Civic Engagement – Page 98 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Odds On Fun at the HEARTS Museum’s Casino Night

By Austin Campbell,

Today the Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics took a step back in time to the roaring 20’s, an era where the stakes were high and the wins were well worth the risks. Wearing our best 20’s attire, the LEAP team assisted the H.E.A.R.T.S Veterans Museum with their fundraising event. There was a full casino, a Bonnie & Clyde getaway V8 Ford car, a live band, great food, and of course the magnificent Marilyn Monroe. The event also featured many silent raffle drawings, as well as a major raffle drawing at the end of the event for an impressive grill.

The H.E.A.R.T.S Veterans Museum of Texas honors veterans both past and present. The museum serves as a place for former, present, and future veterans to all come together to reflect on and share their experiences serving the country. Just as important, the museum allows all people to see the price that our veterans and those serving today have paid for this country, and the Museum is an inspiration for those of all ages. Having the chance to talk to veterans and hear their experiences directly was amazing, and their true love of the USA was clear.

Of course, the night was about having an enjoyable evening, and that is what we did–all while volunteering! The event started off with the draw-dropping musical stylings of a convincing Marilyn Monroe (Jane Maddox).

It happened to be Rick McFarland’s lucky birthday, earning him the opportunity to be the object of Ms. Monroe’s happy birthday routine.

Attendees had the chance to enjoy some delicious food offerings from donations of local businesses like McKenzie’s, and even a few sides from generous families themselves. After getting their fill of food and drink, everyone moved on to the casino games, such as bingo, blackjack, poker, and even slot machines.

The LEAP team did our part in the even as well. Starting with introductions at the door, to the officiating of the silent raffle, LEAP had a thumbprint over many endeavors. At the request of many of the veterans, we took part in some of the casino games, to which there were many laughs, smiles, and of course some sad faces. All in good fun (and not with real money)!

By the end of the night, after much work and play, it was great to see the smiles on the faces of people that support the H.E.A.R.T.S Veterans Museum. And it was fun to play the part of 20s gangsters while volunteering.

As our school motto says “A measure of one’s life is in its service,” and LEAP strives to continue on that legacy with every event.

Many thanks to Letty Clark for inviting us to volunteer and for the chance to join the fun once much of the work was done.

A Morning with Alberto Gonzales

By Constance Gabel

Imagine overlooking the South Lawn of the White House—the Washington Monument in the distance, honking cars passing on 17^th Street. It’s a beautiful day in the Nation’s capitol, made even more magnificent because you are standing on the Truman Balcony of the White House with the President of the United States. This was the life of Alberto Gonzales, who served as White House Counsel and US Attorney General during the Bush Administration. Thanks to Lt. Colonel Yebra at SHSU, General Gonzales made a visit to our University, where LEAP Center and a smattering of other students engaged in an hour and a half discussing with the former Counselor to the President.

Born in Humble, Texas, Al Gonzales truly came from humble beginnings. His success, he says, comes from his parents and the attitudes they instilled, despite a lack of material comforts. In fact, he didn’t even have indoor plumbing as a child. As an adult, however, he excelled academically and occupationally. He graduated from Rice with his Bachelor’s Degree; he later graduated from Harvard Law. These accomplishments laid the foundation for becoming the first Hispanic male to make partner at Vinson & Elkins and the first Hispanic US Attorney General.

When asked about life’s turning points, Gonzales couldn’t pinpoint a single event. Instead, he noted that taking opportunities as they come along is a key to success. Nor, he said, did he seek out mentors. In his case, a mentor—George W. Bush—found him, another opportunity that he was quick to take.

Alberto Gonzales with Bush and Sandra Day O'Connor — Alberto Gonzales with Bush and O’Connor

General Gonzales spent little time discussing the controversies surrounding his White House years, but he did describe the job as perhaps the most difficult in the cabinet. While this took a toll on his family, he remains grateful for his time in the White House, and positive about his life in general.

For students, most of whom weren’t paying attention to politics during the Bush years, it was a positive, career-affirming discussion. LEAP Center member Austin Campbell introduced the former Attorney General, and students asked approximately 20 questions, with Gonzales answering them all patiently and even cheerfully, repeating his refrain to stay positive and take opportunities.

Speaking of which, we are very grateful to Colonel Yebra for this opportunity, and we plan to implement General Gonzales’s advice!

LEAP Center Students Learn Manners–Career Services Etiquette Dinner Event

An impressive interview can set you up for a life-long career, or it can keep you from the opportunity of a lifetime. Ms. Diane Gottsman, national etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, laid out what one should expect and the tools you will need to impress the recruiters at your interview dinner. Thanks to Career Services at SHSU, LEAP Center students had the opportunity to become experts in the European style of dining. Ms. Gottsman not only explained the correct way to handle silverware, how to stir your tea, and how to properly sit while at the table, and she also made the evening extremely interactive and inviting. Ms. Gottsman answered questions throughout the event and directed individuals as they practiced their etiquette during dinner. She offered many pieces of advice from the importance of the second interview meal to the color of an interview shirt.

It is not only important to have strong verbal communication with recruiters, it is equally important to know the strength of your wardrobe and how different colors may portray you as a strong, confident individual or easily forgettable. Ms. Gottsman emphasized this topic heavily and suggested we speak with someone we respect to help us discover what clothing will look the most professional. For example, if one was to wear a navy blue suit to their interview dinner, then they should choose a light blue shirt to stand out and show their confidence. A white shirt would suggest the strongest color, while a darker color would present itself as less confident.

Ms. Gottsman spoke of her experience with companies and described how she speaks to the same companies that will be hiring many graduates. She teaches them what to look for from potential hires and in turn teaches students precisely what companies’ look for. It is a win-win for SHSU students and these top US companies. Learning these skills helps students get one step closer to securing their first job.

Diane Gottsman with LEAP Center Students — Ms. Gottsman with LEAP Center Students

The skills LEAP students learned require constant practice and will be used throughout our careers. Students enjoyed not only getting to interact with Ms. Gottsman, but also having the opportunity to practice their etiquette skills during a delectable three-course meal. LEAP Center students were pleased to enjoy a delicious meal and learn proper etiquette, another step towards the journey to professional careers.

Easter Eggstravaganza

By Constance Gabel and Karla Rosales

The LEAP Center recently partnered with the Wynne Home Arts Center to host an Easter Egg Hunt for the entire Huntsville Community. More than 150 citizens from the surrounding area came out for an early Easter celebration on Saturday. Families enjoyed an afternoon full of activities and gorgeous weather. The event featured an egg hunt of more than 800 candy-and-prize filled eggs, coloring, face painting, games, and hot dogs grilled by master chef, Professor Mike Yawn himself. Sammy the Bearkat and the Easter Bunny added to the fun and the Easter spirit by entertaining the crowd with a competitive egg toss.

We started the afternoon with crafty activities for the children. Volunteers from the university’s own Art Department came to help with the festivities by heading up the face-painting booth. Children walked away with butterflies, bunny noses, beautiful hearts, and many other fun creations painted on their cheeks.

Seeing the joy radiate from inside the kids amplified the good-looking art on their faces, while some children were not quite as happy to have sticky goo spread on their skin. Beside the face painting booth was a coloring station where children had the option to draw their own springtime masterpiece with crayons and craft paper.

Following the event, we had a huge canvas full of colorful flowers, bright Easter eggs, and even some well-drawn bunny rabbits as proof of the kids’ creativity.

While waiting for the hunt to commence, kids and adults alike watched as Sammy the Bearkat challenged the Easter Bunny to an egg-toss duel.

Armed with her spirit and spring in her step, the Easter Bunny fought with tosses that could have shocked even the best egg tosser in the business but in the end succumbed to Sammy the Bearkat’s finesse and mighty egg-tossing skills. Although not a winner by the sight of the shattered eggshells and runny yoke on the ground, the Easter Bunny played the loser well and shook hands with Sammy for a game well played, and remained in good spirits as children flocked to her.

Finally, after much anticipation, children of different ages lined up with their baskets and at noon, the Easter egg hunt was off!

Racing to find the golden and silver eggs, the children sped around the back lawn in search of the little oval shaped, plastic goodies. Grabbing and going, they searched and searched until finally, even after much preparation on behalf of LEAP and the Wynne Home, all of the eggs were found. The kids who found the special golden or silver eggs also had the ability to take a chance look at the prize table for an extra goodie to go along with the candy and Smoothie King gift card found in the egg, thanks to the generous donation from Ms. Scott at Smoothie King (1328 Sam Houston Ave!).

Following the egg hunt, the kids and their parents got in line to enjoy a much deserved lunch of hot dogs, chips, some Mayflower Easter cookies and even an ice-cold soda to quench their thirst.

Ending the afternoon right, the willing got to take a picture with the Easter Bunny.

Whether contemplating the perfect pose or continuing with the egg relay games, families stuck around to enjoy the beautiful weather and spring fever floating through the air.

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Special thanks to the Friends of the Wynne, the Art Department, and Laura Scott from Smoothie King for their generous help–not to mention super volunteers such as Bella Abril, Margaret Gulledge, Michelle Hebert, Terry Stivers and Ryan Brim.

Law and Order Comes to SHSU

The Center for Law, Engagement, And Politics has hosted the 10th Court of Appeals for five straight years, and the Court’s latest visit offered an especially interesting set of cases.

The first case, Brett Shane Arnold V., The State of Texas, the Fourth amendment and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code. Appellant Brett Shane Arnold and three other men had been canoeing and kayaking on the Navasota River when Game Warden, Leanne Winkenwerder, inspected their vehicle to determine if they had life jackets or had been illegally fishing or hunting. She found no evidence of that, but she did find marijuana, which was sufficient to convict him of drug possession in a trial court. Arnold’s appeal sought to suppress the marijuana, which he argued was found during an illegal search.

The 11:00am hearing was even more interesting, involving a wrongful death suit. In that case, Thomas Sinclair, owner of the Wispers “Gentleman’s Club” in Corsicana, Texas was appealing a civil trial that found him largely responsible for a patron’s death. The dispute stemmed from the patron’s dissatisfaction with a lap dance, which led to a complaint, an escalating argument, and then a whipping (with an actual whip) by the club’s owner.

The appeals hearings are a bit different when held at SHSU. The court allows the attorneys to turn to the audience (mostly students, but faculty, staff, and locals, too) and spend three minutes discussing the facts of the case. This is an unusual opportunity, allowing us to understand the legal arguments better. With an audience of 302 students, locals, and faculty and staff on hand throughout the day, it was quite an experience.

The Chief Justice also introduces each case with a brief lesson on the proceedings, how to find the decisions (http://www.txcourts.gov//10thcoa.aspx), and even an explanation for the seating arrangements for the justices.

The biggest treat for the LEAP Center students was the lunch with the justices and their staff. I was able to speak extensively with Chief Gray, while Austin had the chance to discuss his future with Justice Davis, and Karla, Megan, and Kaitlyn had the chance to speak to Justice Scoggins. I learned that Chief Justice Gray didn’t set out to be a judge, or even a lawyer. He obtained his BA at SHSU, and his MBA at A&M, before going to law school. He told me that the best quality he has in regard to judging is being able to see and argue both sides of any argument, which was a useful skill for him while working at Fulbright & Jaworski, before becoming a judge.

Finishing up lunch, the judges proceeded back into the courtroom to continue the rest of the afternoon’s cases. The cases ranged from the alleged sexual misconduct of an A&M student to jurisdiction issues regarding lumber companies in two different states.

After the last case of the afternoon, the three judges took photos with some of the LEAP center students and Chief Justice Gray humbly gave a statement to Hannah Zedaker from the Houstonian. All in all, the court proved to be just as informative and exciting as previous goers told us they would be, and left LEAP Center students feeling excited about the prospect of fighting their own cases in the same courtroom.

The LEAP Center brings the 10th Court of Appeals to SHSU annually. The 10th Court is scheduled next year for April 5, 2016. During the fall of 2016, the TX Supreme Court will hear cases at SHSU.

LEAP Center Hosts Non-Profit Roundtable with Nancy Bocskor

The LEAP Center recently hosted a non-profit roundtable with representatives from eleven local non-profits. The event featured Nancy Bocskor, who has vast experience working with fundraising and leading non-profits.

The roundtable included staff or board members from the HEARTS Veterans Museum, the Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA, the Good Shepherd Mission, the SAAFE House, the Rita B. Huff Humane Society, the Hospitality House, the Wynne Home Arts Center, the Huntsville Public Library, the Senior Center, and the Pregnancy Care Center.

The directors discussed the major issues facing non-profits in this community, including:

Limited resources, particularly funds
The challenge of working with volunteers
How to construct a community board of directors
Working within a limited media market

Bocskor helped facilitate possible solutions, and the directors discussed their own strategies. Particularly useful were discussions of new technologies such as mobile payment processing systems (e.g., Square) to help people encourage to give on the spot.

Perhaps most important, the event brought people together, with a promise to meet again over the summer.

He-Said, She-Said: Nancy Bocskor and Dr. Carl Rollyson Introduce Sabrina

The Junior Fellows and LEAP Center have held a film festival every fall since 2009. This year, we squeezed in an extra film presentation in the spring. In honor of having both Dr. Carl Rollyson and Nancy Bocskor in town, we showed Sabrina, starring Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, and Audrey Hepburn.

William Holden is Nancy Bocskor’s favorite actor (more on Holden here). In fact, he is her “most handsome and reliable boyfriend, albeit dead.” Other than being dead, he is reliably on TCM every week or so, showing up at 3am in the morning when Bocskor cannot sleep.

Bocskor is an international political consultant and a movie buff, and Sabrina not only stars William Holden, but also has a social class subtext. Dr. Rollyson is an expert on the Golden Age of Hollywood, so Sabrina seemed to be a good match for the two and fun entertainment for all.

The entertainment took place at the beautiful Wynne Home, where two of the LEAP Center students and many of the Junior Fellows have interned.

Guests included Mayor Mac Woodward and his wonderful wife, Leanne, as well as Ralph and Linda Pease. We were also happy to have Margaret Gulledge, Charles Forbus, and Karl Mahaffey on hand for the viewing.

Bocskor and Rollyson introduced the film, offering different takes on the film (Bocskor focused more on Holden…)

The film was wonderful, combining top-notch talent with humor and romance.

The general consensus among us students was that it was better than “Some Like it Hot,” which we screened with Rollyson last year.

The company was also wonderful, with a reception followed by dinner. It was a fun night, capping a wonderful week with Bocskor and Rollyson as guests in Huntsville, TX.

We’ll be doing a Walter Brennan film festival in the fall, in honor of Rollyson’s new biography of the character-actor legend.

Let’s Talk–And Have Some Fun

After an eventful afternoon with Ms. Nancy Bocskor, LEAP Students headed to the Elliot T. Bowers Honors College Let’s Talk event for an evening of informative conversation with some of the state’s most esteemed professionals. LEAP students enjoyed diverse speakers ranging from FBI Special Agent and SHSU Alum Daniel Fuentes to Honorable Robert Eckels, President of the Texas Central High-Speed Railway.

Kicking off the event, President Hoyt was in attendance to speak briefly about the growth of Sam Houston State University and a few of its accomplishments. LEAP students received the privilege of enjoying dinner and conversation with a variety of speakers. Ariel Traub enjoyed dinner with Mrs. Barbara Cargill, Texas State Board of Education District 8 Member and Chair of the Board. She was impressed with the conversation and indicated the discussion offered “valuable insight to problems with our education system along with some possible solutions.” Kaitlyn Tyra, who also sat at Cargill’s table, echoed Traub’s sentiments, enjoying the opportunity to “ask questions concerning our schools and learn about changes underway.”

Karla Rosales and Megan Chapa dined with SHSU Alumni Ms. Patti Foster, a traumatic brain injury survivor. Megan Chapa found Foster “extremely inspirational!” and Karla Rosales found both the human story and the science behind it to be fascinating and encouraging.

Alex Galvan had the pleasure of having dinner and conversation with Dr. Carl Rollyson, Editor of the Hollywood Legend Series, and author of some 40 books—including two on Marilyn Monroe. According to Galvan, “it was wonderful to learn more about this icon, and get the back story on one of the 20^th Century’s most intriguing legends.”

After dinner, co-chair of the Let’s Talk Advisory Board and Dean of the College of Health Sciences, Michael Lacourse helped close the evening with remarks. But the end of the event wasn’t the end of the evening. The LEAP Center students had an opportunity to meet with local officials attending the events…

…speakers from other tables, and revisit with Nancy Bocskor, who stayed late to visit with the honors students.

Overall, Let’s Talk gave students the opportunity to converse with professionals whom they normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to interact with and gave them the opportunity to learn about topics personally interesting to each student. Many thanks to all the speakers, Ms. Jacel Angel, and the Elliot T. Bowers Honors College for a wonderful evening.

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