Jobs – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

SHAIP Speaker Series

The Sam Houston Austin Internship Program kicks off each session with “Speaker Series,” and this week’s session placed double duty on the word “Speaker.” On Friday, the nine Austin Interns heard from three members of the House Speaker’s staff: Margo Cardwell (Counsel), Sydney Watts (Chief of Staff), and Cassi Pollock (Press/Media).

With lunch from Alonti’s (thanks to Malu Gonzales from TSUS for the recommendation), the students got two-hour overview of running a leadership office–as well as invaluable career advice.

Margo Cardwell emphasized the importance of discretion in the workplace, offering discussions of both office culture and the legal requirements of reporting office communications. She also explored the protections the Texas House offers against sexual harassment, and she offered the nine young women resources for addressing that issue, should they need resources. Cardwell then discussed her own career path, which involved an undergraduate degree in Washington, DC, law school at the University of Texas, and a series of legal/political jobs.

Without a master strategic plan to end up as Legal Counsel for the Speaker of the House, the jobs she chose made her both qualified and ideal for such a position. With six of the nine interns wanting to be attorneys, her advice was well received.

After serving as a reporter for several years for the Texas Tribune, Cassi Pollock now works as Press Secretary for Speaker Phelan. Pollock’s years covering politics and ability to write and communicate serve her well in her current role.

She emphasized the importance of writing skill for any office-legal-political job, a point echoed by Margo Cardwell. Pollock also underscored the need to stay true to your moral compass.

As a political reporter, she did her best to remain neutral and report the facts as she learned them and not to be swayed by her own–or others’–political leanings.

Sydney Watts has worked for two speakers, Bonnen and now Phelan, serving as the latter’s “Director of Administration.” She discussed basic management, tips for professional settings, tips for interns, and navigating the capitol.

One point she made was that no job is beneath any staffer. In fact, she pointed out that Margo might be “stocking the refrigerator” on one day, and the next she might be representing the Texas House in the court system. She highlighted the fact that the Texas House is one of the best places in the country for young people to work and to make a difference. In addition, she encouraged the interns to ask questions, particularly if (1) they were uncertain about something, (2) if they were curious, or (3) if they needed assistance with prioritizing tasks. For students in their first professional jobs with real responsibility, the advice was needed.

The students also had a chance to chime in, discussing what they’ve learned about things in the legislature, their biggest challenges, and aspects of Austin or the Texas Legislature they’ve found most interesting. Jessica Cuevas discussed the challenges of being an introvert and asserting oneself, Amor Sheffield discussed the challenges of being semi-introverted and having to speak to so many people in the Capitol all day long…

…and Breanna Demyers commented on the diversity of people from Texas’s 254 counties.

After the rewarding visit, we were able to take a photo in the House Gallery, with Ms. Cardwell and Ms. Watt (Ms. Pollock was, by this time, in a meeting).

It was a rewarding day for all of us, occurring in the midst of what is shaping up to be the most rewarding semester in our college careers.

SHAIPing up for Austin

After months of applying, interviewing, and apartment-hunting, the Austin Internship Program is getting real for nine SHSU students. These nine students, Jessica Cuevas, Morgan Robertson, Yvette Mendoza, Ingrid Cuero, Ashlyn Parker, Jayelynn Bordeaux, Morgan Dawson, Amor Sheffield, and Breanna Demyers, will be beginning their Austin internships one month from today.

To prepare, they received an orientation from two top-notch employees of SHSU: Ms. Julie Schwab and Dean Shani Robinson. With moderation by Intern Director Mike Yawn, Robinson and Schwab discussed tips for navigating office politics, dressing for success, defusing conflict, and making a first impression.

In the latter case, Dean Robinson noted that people’s first impressions are often made in seven seconds, while also complimenting the students on their first impression–students stood up, walked forward, extended their hands, introduced themselves, and welcomed the presenters.

Ms. Schwab brought some swag, including padfolios to help the students on their road to professionalism and a Brene Brown book (“Imperfect”). Professor Yawn also provided students with business cards, a book (“How Important People Act,” by Ambassador Chase Untermeyer), and a business card holder.

With finals still before the students, the meeting was kept short, but the participants lingered as new advice was thought of and new questions were asked. Robinson and Schwab were generously supportive of the students, and despite the short length of the meeting, there was some bonding involved–leaving the students with some additional supporters and a larger professional network.

Terrible–Thanks for Asking! A day at TCMA

By Izabella Urbani

Our first full day at the Texas City Management Association Conference began! With an introduction by TCMA President Sereniah Breland…

…who introduced our keynote speaker for the general session, Nora McInerny, whose talk, “Terrible, Thanks for Asking” played on themes she discusses in her podcast and books.

She displayed her dry, witty sense of humor while also touching on loss, grief, change, and new beginnings. Most importantly, she addressed the ability to genuinely answer the question, “How are you?” I think we often answer with the word “fine,” which is okay, but sometimes, it’s okay not to be okay.

Following McInerny’s inspirational words, we had a chance to meet her and discuss her talk.

She was very generous.

Today was a unique day with their awards luncheon! Once the doors opened, we scurried off to get a table and save Huntsville’s City Manager, Aaron Kulhavy, a seat next to us. For most of the luncheon, we were conversing with Aaron to get to know him and learn more about city management.

Our entrée for lunch consisted of Ham with Barbeque sauce, and grits, accompanied by a variety of vegetables such as corn and some delicious carrots. Once we finished our main dish, we started on our dessert which was a delicious fruit tart with oranges and strawberries. Countless city officials were recognized for their outstanding work and accomplishments throughout the years. It was truly an amazing and rewarding experience.

Once the luncheon was over, Aaron Kulhavy took us around and introduced us to multiple people from the surrounding areas before we split off to the breakout sessions.

Isabel enjoyed the economic development conference presented by Imelda Speck, the Economic Developer in Irving, Texas, which is Isabel’s hometown! Speck along with the other panelists talked about the effects the Covid-19 pandemic had on their cities and small businesses. Isabel found it interesting to hear about the programs the City of Irving implemented to try and soften the blow. Jessica found this session particularly easy to understand and follow thanks to her Finance Internship with the City of Huntsville.

In ways, her internship with the Finance Department helped her understand things in different sessions such as previously mentioned and the strategic plans session. However, this can also be said of Morgan after interning with the City Secretary.

Morgan’s favorite conference, All Disasters are Local, Your Emergency Program Should Be, Too, by Nim Kidd. Kidd talked about three new technologies that they are putting in place to cover more bases regarding emergency management. It was also intriguing to know how they are also starting the first academy in the nation for emergency management and will be placing 100 new agents in 100 new counties.

Despite many good sessions today, my all-time favorite was the opening session with Nora Mclnerny.

Dinner in Downtown Bastrop

Isabel Behm

Once the conference wrapped up for the day, we were beyond excited to explore downtown Bastrop and eat at a local place. On our way to Piney Creek Chophouse, we took a moment to admire the various bookstores, coffee shops, and beautiful homes in their downtown. Piney Creek Chophouse is a nice neat little local restaurant that has a unique architectural design and interior that adds to the character of the place.

Often Professor Yawn forgets to feed us, but makes up for it when he treats us to a fancy steakhouse. Never failing to get us appetizers to hold us over until our entrees arrive, we ordered Crab Cakes, Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms, and Bruschetta.

We were also provided with a delicious, crafted artisan bread accompanied by butter. The crab cakes were bursting with flavor, and we even convinced Jessica, who isn’t a fan of crab or seafood, to try a bite! We couldn’t get her to try a mushroom, but maybe we’ll have some better luck next time.

As we waited for our main entrees, Professor Yawn gave us a quick crash course about dining etiquette. Soon enough, our main entrees were brought out to us, Morgan and Izabella shared a Filet Mignon served with Mashed Potatoes and Haricot Verts. Jessica and I both shared a New York Strip accompanied by Mashed Potatoes and Haricot Verts as well.

Professor Yawn enjoyed a Strawberry Salad and a side of fried Brussel Sprouts which we all absolutely loved.

Each dish had its own quality that made it special, and each dish was full of different flavors. We all had our own unique experiences. After our main dish, I was sure I was full and had no room for dessert…. I was wrong.

Dessert included an exquisite Bread Pudding, A Molten Lava Cake, and Banana Foster. I found the Banana Foster the most interesting since our waitress brought the dish out covered in flames which certainly made for a cool and unique presentation. The Banana Foster had a very strong cinnamon taste and a slight hint of coconut, it was one of the favorites and there was not a single piece left on the dish. The Bread Pudding had more of a sweet, rich taste and the Molten lava cake was very neatly presented, and the brownie was super rich and paired with the ice cream, it made for a wonderful combination.

We all had a great time at dinner, and it was the perfect way to end a long eventful day.

Huntsville Police Department Tour

September 21, 2021

Erin Juarez

On Tuesday evening, the LEAP Center and City Fellows students were given a wonderful tour of the new Huntsville Police Department (HPD), on 2821 FM RD West, by Corporal David Warner.

The tour began as soon as we stepped foot through their double door security to get to the waiting area, where Corporal Warner discussed the history of the HPD, its previous chiefs, and the new things that were incorporated to the new building in comparison to the old building, which was once a bank!

In contrast to the old building, they now have a cool-off room, a gym…

training room…

showers, a garage, more security (bullet proof glass and reinforced walls), and overall, much, more space.

All of which allows them to perform their job duties more efficiently, such as conducting meetings, training, and more. In this “backstage” tour, we had the opportunity to see most of the rooms and offices: such as the interrogation room…

…supply room, and new additions such as a school resources officer office, evidence room…

…the chief’s office, narcotics office, and the detective offices. While in the supply room, we got to pass around the two kinds of vests that the officers use, the day-to-day basis one and the one they use before arriving at a “dangerous” crime scene.

The former of which was as light as a feather when compared to the latter of which weighed about ten pounds. Our tour then continued inside the patrol officers’ “office”, where we were able to see the TV that tracks where every officer is located- from the moment they report to an incident scene to the moment they leave the scene.

To put it in perspective, if a police officer was on duty at a high-school football game, we would be able to see the name of the officer, the location of the high-school, and the duration of time they have been there. It also shows how long it has been since any one of them has responded or reported to a scene.

Some of the more popular and favorite parts of the tour were the evidence, supply, and interrogation rooms. We were amazed by how the architect built and designed each factor and detail of the building to where no one can tamper with the evidence lockers or hear anything outside of an interrogation room. Another favorite aspect of the tour was Corporal Warner: he a great tour guide, very knowledgeable, and really illuminated the role and practices of the police.

On behalf of the LEAP Center and the City Fellows, we would like to thank Corporal Warner for taking the time to give us a tour of the new building….

…and even more thankful for everything that Corporal Warner and the rest of the officers do to keep us and the community safe.

One-on-One with Jim Olson: LEAP Students Dive into the World of Counterintelligence

By Quinn Kobrin

In a continuation of the LEAP Center’s Facebook one-on-one series, Professor Yawn interviewed Professor Jim Olson about his life during and after his career as a CIA case officer. This having been my first time hearing Mr. Olson speak, I was astounded at how little I knew about the world of counterintelligence.

Olson began the conversation with a definition of counterintelligence. He explained that its purpose is to protect the United States from other nations who may try to steal our secrets and technology. Much to my surprise, he told us that there are approximately 80 countries spying on us right now.

The conversation then turned to Olson’s 31-year career in the Clandestine Service. He was asked about his cover identity, which he could not share in great detail, but he explained that when he was in another nation, he would often have a cover as a U.S. diplomat, so he would have diplomatic immunity if he got into trouble. Sometimes, however, he was in other countries without working as a diplomat, and therefore would be subject to that country’s justice system if he were caught.

He shared that he and his wife – also a case officer within the CIA – never anticipated to come out from their cover identities, because doing so posed a threat to themselves and to their family. However, he was approached by President George H.W. Bush and George Tenet (former Director Central Intelligence) to work at the Bush School of Public Service. Olson was excited for the opportunity, but there is a CIA policy that does not allow officers to go onto college campuses covertly (which was news to me). So, he was forced to give up his cover.

In a similar vein, he was asked about how he and his wife broke the news to their children that they were officers in the CIA, and how they took it. Apparently, when he was stationed in Vienna, terrorists managed to get ahold of his address and sent him a death threat. They decided to tell their oldest son, who was sixteen at the time, and asked him to look after his siblings. As each of their children learned, he said, they took the information in with a sense of pride. He told us that each of his children has now gone on to pursue a career in the service of others.

Next he discussed CIA recruitment methods. We learned that the CIA seeks out a variety of candidates who may be cut out for a career as a case officer. Mainly, they are looking for character; they want recruits who are reliable and trustworthy.

To prepare for a career in the Clandestine Service (one of the most commonly asked questions of the event) Olson said that a bachelor’s degree usually would not be enough, and that students should aim to get a graduate degree of some kind. He suggested learning new languages, taking on roles of leadership, and working in positions that might allow you to travel abroad.

On the subject of character, he spoke briefly about some former CIA officers who betrayed the United States. He spoke vehemently about his former colleague Aldrich “Rick” Ames, who he considers the worst traitor to the country for turning over to the KGB. He explained that Ames had identified Russians who were working for the CIA to the KGB, which led to their imprisonment or execution.

To wrap up the session, we asked Olson what he wanted people to know about the CIA. He explained that CIA case officers are public servants. They do not do what they do for money, power, prestige, or status. They do what they do with honorable intentions.

It was a great experience to hear Mr. Olson speak live, and I look forward to reading his book, To Catch a Spy: The Art of Counterintelligence!

Pre-Law Society First Meeting

By: Kiarra Flores

First Meeting

Despite the pandemic, we were able to kick off our first Pre-Law Society meeting of the Fall 2020 semester. Our advisor, Mike Yawn introduced the PLS to all the new members and explained our agenda for the evening. For the first meeting, we had the great honor to have a Zoom meeting with two special women, Alicia Cramer and Shawn Adams, to discuss law school and answer any questions we may have in regard to admissions.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Pre-Law Society, PLS, Kattorneys, South Texas College of Law, STCL, TTU Law, Texas Tech Law

To begin, we first had Shawn Adams speak. She is not only an attorney, but she is also the Assistant Director for Recruitment at Texas Tech Law. She discussed how Texas Tech has a ‘dual degree program’ where a student can finish their first year of school, then start their Masters. They can complete law school in three years, receiving both Juris Doctor (JD) and an MBA. She also mentions how you can be a “student attorney” where you can work under a licensed attorney and have clients and go to court, which I felt like caught a lot of members’ attention!

Dean Alicia Cramer was next. Cramer is the Assistant Dean of Admissions and South Texas College of Law. To showcase the school, she mentioned how they were recently nationally ranked for their Moot Court and Mock Trial teams. As an assistant dean, she emphasized the importance of being involved in different programs and clinics the school offers. She also encouraged students to begin building relationships with people who may write letter of recommendations.

Following the presentations, the guest speakers took questions.

Two questions that stuck out to me were:

Q: Do I need to apply separately for scholarships, or will I receive automatic consideration through the admissions process?

A: You can do both. Depending on your situation, you can apply for financial aid, but also you can earn money depending on your GPA and LSAT scores, so study!

Q: I was another major for two years and it tanked my GPA. Even with the A’s and B’s I have been making in my Pre-Law major, my GPA hasn’t touched a 3.0 yet, does that ruin my chance to be accepted?

A: No, if your GPA isn’t the best and your LSAT scores are subpar, your personal statement will really dictate your acceptance or not. You want a great personal statement that not only describes you as a person but also explains why your grades were not the best. You need to stick out during the admissions process and show the board why you deserve to attend their law school.

After the Q&A portion of our meeting, we applauded and thanked them for their time and insight on the navigation of law admissions. To end our meeting was officer elections. The group had eight members running for positions of VP of Finances, VP of Membership, Secretary and Historian. With time running short, members’ speeches were short and to the point. For President, we have appointed Quinn Kobrin (senior), VP of Finances, Leslie Canchola-Rangel (junior);

VP Membership, Ruona Odharo;

Secretary, Aisha Adeniyi-Adeoya (junior);

and Historian, Kiarra Flores (senior).

LEAP LEADS: My Future Self

By Jayelynn Bordeaux

It is often easy to get caught up in school and extracurricular activities, and I find myself getting lost. Over the past few weeks, Leap LEADs has been influencing me to keep my eye on the prize. Adjusting to school this semester has been a struggle, but tonight’s meeting, and the exercises we did….

SHSU, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, LEAP LEADs, Texas Tribune Festival

….made me think about why I came to college and what I want to leave with.

The night began with us talking about our day-to-day schedule and time management. Specifically, we got estimates of how much time we spent in a week attending class, studying, working out, eating, self-care, sleeping, leisure time, etc. Iriyana added up the total hours spent in the week and we pondered about what we did with the rest of our time.

Personally, this led me to evaluate how I am using my time and opened my eyes to my free time I am not using wisely. We also spent some times discussing short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals, and how those should fit together.

Professor Yawn emphasized the importance of making sure our short term goals match up with our goals in the future. This is very important to me because if I do not begin to prepare now and take baby steps toward who I want to be in the long run, then I am wasting my time. We discussed the areas we lack professionally, which leads to the importance of self-awareness. Self-awareness is substantial because before you can elevate you have to be alert to the baggage holding you back.

I feel one of the motives of Leap Leads is to make us aware. Whether it be aware of our opportunities, potential, knowledge, future, etc. Tonight I was driven to be knowledgeable of the levels of court. Particularly, we discussed Texas’s five-tiered court system. The lowest levels being the Justice of Peace and Municipal Court . Both courts deal with misdemeanors, with a focus on traffic stops and misdemeanors punishable by fine only. The County Court at law deals with cases more severe than minor offenses. For example, Class A and B misdemeanors or DWI cases (where no one was hurt).

The higher levels of court are the District Courts, Appeals Court and then the highest level: the Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals. Texas is a bit different because they have the Supreme court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The Supreme Court deals with civil cases and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals deals with criminal cases, for example, murders and the death penalty. Something I learned that stuck out to me about the county government is that a county judge is not a traditional judge. County judges are able to marry people and declare a person insane, but unless they preside over one of the smaller counties, they have little to do with the traditional concept of a judge.

Speaking of County Judges, tonight we were enlightened by the appearances of Lina Hidalgo and Clay Jenkins at the Texas Tribune Festival while enjoying dinner from City Hall Cafe.

SHSU, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, LEAP LEADs, Texas Tribune Festival

Lina Hidalgo is the Harris County judge and Clay Jenkins is the Dallas County judge.

Lina Hidalgo began her term as the County of Harris County in 2018. This was significant because she was the first woman to be elected county judge in Harris county.

SHSU, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, LEAP LEADs, Texas Tribune Festival

Clay Jenkins has been a county judge in Dallas since 2011.

Both judges expressed difficulties they have had dealing with the outbreak of the CoronaVirus. Specifically, with the legislation put in place by Governor Abbott restricting their power to enforce masks due to Covid-19. I agreed with Hidalgo’s statements that the enforcement of masks should not be political and rather just what is best for communities. Both County Judges discussed having concerns with the outbreak before anything was done and were not in favor of opening up before the curve had flattened. Ultimately, I took away that County Judges normally have a lot more power when a state of emergency is declared.

SHSU, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, LEAP LEADs, Texas Tribune Festival

I spent some time interacting with Juan during our workshop, which was on property tax. We learned how to calculate property taxes, learning the role of the Appraisal District, the Commissioners Court, and the taxpayer in the process.

SHSU, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, LEAP LEADs, Texas Tribune Festival

This evening was informative and I believe Leap Leads is keeping me on track with my goals in the future. We ended with Professor Yawn challenging us to do something different this week.

COVID-19 at the Local Level

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about a pandemic, it’s that it hits every level of government. So the Bush School at TAMU hosted experts on local government in the latest episode of “Uncorked:” Dr. Ann Bowman and Dr. Robert Greer. As usual, the program was hosted by Justin Bullock and Dr. Gregory Gause.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, COVID-19, TAMU, Bush School Uncorked, Dr. Ann Bowman, Dr. Robert Greer, Justin Bullock, Dr. Gregory Gause The panel got into more politics than usual this time, but they still managed an informative session, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on local and state governments.

As Dr. Greer noted, the pandemic has hit local and state governments in two ways: (1) rapidly rising costs, and (2) decreased revenues. For states such as Texas–which, with no property or income tax, relies heavily on sales tax–the decline in revenue is especially severe.

Right now, researchers have projected that state governments will face a shortfall of 500 billion dollars. Although many states have a rainy-day fund, even fully suing this fund would leave a shortfall of 360 billion dollars, and this shortfall is before many of the costs of COVID are factored in. So, clearly the states are in a fiscal jam.

When states and municipalities face challenges, the US economy faces challenges. When there is a budget shortfall, states and localities layoff workers and, as Dr. Greer noted, about 13 percent of the US workforce is made up of state and local workers.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, COVID-19, TAMU, Bush School Uncorked, Dr. Ann Bowman, Dr. Robert Greer, Justin Bullock, Dr. Gregory Gause

So, what can the federal government do? All agreed that a unified, consistent message would be helpful. They also seemed to agree that the CARES act, which provided assistance to local and state governments, as well as large and small businesses, was a step in the right direction.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, COVID-19, TAMU, Bush School Uncorked, Dr. Ann Bowman, Dr. Robert Greer, Justin Bullock, Dr. Gregory Gause

Additional funds will be needed, and where that money goes and how it will be allocated were concerns. Greer mentioned money to the unemployed–of whom there are now record numbers–is a good way to pump the economy. With little or no income, these workers will spend the money they receive, which multiplies through the economy.

The panel also responded to audience questions, at least one of which asked about the food supply. This was a particularly timely question, inasmuch as Tyson has had to shut down several plants owing to large numbers of employees falling prey to the COVID virus. At this point, the meat supply to the nation has dropped precipitously: production of pork, beef, and chicken, has fallen 30 percent, 15 percent, and 10 percent, respectively. While this shortfall has yet to hit the stores (because of existing stockpiles), it will hit soon. Indeed, today, President Trump indicated he would invoke the Defense Protection Act and order those plants to remain operational.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, COVID-19, TAMU, Bush School Uncorked, Dr. Ann Bowman, Dr. Robert Greer, Justin Bullock, Dr. Gregory Gause
While Trump’s decision was, obviously, a federal action, cities, counties, and states play a role, too. Most of our food inspection, for example, is done at the local level and, of course, the labor pool comes from cities and counties across the country. In the case of these meat plants, the labor pool comes often from small cities and counties, where the meat plant may be a primary employer.

This is a new angle to the COVID-19 pandemic, one not much covered by the national media but, arguably, more important than the topics that are often covered. In short: it was another educational program hosted by the Bush School at TAMU.

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