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

Volunteering to Make a Difference

On Tuesday, February 9th LEAP students jumped (or even leapt) at the opportunity to attend a program on volunteerism hosted by an internationally recognized nonprofit entrepreneur in public policy and engagement, Bud Philbrook. In 1984 he co-founded Global Volunteers, which he later admitted that he started it accidentally! Being the President and CEO of Global Volunteers is only one of Bud Philbrook’s many accomplishments. He practiced business and governmental law, served in President Obama’s first administration as deputy under secretary at the United States Department of Agriculture, is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and former assistant commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Philbrook is also the principal architect of The St. Lucia Project which is a demonstration that short-term volunteers can help parents and community organizations deliver essential services to ensure that at-risk children can reach their full potential.

Prior to the event, we attended a brief reception, where we enjoyed some snacks and the company of like-minded others.

But we soon settled in to hear Mr. Philbrook speak. He began the event at Texas A&M by explaining that short-term volunteers are vital and can “forever change the future of our planet”. He focused on his St. Lucia project during his presentation, where we learned that there are 800 million people around the world that are suffering from hunger, and that 1,000 children will die from preventable causes during the time of the event, which was a real eye opener for the audience.

During his presentation he emphasized the importance for children all over the world to be able to learn, saying that “if you cannot learn, you cannot earn”. Bud Philbrook assessed some of the challenges that are associated with gaining volunteers and said that for most of us, “our brains sometimes give up due to the magnitude of the challenge and we don’t think that we can change such a huge issue”, but he believes that the power of volunteers can change everything. He gave solutions to some of the problems that his project is centered on which seemed attainable. All children can reach their potential if only 2% of the developed world volunteered for only two weeks a year in the span of 25 years. One of his solutions that stood out to me amongst the others was the Earth Box. I had never heard of it before and it is a great way for volunteers to help those in third world countries be able to eat. The Earth Box costs about $150 and can grow 3-4 crops a year which can feed an adult for an up to 30 years and volunteers can help plant them.

While volunteering in a different community, Mr. Philbrook outlined 6 principles to follow which are: to only go where you are invited, work under local leaders, work towards long term development, work hand in hand with locals, only do what you are asked to do and return to each community year after year. While going through these 6 principles he made sure to share some of his favorite anecdotes that filled the audience with laughter.

He ended his presentation with a quote from Anne Frank, “ How Wonderful it is that no one need wait a single moment before they start improving the world” and sat down to answer questions from the audience.

He discussed the challenges for attaining volunteers to go and travel to places where they are surrounded by a hostile environment. He went more in depth in explaining major changes that he has seen during the St. Lucia Project, like the values of volunteers going home to home to support the mothers in need for 45 minutes a day twice a week and how he has seen that make a huge impact. Mr. Philbrook emphasized the impact that he has seen volunteers make in lives and left the audience with hope that they can change the world a little bit at a time by volunteering.

After the event people surrounded him to ask more questions, but that didn’t stop him from taking a picture with us!

Once we snapped a picture with Mr. Philbrook, we headed out with a renewed spirit of volunteerism…

…but equally ready to celebrate national pizza day at Antonio’s Pizza for dinner.

LEAP Ambassadors participate in more than 120 events a year, many of which involve volunteerism.

Ice Cream, Illness, and Investigations: Mark Collette talks Blue Bell

For most of its existence, Blue Bell Creameries has strongly held its throne as the most loved ice cream brand in Texas. With 66 distinct and unrivaled flavors, ranging from the favorite Homemade Vanilla to the sweet Caramel Turtle Fudge, Blue Bell has regularly received exemplary remarks about its products. Hence, after 108 years of a flourishing business, nobody expected that the pure reputation of Blue Bell would suddenly be tainted by a Listeria outbreak last year.

After a series of recalls, job cuts, and temporary shutdowns, many feared that this controversy would lead to the end of the Blue Bell regime. A few months after the first total recall, Blue Bell announced its plans to return to store shelves – to the relief of its loyal customers. Although Blue Bell is currently back on its feet with its newly reconditioned policies and procedures, the public’s views about the company now vary, with some being skeptical, others maintaining allegiance, and many lingering on the question, “Will I ever look at Blue Bell the same way again?”

On February 15, 2016, Mark Collette, investigative reporter for the Houston Chronicle, tackled this issue as he presented a lecture entitled “Investigating Blue Bell,” highlighting what was involved in the 2015 Blue Bell Listeria Outbreak. Many SHSU students from different fields, such as English, Political Science, Marketing, and Health, filled the seats of Evans 105, eager to listen to Mr. Collette’s discussion, which was sponsored by the English Department, Honors Department, Writing in the Disciplines, and the LEAP Center. After being introduced by the English Department’s Dr. Michael Demson, one of the hosts of the event…

…Mr. Collette began his presentation.

He opened his talk relaying the history of Blue Bell, the company’s cherished relationship with its consumers, and the reasons why Blue Bell is number one to many. He then touched on the sensitive topics of Blue Bell’s management of health risks, work safety conditions, and product contamination. He also noted the shortcomings of the federal health authorities on enforcing the laws in place for foodborne illnesses. On a lighter tone, Mr. Collette pointed out Blue Bell’s clever marketing move of naming its Twitter account @IloveBlueBell amidst the controversy, meaning that any twitter discussions of it involved the statement “ilovebluebell.” Although Mr. Collette has written many “unfavorable” – as some may claim – articles about Blue Bell, he did so with the purpose of offering the public the truth.

In the aftermath, Blue Bell’s return to the industry came with several administrative improvements and much safer protocols in handling their products, which I personally think makes their ice cream more trustworthy now.

The lecture was enjoyed by the students, many of whom had questions. Collette generously answered questions right up until the end of the hour…

…and even stayed late to answer questions posed individually.

Following the lecture was a lunch hosted by the LEAP Center at the President’s Dining Room. Mr. Collette and 15 other guests enjoyed classic Cajun dishes, namely jambalaya and gumbo, but surprisingly, no Blue Bell ice cream for dessert.

There, both students and faculty continued to ask Mr. Collette about his knowledge, opinions, and experiences on different matters such as food handling safety, the Chipotle outbreak, difficulties as a journalist, and more.

Overall, the lecture and the lunch really helped the attendees, including myself, realize the importance of being more mindful to how the foods that we consume are being handled and manufactured to prevent being the receiving end of such outbreaks. Personally, and I am sure many would agree, I am hopeful that Blue Bell is much safer than before!

LEAP Center Raises Funds for Students

The LEAP Center is once again taking the field for a good cause. On Saturday, April 9, 2016, Democrats and Republicans will compete in a football game to raise funds for the John Holcombe Scholarship and program scholarships for the YMCA. The game will take place at Upper Pritchett Field and the public is invited.

This is the seventh time the LEAP Ambassadors (formerly the Junior Fellows) will take on the bipartisan effort to raise funds for local youth. In previous years, the organization has raised approximately $24,000. Already, the players have donated $1,650 themselves this year, and are now in the process of seeking matches from communities businesses, organizations, and individuals.

Of course, donations of any amount are accepted, and every bit helps a young person excel educationally.

Young people should also have fun at the game. The half-time festivities will include an egg toss, sack races, a frisbee toss, and other fun games.

This year’s roster of players consists of the following individuals, each of whom has donated at least $100 to the causes:

Mike Yawn (SHSU Professor)
Aron Kulhavy (City of Huntsville Planner)
Russell Martinez (SHSU Director of Development for Athletics)
Margaret Gulledge (Director of Rehabilitation at Huntsville Memorial Hospital)
Cameron Goodman (Asst. Dir., Econ. Development, League City & LEAP Ambassador Alum)
Laken Jenkins (Attorney, Kilbourne Law Firm & LEAP Ambassador Alum)
Joey Johnson (Personal Trainer, Iron Works)
Taylor Martin (Medical Student, UTMB)Austin Campbell (LEAP Ambassador)
Megan Chapa (President, LEAP Ambassadors)
Kaitlyn Tyra (Vice-President, LEAP Ambassadors)
Alex Galvan (Vice-President, LEAP Ambassadors)
Ryan Brim (Student, HISD)

For more information about the game, contact Mike Yawn at 936-294-1456.

Candidates Take the Stage

With the primary around the corner, the LEAP Ambassadors had the opportunity to attend a candidate forum hosted by the Walker County Republican Party Thursday evening.

Most of us attended to watch and learn more about the candidates who wish to represent us at the local and state level, but one of our ambassadors had an extra special role. Austin Campbell was chosen to be the moderator for the event. Even though he was nervous leading up to the event, Austin was appreciative of the experience and glad he had been asked to moderate the forum. At the end of the night Austin thoroughly enjoyed the experience and was glad to be part of the political process.

Another of our Ambassadors, Megan Chapa, took a small part in the proceedings by leading the pledge.

With an enthusiastic moderator, a grateful pledge-leader, and a full crowd…

…the forum soon got down to business. The candidates were asked two questions and given 90 seconds to answer each question. The questions addressed their experience, contributions, and goals for the position they hope to hold.. We listened to candidates from contested races such as United States Representative, District 8; State Representative, District 18; County Commissioner Precincts 1, 2, and 3; Constable Precinct 2; and County Chairman. After each candidate answered both questions, they were given 60 seconds to give a closing statement.

Candidates get together to talk about issues — Candidates at the Forum (Photo by Joshua Yates, Huntsville Item)

The candidates came from different backgrounds and had different qualifications, but they all are hopeful to be able to change the community for the better. The forum was very interesting to watch, not only because we were getting well informed, but it was also interesting to see the differences between those running for local positions, and those running for state positions.

Not all of those who represent us, or wish to represent us were under pressure that night. There were also some officials present from the non contested races such as the Sheriff, Tax Assessor-Collector, and the Constables from Precinct 3 and 4. Without any of the pressure of running against an opponent, these officials were able to let us know what they have done for our community and their future goals. All of the LEAP Ambassadors enjoyed spending the evening with the candidates at the forum and thought that it was a great way to become more educated when going to the polls, and a great opportunity for us to learn more about our community.

Reagan Dinner: Version 2.016

Following a busy day of classes and entertaining guests, we looked forward to a similarly busy evening of entertaining guests and ourselves at the Reagan Dinner. LEAP Ambassadors arrived early to help greet guests as they arrived and escort them to their seats. Because we had a large slate of volunteers, we also had the chance to socialize with each other, something that happens less than you might expect.During the reception, hosted by the Walker County Republican Women, we had the opportunity to spend more time with the guest of honor, Ambassador Chase Untermeyer, and with many community members. Among the guests were County Judge Pierce, Judge Sorenson, Congressman Brady, County Chair Linda McKenzie, WCRW President Terry Stivers, and numerous others who are currently running for local office.

It was at this time that many LEAP Ambassadors took the opportunity to have Ambassador Untermeyer sign our books. He gladly agreed and discussed his book eagerly with us. How Important People Act: Behaving Yourself in Public gave us many pointers on how to act when we are in the spotlight, no matter how big or small. Ambassador Untermeyer speaks from years of experience from multiple levels of government. Ambassador Untermeyer worked under multiple Republican presidents, including Ronald Reagan, making him a perfect speaker for the Reagan Dinner.

In that book, he notes that your actions should be appropriate for the occasion. He noted, for example, that a President should not take a selfie at a funeral. At a festive occasion such as this dinner, however, there are no such prohibitions:

Once the invocation and the pledge of allegiance was given, dinner began. Students were fortunate enough to sit with a variety of respected individuals such as: Ambassador Untermeyer; State Representative Candidate Wesley Hinch; Tenth Court of appeals Chief Justice Tom Gray; Field Representative for Dr. Schwertner, Hayden Paul; John McManners; and Mac and Leanne Woodward.

U.S. Representative Congressman Brady spoke for a few moments about his new position as the Ways and Means Committee Chairman and his plans with committee. He also thanked the LEAP Center for their work in Walker County! It was a real honor for the Ambassadors to be recognized by our U.S. State Representative.

Next, Professor Yawn introduced Ambassador Untermeyer for the keynote address of the evening. Ambassador Untermeyer outlined the qualities President Reagan utilized in the White House to be a successful leader of a divided house.

First, his optimism allowed him to focus on much more of the positives rather than the negatives. He also used courage and compromise to get bills passed in Congress. According to Ambassador Untermeyer, President Reagan was not afraid to reach across the aisle in order to promote cooperation between parties. He encouraged our current elected officials to do the same. The final quality Ambassador Untermeyer discussed was President Reagan’s sense of humor at the proper time. His ability to be lighthearted is vastly different from the politics of today. Following Untermeyer’s speech, one of the Ambassadors noted, “I wish all candidates shared those views.” It was a sentiment we all shared.

Ambassador Untermeyer observed all of these qualities while working as Reagan’s appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Ambassador Untermeyer’s years of experience provided the audience much insight into who President Reagan was. With President Reagan’s birthday approaching, The Reagan Dinner was a wonderful way to commemorate President Reagan’s legacy.

Concluding the evening, LEAP Ambassadors utilized the opportunity to take pictures with some of our favorite community members and elected officials.

Thank you to the Republican Party of Walker County for hosting a wonderful evening and for allowing the LEAP Ambassadors the opportunity to participate in the evening. We enjoyed ourselves immensely.

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Also, thank you to Ambassador Untermeyer for spending the day in Huntsville and speaking at the Reagan Dinner!

Kicking off the Semester Right: Secretary Bob Gates and Ambassador Chase Untermeyer

LEAP Center students kicked off a busy Thursday with a trip to Houston to see a VIP, while other Ambassadors entertained VIPs right here in Huntsville.

Secretary Robert Gates Luncheon

Megan Chapa and a group of three Ambassadors traveled to Houston for a luncheon with former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who spoke on the topic of leadership, much drawn from his book A Passion for Leadership. In addition to serving as Defense Secretary, he has worked as director of the Central Intelligence, President of Texas A&M, and served on the National Security Council. And just like any other effective leader, Gates refers to his failures as the key to his success. Listening to him, we learned how important it is to treat your employees and constituents with respect and not just making them feel like they are part of a team, but also truly making them part of the team.
Being a leader, Gates noted, doesn’t always mean you’re in front; sometimes you have to stay behind to pick up the ones who have fallen behind. He also mentioned the lack of leadership in the political sphere we face today. He believes, as President George Washington believed, that excessive party identification hinders great leadership. In this bold statement he stressed the importance of working hard to compromise while maintaining integrity in your beliefs. My favorite quote by Secretary Gates was, “A great leader is not afraid to take risks” and while it may be cliché, it is a challenge to accomplish. Some of his most valuable points were “being a leader and not a boss”, “Take your job serious, but not yourself”, and “never underestimate the power of humor.” LEAP Center students gained great insight into leading in the world they face now and after graduation.

Ambassador Chase Untermeyer

A political journalist, government official at the local, state, national and international level, and White House consultant during the Bush and Reagan presidency, Ambassador Untermeyer spent the day in Huntsville with LEAP ambassadors in true Huntsville spirit.

Huntsville was once nicknamed the “Athens of Texas,” and it was Professor Mike Yawn’s pleasure to offer Ambassador Untermeyer a very brief, but enriching, tour of the city. Untermeyer was intrigued by the local Dan Phillips’ homes, which he said would prompt to seek out “Smither Park,” also designed by Phillips, in Houston.
Following the brief tour, Ambassador Untermeyer and Yawn joined Mac and Leanne Woodward, Jean Loveall, and LEAP students Brian Aldaco and Mitchell Sanchez for lunch at 1836 steakhouse. The food, incidentally, was excellent, with particular recommendations going to the soup, sun-dried tomato bruschetta, crab-stuff mushrooms, and grilled chicken topped with sauteeed mushrooms.

The conversation, however, was the most enjoyable aspect of the lunch, with topics ranging from Untermeyer’s observations of current politics to Sam Houston’s teaching career in Maryville, TN.

This historical themed continued after lunch, when the group reconvened (along with Kaitlyn Tyra) at the grounds of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Mac Woodward led a tour of the Steamboat House–where Sam Houston passed away–and the group gathered around a replication of Houston’s death bed to hear the story of his final days.

The history and the tour extended to the Woodland Home, Houston’s favorite domicile, where Untermeyer learned more of Houston and his children.

With this introduction to Sam Houston, Untermeyer moved into an introduction to Sam Houston State University, lecturing before Dr. Massoud Kazemzadeh’s class on “Politics of the Middle East.”

The class was enthusiastic and asked numerous questions. Some had purchased one of Untermeyer’s books, and the author was pleased to stick around after the class and autograph copies.

Later in the afternoon, at the request of Ambassador Untermeyer, we had the privilege to tour the Adickes Foundation, a tour that prompted the company of Ralph and Linda Pease, Dr. Mitzi Mahoney and Sondra Mahoney, Justice Tom Gray, and some additional LEAP Ambassadors.

Most would say that Huntsville is famous for a few things: 1) Prisons, 2) Sam Houston, (3) Bearkat Football, and 4) More Prisons. However, a little-known secret outside of Huntsville is that this small town has the amazing David Adickes’ Foundation Art Gallery. The fact the art is kept within an old, vacant-looking high school…

…makes it all the more surprising that the interiors contain 300-400 pieces of wonderful art.

Once inside, we were immediately greeted with a concave and convex molding of the Beatles, who seemed to stare at me as I moved past them. After turning the corner, many paintings of beautiful women in deep and vibrant colors surrounded us in a hallway. These portraits were inspired when David Adickes was in Paris studying art.

Linda Wiley provided us with a great tour…

…and after viewing all of the different art pieces, the LEAP Ambassadors were able to take a “selfie” with Ambassador Untermeyer and Chief Justice Tom Gray, in front of a group favorite, the “Man in Red” painting, which we captured in first-person view…

…and in third-person view…

While we stood surrounded by David Adickes’s art, anecdotes were shared when Dr. Pease realized he had taught both Justice Gray and Professor Mike Yawn when they attended SHSU. It was an emotional moment when Dr. Pease heard the two talk about how he impacted their lives and all they’ve accomplished with his mentorship. What a reward it was to be a part of this moment.

A Professor and His Students: Dr. Ralph Pease with Justice Tom Gray and Mike Yawn

In fact, the whole day was a reward, one for which we are all very grateful. Ambassador Untermeyer was amazingly gracious, and it was wonderful to spend time with friends such as the Woodwards, the Peases, and Justice Tom Gray. We are fortunate to have found a University that gives us the opportunity to learn not only within classrooms, but provides opportunities for outside learning as well.

Political Science in Action: Election Training 101

Part of being an engaged citizen is participating in the electoral process. For most people, that involves voting. For political science majors–and especially for LEAP Ambassadors–it involves going beyond that. Accordingly, a couple of us signed up this spring to be election workers for the election on Tuesday, March 1. For the political science nerds among us, it’s an exciting prospect!

To be an election worker, you have to be registered to vote in the county for which you plan to vote. Fortunately, all LEAP Ambassadors are registered to vote, making us all eligible to work an election. The county has a need for these workers, so the act of working an election is not only a personal goal, but also a civic duty of sorts: it’s providing a real public service.

Of course, the election workers have to be trained to make the correct decisions and follow the the procedures. To ensure that is the case, the Walker County Tax Assessor Collector, Diana McRae, provides training to the volunteers. Thus, Bella and I found ourselves at the Walker County Annex for three hours on a Tuesday morning, learning about the electoral process.

It’s more complex than it seems. There are certain rules that must be followed: no cell phones in the voting area; no political slogans or signs; no persuasive talk. There are also procedural elements. Voters sometimes get confused about (1) whether they are registered and, if they are (2) which county they are registered in; and, even if they have the right county, (3) they may be in the incorrect precinct.

We learned how to address those issues during our training, and we also met some nice people.

We are looking forward to March 1, 2016 and working our first election!

LEAPing into the Community

With only seven members, it occasionally becomes necessary to split up two be at two places at once. Monday, January 25 was such a day, when some of the Ambassadors headed to the Walker County Republican Women “planning meeting” and another group of Ambassadors headed to the Walker County Bar Association. Both meetings provided great learning opportunities.

The Walker County Bar meeting arose at the invitation of Gene Roberts, the Director of SHSU’s Legal and Mediation Services Center. The featured speaker on this day was Deandra Grant, an attorney from the Dallas area who specializes in DWI cases.

The presentation was a wonderful learning opportunity, as Ms. Grant laid out the various ways in which evidence can be incorrectly collected, handled, or tested from arrest to possible prosecution. Officers might, for example, use the wrong vial to collect blood; or the machine that tests blood might not be correctly calibrated; or the blood vials might even be switched by a lab assistant.

The presentation was enlightening, and the attorneys appeared as interested as the prospective attorneys.

While the Bar Association meeting was underway, other Ambassadors were learning more about the Walker County Republican Women.

Two of the students, Alejandra Galvan and Sadie McLaughlin, were actually on hand as interns, and assisting with planning for the spring.

It was a great day of learning, and we’d like to thank Gene Roberts and Terry Stivers for their support and mentorship.

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