Civic Engagement – Page 97 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

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.

Learning About Campaigns: Blockwalking

Most students enjoy sleeping in on Saturday mornings, but the LEAP students were more than willing to spend their Saturday morning learning about campaigns. It was an interesting educational experience, combining hands-on learning with exposure to campaign volunteers, staff, and even a US Congressman, all willing to share their knowledge.

One of the staples of campaign life is to feed your volunteers, and Congressman Kevin Brady did so enthusiastically. In fact, we kicked the morning off at The Black Walnut Cafe where we enjoyed coffee, kolaches, breakfast tacos and mingling. Congressman Brady, who joined us in the walk, offered a pep talk; Francine Stanfield, his campaign director, made sure we were comfortable; and Kory Curtis, an analyst for Brady’s campaign, showed us the ropes.

With a map, a clip board and a lot of enthusiasm, the block-walking teams set off to their assigned neighborhoods. It was a great experience, especially for a group of Political Science majors.

The initial results were encouraging, with many opening doors, welcoming us, and thanking us for information about Congressman Brady. This helped us build confidence.

The experience also taught us the importance of the communication process between voters and elected representatives. Block walking, town forums, and district presence are all an important part of learning about the concerns of voters–directly from the voters.

In canvassing the other student volunteers (who had gone in tandem in different directions), they had a similar response. Some of the introverts indicated they wouldn’t want to do this every week, but the extroverts were energized by the process. All of us learned a lot, from the voters, from Congressman Brady, and from the campaign staff. It was particularly educational for one of our high-school volunteers, Ryan Brim, who is an introvert but is exploring career options and community engagement.

Beatriz Martinez, who block-walked last week as well, enjoyed spending additional time with Congressman Brady.

She had actually never met a US Congressman. Megan also enjoyed spending time with Congressman Brady, and this is probably her fourth or fifth time at one of his events.

Kaitlyn Tyra, an Accounting Major, enjoyed learning more about campaigns from the staff. I enjoyed these things, too, but also enjoyed seeing how campaigns play out on the ground.

We all also appreciated the lunch provided. Walking builds an appetite, and we were able to relax again for lunch at the Black Walnut, where we enjoyed burgers and other comfort foods, as well as the closing remarks from Congressman Brady expressing his appreciation.

One of the great things about being a POLS major or, more generally, a student is SHSU, is that our learning takes place inside and outside of the classroom. Another great thing is that so much of our learning is fun. Today was a great example of both of these qualities.

The LEAP Center Ambassadors are a non-partisan group. Individual Ambassadors make their own choices regarding volunteerism or work. Past and present Ambassadors have worked for Representative Senfronia Thompson (D), Representative John Otto (R), Mayor Anise Parker (D), US Congressman Kevin Brady (R), Senator Mary Landrieu (D), and many other members of both parties.

Looking at Courthouses in a Whole New Way: Brantley Hightower

An Evening with the Courthouses

Welcome back to the LEAP Blog! Hopefully, you had a great winter break and you are ready to follow us throughout what we hope will be an amazing Spring 2016 journey! Our first stop of the year took us to the Brazos Bookstore in Houston, Texas to speak with Brantley Hightower, who wrote The Courthouses of Central Texas.

While teaching a course on Architecture, Hightower was inspired by some of the work of his students to explore the different architectural designs and meanings of the courthouse of central Texas. The courthouse, he explained, was for much of Texas’s history, the main meeting place for most areas in Texas. As such, its look and materials and spaces reflected the values of that area.

Although an architect, Hightower was a skilled presented, perhaps reflecting his prior work in teaching and also his interest in the topic.

As an architect, Hightower was interested not only in the look of the buildings, but also some of their technical features, and he described different techniques that the builders of these courthouses used in yesteryear to cool the structures and their occupants. Through the use of courtyards or cupolas that promoted air circulation, courthouses could reduce the temperature by 17-18 degrees.

Mr. Hightower also discussed some of the shifts sociologically that have resulted in a transformation of courthouses. In the late 19th century or early 20th century, the courthouse was a structure that expressed the aspirations of a community: it towered over other buildings, it was grand, and it was beautiful, or at least distinguished. But as time has marched on, people have moved to cities; City Hall has become the focal point of local government moreso than counties. Moreover, citizens look to government for more functional purposes today rather than for the symbolic expressions of community will and aspirations.

The presentation was interesting, a prismatic look at the functions and aesthetics of government buildings, and we hope to have the opportunity to meet with Mr. Hightower again.

The Black Walnut Café definitely lived up to its wonderful reviews and reputation. With a smooth, sleek, and wood-laden design the aromas of the kitchen captivated our taste buds! Some of us went with soup, others with pasta, and one with an evening omelet, however, the two standout dishes of the night were the all American cheeseburger and the “North of the Border Fajita Tacos”.

Of course, we did have to some delicious Gelato ice cream!

After following in the ways of our courthouse founders, with fellowship over a meal, we headed back to Huntsville to continue our prep for our upcoming events!

See You Next Time,

LEAP

LEAP’s 10th Anniversary

To commemorate the 10^th Anniversary of the Junior Fellows and LEAP, alumni, current LEAP ambassadors, and community members joined efforts to surprise the founder of the JF/LEAP, Professor Mike Yawn. Stephanie Fors organized, communicated with alumni, and planned the big event along with help of the LEAP Ambassadors.

On the day of the party, the weather proved to be problematic. Rain poured as guests arrived from all around. JF and LEAP alumni from Houston, Austin, and Waco drove through the treacherous weather to attend the reunion. In addition, community members and university staff arrived amidst the storm. The reunion and mingling began just in time for Professor Yawn’s arrival. The guests huddled together in an effort to keep the element of surprise until the very last moment! As Professor Yawn entered, the shock on his face was evident when he saw many familiar faces of students from the past…

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…and of community members whom have helped the JF/LEAP grow throughout the years.

After everyone was welcomed by our MC, Austin Campbell, it was time to enjoy dinner. Professor Yawn’s favorites were on the menu including brisket, coleslaw, baked beans, and macaroni and cheese. The reminiscing immediately began as JF alumni swapped experiences with the current LEAP ambassadors…

…and expanded on how being a JF helped them grow and shape their careers.

Some of the guests had special gifts and awards for Professor Yawn. Megan Chapa, current LEAP President, presented Professor Yawn with a scrapbook that complied letters, memories, and heartfelt thoughts from guests on the impact JF/LEAP has had on their lives. Karla Rosales, current LEAP Ambassador, presented an Amazon gift card from the LEAP ambassadors. Blake Roach presented a flag that was flown at the Texas State Capitol. Kaitlyn Tyra, LEAP Ambassador, presented a giant check with donations from alumni and community members for the LEAP Center. On behalf of Congressman Brady, Ariel Traub presented a commendation in Professor Yawn’s honor. Mayor Woodward read his last proclamation as the current Mayor of Huntsville declaring December 11^th, 2015 as Mike Yawn Day in Huntsville.

Each gesture was thoughtful and made the evening more special for Professor Yawn.

The opportunity for alumni, community members, and current LEAP ambassadors to come together was a great way to show our appreciation for Professor Yawn. Many thanks to the Woodwards for opening up their home and for all their help with the surprise!

Thank you to Stephanie for organizing such a wonderful party, and to the alumni and community members for their participation in the surprise. Lastly, thank you to Professor Yawn for ten exciting years of learning and growth. We can’t wait to see what the next ten years hold!

Editor’s Note: What a wonderful evening! Thank you for all the great work and support you’ve put into the organization.

Christmas Giving

As the semester concluded, what better way to celebrate than volunteering for the Walker County Republican Women’s Christmas Party! Hosted at Dr. and Mrs. Deahl’s home, the party provided the opportunity for (Republican) members of LEAP to socialize and reminisce about the year while enjoying an array of tasty treats. LEAP ambassadors served as greeters as the guests arrived, served punch, and replenished food throughout the night.

To add to the atmosphere, a jazz band played throughout the evening adding soft background music.

For the ambassadors who attended, it was wonderful to mingle with many elected officials and familiar faces throughout the evening. The main event occurred when the new officers for the Republican Women were sworn in for the upcoming year by County Court At Law Judge Tracy Sorenson: President- Ms. Terry Stivers, Vice President – Ms. Sally Kelly, Secretary- Ms. Carol Hayes, PAC Treasurer- Ms. Mert Gribble. As the party resumed, we took the opportunity for a few photos with the stunning Christmas tree.

Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Deahl for hosting the Christmas Party and to Ms. Stivers for inviting the LEAP Ambassadors to volunteer. We are thankful for the many opportunities to participate in Republican Women’s events throughout the year. Congratulations to the new officers for 2016 and Merry Christmas from the LEAP Ambassadors!

Downtown Christmas Festival: 2015

One of Huntsville Main Street’s many successful programs each year is the “Downtown Christmas Festival,” and this year was no exception, attracting some 2,000 people to the downtown square. Ten of those 2,000 included the LEAP Ambassadors (and a few friends) to help with the festivities.

The LEAP Center students set up shop just across from the beautiful Roche Building…

…and we handled all the ticketed attractions at the Festival, under the direction of Lindsay Lauher (Main Street Manager), Jazmin Perez (Main Street Intern), and Rylee Henson.

The festival offered a moonwalk, numerous vendors for shopping, food, a train for kids, pictures with Santa, and–the star attraction–snow on the downtown square. Of course, as an event for kids, the children found their own way to have fun, including an impromptu “balloon parade.”

Even with the onset of Christmas, children seemed to have a mixed reaction to sitting with Santa Claus. Some seemed to suffer from parental separation anxiety…

…while others fully enjoyed the Christmas spirit.

For Beatriz and Brian, the latter spirit ruled the day…

…and even without the presence of Santa, the LEAP Volunteers had fun…

For the attendees, the train was also a big hit, with families having fun on the two-block trip provided by the engineer.

As previously mentioned, though, it is the snow that attracts the youngsters.

In between busy periods, the students ate at Farmhouse Eats and Sweets–several for the first time–and had fun around their volunteer posts, with Professor Yawn even getting in on the action.

Although the LEAP Center has several more events this semester, this is one of the last three for which all the members will be together, and we enjoyed it.

As the began to set and the day came to a close…

…we took one last picture of the square at sunset, and went home to prepare for finals, thankful for activities such as “Downtown Christmas Festival,” which makes the community a nicer place to live.

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