cemetery. Huntsville, Texas

It’s a daunting enterprise. But the enterprise was explained coherently and, at appropriate times, even entertainingly by Warden Jones, CFO McGinty, and Officer Langley.

While TDCJ tours are not available to the general public, much of TDCJ’s history and artifacts can be viewed at the Texas Prison Museum on HWY 75N.

Outdoors with Huntsville’s Sculptures and Indoors with Huntsville’s David Adickes

It was a fun second week for participants in the LEAP Center’s heART of Huntsville program. The week involved a behind-the-scenes tour of David Adickes’ “Big Sam” at the Huntsville Visitor Center, a bus tour of the city’s outdoor sculptures, dinner at the new Eclectic Studio, and a wonderful tour of the Adickes’ Foundation.

Jamie Matthews at the Visitor Center offered an informative and welcoming environment for us beginning at 6pm, with snacks and water on hand. We were treated to a viewing of the short animated feature introducing the building of the Sam Houston Statue (and Sam Houston, the man)…

…which was produced by SHSU students in the animation program of the University’s art department. Following the video, we visited the statue, gathered for a group picture….

…and learned cool facts. Did you know, for example, that there is a door to the interior of the statue, allowing people to climb to the top of Big Sam?

We also had an hour-long bus tour of Huntsville’s outdoor sculptures. We would bet that most Huntsville residents don’t know the city has more than 30 such sculptures, including work by world-renowned artists such as Charles Pebworth (“Totem Number One” behind City Hall), Jesus Moroles (two outdoor sculptures on SHSU’s campus and four on the Wynne Home grounds), and Pompeo Coppini (Sam Houston’s grave monument)? While those sculptors may be some of the more famous, there’s also the abstract Christ statue by Brother Melvin Meyer, who completed more than 10,000 sculptures (mostly from recycled materials) before passing away in 2013? Or that one of Stuart Kraft’s two Huntsville sculptures was lost by Huntsville Independent School District? Or that John Stewart’s “Reclining Figure” was inspired by the work of Henry Moore, perhaps the greatest 20th Century sculptor? Or that the seven trees surrounding the “reclining figure” represent the seven astronauts lost in the 1986 Challenger explosion? And how many people know that architect Harry Payne completed more seven or eight structures in Huntsville (e.g., Smither-Martin law firm, Sam Houston Memorial Museum) that are still standing? The arts are just one of the fun things to explore in Huntsville!

For most of us, our dinner was the first time to visit Eclectic Studio, but the food and the art will be bringing us back for more!

Although normally specializing in vegan and vegetarian fare, the chef (Jennie Dickenson) catered to our meat-eating group with scrumptious ribs, potatoes, pasta salad, and wonderful hummus and chips.

One of our participants, Betsy Maloney, even had some of her art work on the walls, along with art by Lee Jamison and Jennie Dickenson. We’d like to thank the POLS department at SHSU for sponsoring this week’s activities and dinner!

The highlight of the evening was the tour of the Adickes’ Foundation, the old Huntsville High School on Avenue H. Containing more than 300 pieces of art by Adickes, it is a wonderful place to spend an evening….

…although, at times, there were so much art to see, we didn’t know which direction to turn!

Each of us had our favorite Adickes’ painting, and we made sure we got him in the picture with us, whether it was Karla…

…or Megan…

….or Alex…

…or Kaitlyn…

…we all had fun. Even Ms. Woodward got into the selfie spirit!

But the most successful was a group selfie…

The LEAP Center Ambassadors have been to many art galleries as a group: the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Ohr-Okeefe Museum in Biloxi (designed by Frank Gehry), the High Museum in Atlanta, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, the Ransom Center, and more. But as one of the Ambassadors noted, “We’ve been to art museums all over the country, but this one was the coolest, because the artist is with us!”

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He spent time discussing how he made certain pieces (one he used coffee to get the color right!), of how tapestries were made, or the art that was in Elvis Presley’s home…

…the stories were as interesting as the art.

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And for students who are political science majors, it was a treat to hear about the night he spent in the White House, when he had the privilege of going to the Kennedy Center with George H.W. and Barbara Bush, followed by a night in the Lincoln Bedroom.

It was a fun, educational evening!

Council Member for a Day

LEAP students, looking to become more civically involved, had the opportunity to learn from Huntsville leadership Thursday afternoon. In what was considered “Local Government Day” at City Hall, LEAP students came prepared to re-enact a city council meeting, complete with scripts and councilmember assignments.

The afternoon began with Mayor Woodward talking to students about the importance of civic involvement . We learned about his resume as mayor and of the ins and outs of holding the office. Mayor Woodward gave us a good portion of his afternoon to chat and answer questions before his next event. Taking his place, City Secretary Lee Woodward instructed us on city government and how it works. She spoke about the mission of the city, the different positions held by city workers, and what she does, specifically, as city secretary. Students, often coming to Huntsville from Houston where they are not as involved in the local happenings, listened intently, learning of all the opportunities that await them as members of the Huntsville community.

After learning about Huntsville’s Council-Manager system, students engaged in the exercise of the afternoon, acting out a city council meeting as members of the council and mayor. Each student was assigned to a different position, ranging from mayor to city attorney to hospital administrator, and we read from a script and extemporized the happenings of a typical city council meeting, including the proposal of a texting and driving ordinance–a topic of particular interest to college students.

We had the chance to be coached throughout by City Secretary Woodward and Professor Yawn, both of whom have extensive experience in the Tuesday night council meetings. Students acted their parts well for the most part and, in some cases, argued the proposal of the ordinance with the fervor of actual city council members. In all, we acted through two separate council meetings, with each of us switching roles.

Overall, we did pretty well. One of the most difficult things was adjusting to parliamentary procedure. Another was understanding the various rules under which city governments have to operate. If nothing else, this was a good exercise to know how hard council members work for virtually no pay ($10 a meeting).

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Ending the afternoon, students enjoyed cupcakes from and chatted about the excitement of being mayor or a councilmember for a few hours. We explored the park behind city hall and saw Charles Pebworth’s “Totem #1.” Inspired to become involved and entrenched in city politics, LEAP students left city hall eager to make a difference in the community. We would like to thank Mayor Woodward and City Secretary Woodward for their hospitality and for hosting LEAP during such an educational afternoon.

Exploring Art in the heART of Huntsville: Session One

Driven to learn more about the community, LEAP Ambassadors are participating in the heART of Huntsville program, which promotes local arts in the Huntsville area. The program consists of four meetings, each with a different artistic theme, tour guides, and participatory activities.

As Ambassadors, we were excited to once again learn more about our campus and community. This excitement, however, was dampened–literally–when, just minutes before the program began, it began to rain heavily. Ambassadors President Megan Chapa, in charge of driving one of the golf carts, arrived from across campus a bit worse for the wear. Professor Yawn, also driving a cart, arrived with one leg completely drenched. It occurred to us that the program’s participants would probably find the campus’s art much more appealing if they weren’t having to stand in the rain to view it. Fortunately, the rain calmed eventually and we all managed to arrive at the Art Department to kick off our first meeting with staff, locals, and faculty, albeit a bit belated and somewhat damp.

We began at the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, where Professor Henderson, the chair of the art department, kindly welcomed us and gave us some background of the art department.

At that time, Dr. Melissa L. Mednicov introduced us to the “Still Summer” exhibit, with work by Debra Barrera and Kelly O’Connor, and gave us a closer insight at the background of the exhibit.

While O’Connor’s work emphasizes memory, fantasy, and fiction; Barrera’s work emphasizes personal memories, specifically relating to her childhood participation in sports such as swimming, seen in most of the art in the exhibit, such as “Pool Rules” or “Bottom of the Pool”. Another piece of work we found fun and interesting was “Selfies on Mars/Selfies on Earth”, where we of course could not miss our group selfie with Mrs. Woodward, Mrs. Pease, and Dean Shields.

Before heading out to the Lowman Student Center Art Gallery, we all took a survey to test our knowledge of Huntsville community art so far. By the end of the program we should be able to see an improvement in knowing and recognizing artwork locally. Next, we arrived at the LSC Art Gallery where we enjoyed an exhibit offered by Professor Trish Ramsay, whose Family and Consumer Science class produced scarves and other textiles. The pieces were beautiful and creative.

As a bonus, we learned a bit about the large piece of art outside the LSC art gallery. Turns out, it is a piece by James Surls, who graduated from SHSU. The piece, unlike almost any of his other work, was done when he was a student at SHSU in the 1960s.

Following the scarves exhibit, we moved to the Gaertner Performing Arts Center where we enjoyed a walking art tour. Craig Brossman, the Facilities Manager of the GPAC, gave us a tour of the Concert Hall, Dance Theater, and Recital Hall. Turns out, an acoustician (!) was hired to design the rooms in such a manner as to make the sound optimal, while also providing state-of-the-art technology. This tour was filled with interesting information (Recital Hall fits 790 people!) and provided rich information about a building that was named among the twenty-five most impressive University Art Centers in the United States.

Professor Henderson was also on hand to discuss many of the pieces of art, such as the “Around the Flower Wall” by James Surls, the previously mentioned internationally known sculptor and a former undergraduate SHSU student;

“Elemental Mandela,” by Kathleen Ash;

“Diamond Waves Column” by Jesus Moroles, an internationally known granite sculptor whose work the LEAP Ambassadors have had the pleasure to see in Fayetteville, Houston, New Orleans, Norman, Austin, and Birmingham; “Firedance” by Jason Lawson;

and various pieces by Stanley Lea.

To end our educational evening, we had dinner at Austin hall, the oldest educational building in continuous use west of the Mississippi and the most notable landmark on campus. We are so thankful to Dean Shields and the College of Mass Communication and Fine Arts for sponsoring such a wonderful evening. We left stuffed with food and knowledge, eagerly awaiting the coming weeks of fun and surprises. Next week we will focus our attention on the outdoor art of Huntsville, Texas and the artwork of David Adickes.

A Four-Star Retreat

While beginning the fall semester at Sam Houston, LEAP students had a lot to look forward to: new classes, LSAT preparation, moot-court practice, and meetings with four-star general Stanley McChrystal. This semester, we started the semester off right with a visit to The Woodlands to meet and speak with General Stanley McChrystal as a kind of kick-off to our two-day retreat.

When we first met General McChrystal, we immediately felt how his presence dominated the room.

Very calm and relaxed, he reminded us more of the laid back, logically thinking dad more than the head command of JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command), the force credited with the elimination of many terrorists. General McChrystal began the small-group question-and-answer session,we learned that he followed in his family footsteps and attended the United States Military Academy, where he learned to be the disciplined officer turned four-star general we know today. While in command in Iraq, General McChrystal noticed that while our system of war making decisions and standard operating procedures was efficient, it was not appropriate for a new world that was “faster, flatter, and more flexible.” After reviewing the organization and its strengths and weaknesses, McChrystal re-organized the JSOC and implements a new system of communication that connected 7,600 people and their teams in 76 different counties and nations.

While much of his story and later on speech involved his role in the Iraqi war, General McChrystal spoke mostly on his leadership style and how he became the leader he is now. When asked about his views on leadership, General McChrystal compared his job to being a gardener. This was an intriguing analogy, but McChrystal explained that a gardener isn’t responsible for nature. He’s responsible for ensuring that the environment is favorable for growth–removing obstacles (e.g., weeds) and providing resources (e.g., water). While commanding the JSOC, McChrystal ensured that his direct reports and troops (1) knew their mission, (2) had the information they needed to make good decisions on their own, and (3) had the resources they needed to fulfill their mission.

What made General McChrystal’s speech applicable to LEAP was his outlook on leadership as well as his courage to adapt to an evolving world of communication and technology within the framework of a “team of teams”. As an organization made up of different kinds of students with different strengths and weaknesses, LEAP students strive to follow this “team of teams” concept and look forward to using it this year to become a more productive and efficient organization at Sam.

We ended the evening by following the pull of our ravenous bellies. The Black Walnut Café was calling our name and we graciously decided to answer. The lighting and warm colors of mahogany and magenta, as well as the smell of the fresh seasonings in the air greeted as we entered the door and invited us to sit down and enjoy time with each other, while bonding over a delicious meal. We enjoyed great diversity in the menu in the form of salads, burgers, and pasta, and even some very impressive garlic bread. We closed the evening, cherishing our time with General McChyrstal and with each other, amidst discussions of the next LEAP adventure.

Livability, Sustainability, and Architectural Ability: LEAP Center sees Dan Phillips’ Work

The LEAP Center Ambassadors finished their summer they way we began it: by making learning fun. In May we headed to Austin for a fun-packed week learning about campaigning. Today, we went on a Phoenix Commotion Tour, seeing about 15 great homes built by Dan Phillips.

Dan Phillips runs Phoenix Commotion, a building company that emphasizes sustainability, recycling, and thinking differently. The result is approximately 20 homes in the Huntsville area that have the Dan Phillips’ look: small in size, unusual building materials, and character.

Taking a step further, the result is also, at least in some areas, transformative.

But that’s only part of the treat. Phillips is also fun to listen to.

He is a former Dance professor, a designer, and a builder. He brings a different eye to the world of home-construction, and his different outlook is apparent from his building philosophy. How many builders do you know, for example, who quote Plato? According to Phillips, you transform things by using the “space between your ears.”

Phillips doesn’t necessarily begin with a grand and detailed design in mind. He begins with a general concept, and then sees where materials and tinkering take him. He uses about 80% recycled materials for his homes, and he finds objects that can be employed to form organic patterns of the most interesting sort. Want an interesting ceiling? Use photo frames back-to-back-to-back to cover the ceiling.

Want interesting siding? Use corks. Want interesting windows? Use relish plates of various colors.

Unlike “starchitects” who come up with a grand design and minute detail ahead of time, Phillips prefers to let the process guide him somewhat. This process also contradicts, as previously mentioned, the ideas of Plato, who argued that reality suffers next to the abstract. Only in the abstract, argued Plato, can perfection be achieved. Once an idea is executed, imperfections occur. For Plato, art was even worse being two degrees removed from the abstract. Not so for Phillips, who allows patterns and experience help guide ideas, achieving a reality that might not have been thought of out of thin air.

Our tour of Phillips’ homes brought some of those concepts to life. We began at the “Bone Home,” so named for the many bones that constitute the home. If there’s a handle, it’s probably a bone. There’s also the bone furniture , which probably won’t be found in the Sears Home section.

The Bone Home demonstrates Phillips’ talent for making everyday objects into a pattern that is pleasing to the eye and, as Phillips notes, “the human spirit.” He can use corks, bottle caps, glass, stone shards, or just about anything to create an interesting look.

We also visited the art studio, which contained a bone chandelier…

…and learned about the animating spirit of Phillips’ work.

From there, we visited the tree house. This 320 square foot home, built 35 feet above Town Creek, was probably the consensus favorite. This property actually consists of the tree house, a studio, and a “cottage.” Compared to the cottage (280 square feet), the tree house looks giant.

The whole complex has the look of a compound, and the front of the area and the trees surrounding the property pretty well obscure the tree house, the most photogenic of the buildings. But once you enter the gate to the property, you are led on a walkway that takes you to the tree-house which, despite its small size, is actually a two-story structure.

In the middle of the bottom floor, you’ll find a window that will purportedly hold 350 pounds, a claim no one was eager to test.

Phillips explained more of his philosophy from the tree-house’s art studio, which is about 1,000 square feet.

Following the tree house, we did a driving tour of Phillips’ homes in Huntsville: the beer can house, the storybook house, the courtyard house, and others, before touring one more home interior. Although this home has no catchy name as far as we know, it had a really cool door so, clever group that we are, will call it the “cool-door home.” The door is actually made from printing equipment that Phillips obtained from SHSU.

Cool Door of the "Cool-Door Home" — Cool Door of the “Cool-Door Home”

The tour was a great way to learn more about the community, and meet community leaders. In addition to us students, Dr. Keri Rogers and her husband, Chuck Mize; Dr. Bill Hyman and Carol Hyman; Brenda McNeely, Toni Abshire, Jean Loveall, Stephanie Fors were all on hand.

It was a great way to close out the summer and transition to the fall, gearing us up for using that “space between our ears.”

Delving into DC

By Jazmin Perez

After getting settled into the DC area, I finally got some sleep! The excitement of traveling across the country, then actually being here made for some restless nights. Luckily, I woke up feeling fully rested after about the third day.

I’ve been making boxes and other helpful tasks for Nancy, along with assistance from Katarina, Lily, and Charlie (three of Nancy’s cats).

I’ve also had a chance to explore. I stopped in to Alexandria, where I saw the Christ Church, which George Washington attended. It was stunning, not only because of its beauty, but also the history associated with it! I sat in the same pew that George Washington and many other presidents sat! It was incredible.

I also had a chance to walk along King street, which has some amazing shops. It also provides a different perspective on space. In Texas, there is a lot of space, parking space, space between buildings, road space. Here it seemed that every inch of spaced was in use and every building is built up several stories.

I also had a chance to go with Nancy to visit the Potomac River, the City Hall of Alexandria, the Ramsay House (the oldest house in Alexandria)…

…and then to the Topedo Factory Art Center. There, I wandered into several studios and gazed at many beautiful art pieces, and I also learned about the building, which used to be a torpedo factory!

Walking out of the building, I encountered a violinist, drummer, saxophonist…

and a stunning of view of the Potomac River.

That evening I met up with Ademide and some of her friends at the Marine Barracks Parade.

Attending this event at the home of the Marines was a honor. This is not an event that I would have normally attended. In fact I may have never known that this event was happening if it weren’t for Ademide, but it was a great event and I am grateful she invited me. I was fascinated with the synchronization of the Marines. After the event, we walked around the barracks to see the home of the Commandants, and walk around the neighborhood. It was the perfect ending to another wonderful day of adventures.

Outside of Arlington, I had a chance to see some of the cottages that were built from kits purchased from the Sears catalog, as well as several mansions in Arlington.

And more to the flavor of DC, I have had a chance to explore the capital! The sun was bright and the walk was dreadful, but I was excited. My first stop, the Lincoln Memorial, was massive and magnificent.

However, I was surprised by the infinite number of people that gathered on the steps to have their picture taken. After admiring the memorial, I turned my attention to the Reflecting Pool…

…and the Washington Monument.

It was breath-taking! I had to make it to the other side and see the monument up close. As I began to walk towards it, I stopped at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial taking a look at the wall of names, the Three Servicemen Statue and the Vietnam Women’s Memorial.

Followed by another beautiful memorial, the World War II Memorial.

Then I stumble onto, John Paul Jones Memorial…and caught a glimpse of the Jefferson Memorial.

Finally, I made it to the Washington Monument!

I sat in the grass admiring the structure for some time, then visualized The White House…I had to get closer. So I continued my adventure, looking for the easiest path around the Ellipse and to The White House.

On my way there, I came across the William Sherman Memorial and the Treasury Department. Then there it was…The White House! I was standing in front of The White House. How cool is that?! Now I had to go around it and see the other side, but before I did I saw the Eisonhower Executive Office Building. Then I was able to get a closer look of The White House. My adventure ended with the Jack Sot Memorial in the Lafayette Square directly behind The White House. There is so much here!

It’s been an incredible first week in Washington, DC!

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