Law – Page 40 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

LEAP Center Students in Austin: Day Two

Upon arrival this morning, boot campers were greeted with warm breakfast tacos, fruit, homemade granola, yogurt, and coffee to start the second day of NPF’s Campaign Bootcamp. It was a great start to a fourteen-hour day, filled with learning about all manner of campaign topics.

Chris Perkins & Polling
The first presentation of the day was centered on polling and how to use it to your advantage within a campaign. The speaker, Chris Perkins, partner at Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research and an expert on quantitative and qualitative analysis, presented helpful guidelines to think about when managing a real campaign.

One of his main points throughout the presentation was the importance of targeting: “targeting the right persuadable voters is key to victory, especially if you cannot afford to reach out to everyone.” His close created a seamless intro for the next session, how to craft a campaign message.

Rindy Miller Media, Crafting a Message

That presentation, crafting a campaign message for earned and paid media, was led by veteran media consultant Cynthia Miller, with her spouse Dean Rindy, also a media consultant.

They gave us strategies for effective message delivery and great ways to build a campaign message. We learned the four key rules:

visualize the message,
tell the story,
use emotion,
and keep it short.

We were also reminded “it’s not what you say, but who you are.” A great way to promote a successful message is by frequency and repetition because it takes the human brain five or more repetitions before it recognizes an important message. After ten repetitions, the human brain has absorbed the message, which is especially applicable for voter contact via mail. All these great tips and strategies will be very useful when strategizing for our campaign presentations tomorrow afternoon.

Vincent Harris & Social Media

We were then introduced to “The Man Who Invented the Republican Internet,” Vincent Harris. His presentation was filled to the brim with energy and strong delivery.

Harris, CEO of Harris Media, discussed the power of the digital media and the leverage this medium can bring to a party. Facebook, a large part of the digital media, plays a vital role, as do other smaller social media outlets. Currently working on Rand Paul’s bid for President, Harris believes digital media will be one of the deciding factors of the election. The direction and the ever-changing political climate have indicated that the Internet along with digital media will become king in political campaigns. The capabilities with rapid response will make it especially crucial in the end game parts of elections. Sticking to one or two messages makes getting the word out simple and effective, and it worked for us–as we remained engaged in the midst of a long Saturday.

Of course, crafting the message is part of the battle—implementing that message is another part.

“The great thing about the NPF, is that you learn so much, from so many people, in such a short time.”–Constance Gabel, LEAP Center VP

Matthew Brownfield, Colleen Loper, and Voter Targeting

After the break we were introduced to Mathew Brownfield, partner at Murphy Nasica & Associates, and Colleen Loper, campaign director at Annie’s List.

This session focused on teaching us the essentials of targeting, voter contact and voter files, and how to get the most from knocking on doors. Essential information resources for the campaign manager, according to Brownfield and Loper, include the district’s electoral history district census data, and on-the-ground reports. Each mentor then went into specific tools that their party utilizes to narrow their voter targets as quickly and accurately as possible. Loper spoke about the main Democratic tools, which include the Voter Association Network (VAN), DCCC, DND, TDP, Blue Labs and the Analyst’s Institute for research. Brownfield admitted that the Republicans are lacking in this field by only having the GOP data center, but he still gave general research methods such as the state party databases, county party databases and voter files.

The two presenters then explained how important door-to-door campaigning is and how it is much more effective when trying to get out the vote (GOTV), but can be much more time consuming than phone calls. We learned that “knocking on doors” drives turnout and can be an effective method when trying to target moderate voters. Knocking on doors also insulates the campaigns from any change in opinion that the targeted voter might have had. Brownfield also mentioned that block walks during door-to-door campaigning can provide intelligence on the electoral situation of the opposing campaign. The two presenters agreed that the most appealing aspect of door-to-door campaigning is all of the positive media attention that can be earned. We learned that a good strategy when knocking on doors for a campaign is to have the candidate himself or herself knocking on doors as well. The presenters ended by mentioning that the candidate should always show that they are willing to put in work even in the smallest aspects of the campaign and that they can change a targeted voter’s mind easily, especially face-to-face.

Maegan Stephens and Communication

Finishing up the day of informative sessions, the energetic communication specialist, Maegan Stephens, focused on political pitches and presentations.

She began by engaging the students in a quick icebreaker, allowing them to move around and tune in.

Throughout this session, Ms. Stephens covered the content, delivery, slide deck, and questions and answers section of a successful presentation as well as the tools to create a political pitch. More specifically, she discussed the three parts of the content: the introduction, strategy, and the conclusion. She also emphasized the importance of delivering a presentation, being conscious of the presenter’s non-verbal and vocal communication. With her help we gained knowledge and confidence beneficial to our upcoming presentations.

Luke Marchant, Matt Glazer, Drew Gallaway, Coda

Luke Merchant and Matt Glazer, boot camp mentors, wrapped up the day with last-minute details and Q&A regarding the project and presentation…

…followed by a brief overview of tomorrow’s agenda by Drew Galloway who, prior to working for the Annette Strauss Institute, worked for the White House.

While listening and learning occupied students through most of the day, the evening hours were spent creating mock campaigns…

…from real data and hypothetical candidates from House District 117 in San Antonio.

We once again practiced the “working dinner” concept and vigorously tried to get as much as possible done in our teams, with the help of our mentors, Mr. Merchant, Mr. Glazer, Ms. Holden, and Ms. Moore.

Balancing different topics such as budgeting and polling, LEAP Center students tried to recall as much as possible from the previous sessions to create campaigns that would make the mentors proud.

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Finally, with work still left to do, we left the campus for the hotel around 10:00pm, for an evening of blogging, research, and presentation practice. Hopefully, some sleep will follow this evening while we look forward to a packed day of presentations tomorrow.

Talking Character with David Brooks

By Kaitlyn Tyra–Ready for an evening in Houston, LEAP students departed from Huntsville eager to attend a World Affairs Council Meeting to learn more about how to achieve moral character. Upon arriving at the Junior League in Houston, LEAP students, many of whom were visiting a World Affairs Council event for the first time, were amazed at how large the event was. In a sense, it was a double blessing, because not only did we hear Brooks’s words of wisdom, but we also had the chance to see how the professional staff at WAC run such large events.

David Brooks, a New York Times columnist, bestselling author, regular analyst on National Public Radio, PBS News Hour, and a professor at Yale University, discussed the content of his latest book, The Road to Character. Brooks began by distinguishing between the two sides of every person, the internal and external. Citing Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, he distinguished between Adam 1 and Adam 2. Adam 1 is the career oriented Adam, while Adam 2 is the internal Adam who seeks strong moral character. The Road to Character is about Adam 2.

Brooks hearkened back to the WWII generation, which spoke often of “chivalry,” “honor,” “gratitude,” and “country,” while the younger generations today tend to think more along the lines of “me.” Citing one example, he referred to a survey taken in 1950 asking high-school seniors if they considered themselves to be a “very important person.” Twelve percent said yes. When the survey was replicated in 2005, 80 percent of the high-school seniors answered in the affirmative.

Rather than chastise groups of people, however, Brooks’s primary goal was to discuss the lives of leaders he admires: Dwight Eisenhower, Dorothy Day, George Marshall, and Frances Perkins. He explained how the lives of these great leaders inspired the writing of his book and how their struggles led to their success and the acquisition of greater character. They groped, through failure and hardship, on the road to moral character.

Brooks ended his speech by answering questions from the audience and signing books.

LEAP students were fortunate enough to have our books signed and take a group picture with David Brooks. Many thanks to Ms. Killidar, Ms. Situm, Ms. Baskota, and the entire staff of the World Affairs Council for hosting such a wonderful event…

…and allowing LEAP students to take advantage of an opportunity to learn and better ourselves.

Following the event, LEAP students enjoyed a delicious meal at Jerry Built Homegrown Burgers. A juicy burger and crispy french fries were the perfect ending to a great evening, not to mention we had the chance to experiment with automated hand-washers. Amazing what you learn on LEAP Center trips.

As we departed back to Huntsville, LEAP students reflected upon our road and what more we can do to become better leaders for LEAP, Sam Houston State University, and our local communities.

An Evening with Michael Morton

During the 82^nd Texas legislative session, Senate Bill 1611, also known as the Michael Morton Act, passed with a unanimous vote in both the Texas House and Senate. The SB 1611 requires the state prosecution to offer defense attorneys any evidence that is relevant to their case. In 1987, Michael Morton was wrongly convicted of murdering his wife. It took 25 years, but Morton was exonerated in 2011 after DNA evidence proved his innocence. With the help of the Political Science Department, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department and the College of Criminal Justice, and the Student Legal & Mediation Services, The LEAP Center brought Michael Morton to SHSU to talk about his experience of wrongful conviction and his life imprisonment for nearly 25 years.

LEAP Center students were privileged to meet with Morton’s prior to his general speech.

It was a great chance to ask questions and get some insight into his nightmare. In this small group discussion, Morton stressed the importance of his faith and how everyone experiences difficult trials throughout their life. One of Morton’s main points conveyed to students that we are stronger than we think we are and that we will come out of the hard times. Looking back, we will realize we needed trial to shape who we are supposed become.

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Morton’s humility and gratitude for (almost) everyone who has been a part of his journey is inspiring. Students were thankful for the opportunity to converse with Michael Morton on a variety of topics relevant to both Michael Morton’s experiences and students’ lives. Ending the student small group session, Morton signed copies of his book, Getting Life, for those in attendance.

More than 300 students and community members then attended Morton’s presentation, making this the largest event LEAP has hosted thus far this year.

Especially interesting to Huntsville residents, Morton spent more than 11 years at the Wynne Unit where he received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Sam Houston. Indeed, Morton was taught by Jerry Bruce, whom he had a chance to visit with prior to his presentation.

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Morton also got to meet Walter Bennett, Jr., whose father did more than anyone else in the past 35 years to ensure inmates had access to University education. Dr. Bennett also taught Morton in the 1990s.

Later, Morton transferred to the Ramsey Unit in Houston where he earned his master’s degree in English from the University of Houston.

Morton’s story of tragedy is unimaginable and heartbreaking. Morton was imprisoned for nearly 25 years before DNA testing provided by the Innocence Project proved his innocence. One of the most surprising parts of Morton’s story is his forgiveness towards the prosecution who withheld evidence that would have originally proved Morton’s innocence. Overall, Michael Morton’s story is incredible, heart breaking, unimaginable, and inspiring.

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Following the presentation, Morton signed books. Approximately 65 people bought books, making this the largest book sale Barnes and Noble has had in four years.

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After the lengthy book signing, the LEAP Center had a reception in the Holcombe Room, where lawyers and LEAP Center Advisory students, and others congregated and snacked…

…and discussed law…

…the world…

and, of course, took more photographs!

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The LEAP Center is thankful to the College of Criminal Justice, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Political Science Department, the Student Legal & Mediation Services, and most importantly Michael Morton for sharing his story with the community. We are saddened that such a tragedy occurred, thankful for the opportunity to learn from Mr. Morton, and hopeful that because of Michael Morton’s hard work and SB 1611 the unthinkable will never happen to another in Texas.

The LEAP Center would also like to thank Paul Olle and Ashley Norwood for the great photographs they took!

To learn more about Michael Morton’s story, “An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story” is available on Netflix and his book Getting Life is available through Barnes and Noble Bookstore.

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!

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.

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.

LEAP Center Hosts Second Bocskor Workshop: “Paths to Public Service”

By Kaitlin Tyra: Paths to Public Service

The LEAP Center has enjoyed having Ms. Nancy Bocksor in Huntsville for the week to encourage students to become engaged in politics and take action to make a change. During her Paths to Public Service lecture, Ms. Bocksor stressed the importance of gaining a sphere of influence before deciding to run for office. For students, this tip prompted many to think about their current sphere of influence, and what steps they could take to help position themselves for a career in public service.

Ms. Bocksor also discussed the importance of brand management when pursuing a path to public service. She defined brand management by calling on a definition offered by the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos: “Your brand is what people say about you when you leave the room.” To underscore this point, Ms. Bocskor encouraged students to act professional, be engaged, and clean up social media accounts–all of which can constitute a personal brand. Generously, Ms. Bocksor was extremely helpful to students by giving ample advice on a variety of topics ranging from thank you notes to tips for internships.

To the students’ delight, Ms. Bocksor discussed some of her successes and her many experiences traveling the world to help women become engaged in politics. Students were amazed by the amount of traveling Ms. Bocksor gets to do and how unique her career is. However, the majority of the lecture Ms. Bocksor opened up for questions, giving students the opportunity to interact directly. Ms. Bocksor’s energy appeared contagious to the students and many thought her stories were inspirational, driving them to pursue a career in public service.

Students enjoyed getting to learn from Ms. Bocksor this week. For many, she helped instill a zealous attitude and helped give students a sense of direction in pursuing a career in public service. After enjoying some refreshments, Ms. Bocksor hurried over to the Wynne Home (with students in tow) to co-host a Film Festival with Dr. Carl Rollyson, a continuation of the learning process for students of the LEAP Center.

LEAP Center Hosts Nancy Bocskor Workshop: “Women in Politics”

By Constance Gabel:

“Listen, learn, help, lead.” No better words could stir a group of young ladies interested in the political realm than those spoken by Nancy Bocskor, “democracy coach” and mentor, at the LEAP Center’s Women in Politics Workshop held Thursday afternoon. One of many events attended by Ms. Bocskor during her time in Huntsville, the informal workshop focused on (1) Bocskor’s experience on the Hill–and her path to getting there–(2) her accomplishments of helping international women “and a few good men” become more politically active, and (3) how this generation of women really has the chance of being the change they wish to see in their communities by running for public office.

Ms. Bocskor began the discussion with her worldview that “If you don’t have a place at the table, you’ll end up on the menu.” After spending her entire career walking the walk of what she believes, Ms. Bocskor now strives to inspire young women by putting the world into perspective. Women have the capability and empathy to run for office and change the world, but too few women, according to Bocskor, have the confidence to do so. Ms. Bocskor, impassioned by the global war on women, reaches out to women everywhere by speaking and teaching the skills it takes to achieve public office. She has done extensive research on and experienced firsthand the injustices suffered by women in places like Moldova and Jordan, where women in the past could not even run for public office, but with the help of Ms. Bocskor can now run and even win. LEAP students learned of the differences between how men and women see public office, from egos to empathy and everything in-between.

Nancy Bocskor, who worked with Newt Gingrich at the ripe age of twenty-one, has proven her idea that “in politics, you aren’t measured by your age, but instead by your capabilities.” Ms. Bocskor made the point that women have not stepped out to lead because “you can’t be what you can’t see.” Without visible role models, young women struggle finding appropriate aspirations for leadership positions.

But anyone that has had the chance of being in her presence and hearing of her impressive accomplishments, cannot help but agree that Nancy Bocskor makes one incredible role model to young political activists everywhere. All it takes is a conversation with Ms. Bocskor to completely change one’s path for good. With such a remarkable resume, Nancy Bocskor inspires young women because she has truly made a difference in the world and now she has changed lives here in Huntsville just as she has across the world. From simply listening and learning about our stories, Ms. Bocskor taught LEAP students the steps necessary to become successful in the ever-changing political spectrum, such as simple steps of doing research and asking questions. Armed with the idea that they could conquer the world by simply caring, the young ladies of LEAP left the workshop prepared and motivated to explore the political journey that lay before them.

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