On our final day, our travel day, we still got some sight-seeing in. Although we had spent considerable time in Norman, we had focused our energies on the University of Oklahoma campus. Today, we visited the downtown area, where we checked out some of the public art…
…which included more aviation themed work.
Most interesting, though, was the statue of James Garner, the star of Rockford Files and Maverick, who grew up in Norman, Oklahoma.
James Garner
Another highlight was, strange as it sounds, was getting to see a train go by…
The real highlight of the day, however, was in Denison, Texas, where we visited the birth-home of Dwight Eisenhower.
Ike’s Birthplace
Eisenhower was born here in 1890, and he would be the last President to be born in the 19th century. His father worked for the railroad, which passed by about thirty yards in front of the house.
The site is run by the Department of Texas Parks and Wildlife, and we had a knowledgeable tour guide to take us through the home.
Interior of Ike’s Home
Our visit was made all the more appropriate with the arrival of Veterans Day.
Eisenhower Statue
The last day was also a day for reflecting on the trip and the different things we did. Heading home, we canvassed the group for our favorite activities, which are presented below.
Favorite Artifacts:
1) Abraham Lincoln (Cowboy Hall of Fame and OU Law School)
2) Land Run Monument (OKC)
3) Capitol Artwork (OKC)
Artwork in State Capitol
Favorite Destinations:
1) OU Campus, for OPSA and OU Law School
2) Oklahoma National Memorial and Museum
3) Segway Tour
OU Law Courtroom
Favorite Presentations:
1) Southern Politics, by Scott Buchanan
2) Public Opinion, Drug Use, and Depedence, Lauren Reinke
3) Affordable Health Care, Isaac Lutz
Professor Scott Buchanan
We were very impressed with Oklahoma City, Norman, and the people we met on the trip. We’d especially like to thank the organizers of the Oklahoma Political Science Association, who were very helpful to us.
Today had to be my most anticipated day of the trip. It was packed full of activities and I could not wait to conquer all of what Oklahoma City had to offer. We began the morning with an emotionally overwhelming trip to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. Learning about the devastation caused by Timothy McVeigh’s bombing of the Federal Building in 1995 was one of the most sobering things I have ever encountered. The museum captured the emotions of that April morning in such a powerful, striking way. I did not walk out as the same person that walked in.
Oklahoma National Memorial
In order to decompress from the Memorial, we headed to the Overholser Mansion, located in Heritage Hills area of northern Oklahoma City. Built in 1903, the home transported us back in time.
Overholser Mansion
The tour guide and décor did a good job of helping us picture life in the early 1900s.
Overholser Mansion Interior
We learned of the wealthy Overholser family that lived there until the selling of the home in 1972 to the state of Oklahoma for education purposes. Drawn to the ornate woodworking and lavish furniture of the home, I really enjoyed living in 1903 for the hour-long tour. What it must have been like to live so extravagantly!
Following the wonders seen at the Overholser Mansion, my fellow LEAP Center students and I traveled to Cattleman’s steakhouse to enjoy some home cooking and western atmosphere. Now while it was hard to compare it to anything back home in Texas, the Chicken Fried Chicken and chocolate pie definitely made their way onto my list of best foods. Also interesting were the lamb fries we tried…
After a tasty meal, we then made our way over to the Oklahoma History Center. Even though we only had an hour and a half to enjoy it, I must say Oklahoma has never seemed so versatile. There were exhibits on cowboys and kitchens, dresses and divas, and even some history about Oklahomans in space. As a true Texan born and raised, I can still admit that through learning about the beauty and history of this state, Oklahoma now holds a place in my heart.
Wiley Post’s Plane
Before the sun was able to completely get away from us, we were able then to enjoy the Myriad Botanical Gardens and Crystal Bridge Conservatory in downtown Oklahoma City.
Myriad Gardens
Taking in the beauty and humidity surrounding us, we spotted many exotic flowers and towering trees that would beautify any locale.
Tropical Conservancy
Upon leaving the Conservatory, we strolled the gardens outside and proceeded to spot a live wedding, some feisty ducks, and a child or two running loose. People-watching has never been so entertaining.
Before saying goodbye to Oklahoma City once and for all, we begged Professor Yawn to let us stop by an extravagant, tacky, over-the-top-sweets shop to indulge our inner-kid. Laden with bags of chocolate truffles, cupcakes, and sweet candies we reluctantly made our way back “home” to Norman to finish off the night at the University of Oklahoma’s historical campus. We discovered the campus’s old, gothic style buildings and, more importantly, the breathtaking interiors. Although younger than Sam Houston State University by a decade or so, OU’s history pervaded every step we took through the beautiful campus grounds.
Finally to finish up such an exciting day, we headed to a quaint Vietnamese restaurant. Each student tried something new, whether it was pho soup, lettuce wraps, or a banh mi sandwich. Full, exhausted, and ready to sleep our lives away, we sped back to the hotel to calculate the hours of sleep we would get before waking up to wrap up our trip tomorrow. Looking back on such a wonderful day, I realize how truly blessed I am to live in a country with so many opportunities and wonderful histories to learn.
Zach Goodlander:
Day 4 was a flurry of activity! Crisscrossing the Norman/OKC area we continued where we left off—picking up new experiences and learning more.
Our first stop was Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial, which serves as somber reminder of the tragic Murrah Federal Building bombing on April 19, 1995.
Oklahoma National Memorial
Winding through the museum you get to know the victims, discover heroes and, most important, never forget what happened that morning.
Bombing Debris
What I’ll never forget from the museum is the recording they offer of a meeting from the morning of the bombing—the audio captures the dramatic and sudden shift from casual meeting sheer panic. It left me with goosebumps.
Jessica Rodriguez at Memorial
Also poignant is the “And Jesus Wept” Statue erected by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, located across the street from the bombing Memorial.
Jesus Wept
Leaving the memorial we arrived at the Overholser Mansion, a turn of the century Victorian style home. The home was built for renowned Oklahoma City businessman and philanthropist Henry Overholser and his family.
The Overholser family lived in opulence and their lifestyle of luxury was perfectly preserved in the beautiful home.
Overholser Mansion
Lunch was the next stop, which we satisfied by going to Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in the historic stockyard area of OKC. Cattlemen’s is a continuation of the cowboy heritage and the food did not disappoint. Lamb testicles was the appetizer of choice (certainly exotic, but not overly tasty) and for the meal I had a Chopped Beef Sandwich, brought to us by a waiter who insisted on calling us “partner.”
Having satisfied our stomachs, our next stop was to learn more about Oklahoma at the State History Museum. Here we learned everything about the state: its Native American cultures, contributions to film and aviation, and its history from pre-statehood through the present. It was the state’s contributions to film that I found most fascinating, where I learned one of my favorite character actors Wes Studi (Dances With Wolves, Last of the Mohicans), was born in Oklahoma.
Wes Studi
Moving on from the state’s history, we went to the Myriad Gardens towards the center of OKC. The site is fascinating for its “duck pond,” which is loaded not only with ducks, but also koi; the tropical environment within the Conservancy; and the beautifully landscaped grounds.
What was most interesting to me was that the area was part of a recent urban development plan that Oklahoma has implemented to beautify the city, raising the quality of life and attracting tourists—such as us!
We stopped at a nearby gourmet dessert boutique where I picked up some delicious peanut butter truffles, and the other students indulged equally. Jessica bought $42 worth of candy, although it should be noted that she generously offered to share.
Moving on back to Norman, we walked the campus of OU, checking out the student union, the clock tower, and the reading library…
It was a beautiful campus.
Ending the day with dinner at Coriander Cafe not far from the university we had a wonderful meal. The Vietnamese cuisine was definitely outside my normal, but this trip is all about new experiences and the Banh Mi sandwich I had was superb.
In sum, this day was the culmination of everything that’s been great about Oklahoma City and Norman, and I will be leaving Oklahoma tomorrow with a new-found appreciation for the state.
We first made our way back to the Fred Jones Art Museum for the second day of the conference where another round of panelists awaited us. The first series of panelists included research papers by undergrads and grad students from various universities in Oklahoma. Today’s research topics included:
Media focus on candidate traits by gender
Children’s perceptions of authority figures over time
Reframing substance abuse from morality to illness
Lauren Reinke on Substance Abuse
While Jessica, Zach, and Professor Yawn enjoyed a brief discussion on the transformation of higher education from online education, Dulce and Constance had the opportunity to hear from a panel that discussed the “Identity and Legitimation in Authoritarian Regimes”. Speakers Derek Steiger and David Stroup both gave insight on the effect of nationalism on maintaining the Chinese Communist Party. Both speakers conveyed their arguments in a clear, concise, and captivating manner. The next two speakers, Burcu Degirmen and Daniel Brown, spoke on the Turkish Summer and the misconception of it relating to the Arab Spring rather than the “Occupying Wallstreet” movement. An accomplished writer and expert on southern politics, Scott E. Buchanan closed out the conference over lunch with his speech about the changing electorate in the south and its implications on the nation as a whole.
Professor Scott Buchanan
The experience of the conference was uniformly positive, from the setting in the Fred Jones, Jr. Art Museum…
LEAP Students in Fred Jones Art Museum
to the hospitality of the organizers, to the chance to do some old-fashioned “telephone booth stuffing”…
Telephone Booth Stuffing
…to the chance to meet undergraduates from different institutions, to the interesting topics, this was a great opportunity, and we are grateful.
Conference Lunch
After our conference concluded we were happily surprised by gourmet cupcakes. We enjoyed various flavors including but not limited to Canadian maple bacon, bananas foster, salted caramel, and German chocolate. We also got to see some of the fall’s changing colors, something we don’t see much of in Texas.
We had to rush to meet our two o clock tour at the Oklahoma State Capitol Building, but we were impressed by its architectural significance when we arrived. The capitol beautifully captured all aspects of Oklahoma’s history and its people.
OK State Capitol
Jessica, who has been to many state capitols, enjoyed this immensely and particularly liked the Senate Chamber.
OK Senate Chamber
Zachary’s favorite part about the capitol building was how different parts of the state’s history and its people were displayed throughout the halls.
Will Rogers in OKC Capitol
Dulce’s favorite part was the recently added rotunda. Although it was added onto the capital in 2001, the dome blended seamlessly into the standing architecture of the capitol building.
OK Capitol Dome
Constance’s favorite part was learning of the history of the building from the charming tour guide, who was extensively knowledgeable in everything from architecture to political change and ramifications that have shaped Oklahoma’s history.
Indian Sculpture OK Capitol
We also learned, it’s worth noting, that Oklahoma, like Texas, has two Supreme Courts, one that addresses criminal issues and another that addresses civil issues.
OK Supreme Court
Leaving the state capitol building…
Capitol Building
…we took a short drive through Oklahoma City to reach our next destination, the National Cowboy and Heritage Museum.
Charlton Heston
With only an hour and a half to enjoy all the museum had to offer, we made our way, soaking in as much as possible in such a short amount of time.
Dulce most enjoyed the Western Performers Gallery, as she was able to test her knowledge of popular western television shows through an interactive quiz. She got a 12 out of 13, matching theme songs to television westerns, and enjoying the exhibits associated with Western Performers.
Jimmy Stewart
Constance’s favorite painting happened to be “The Quarrel” by Frederick Remington since she could almost create her own story behind the argumentative body language of the cowboys and their hostile nature.
The Quarrel, Remington
Jessica’s favorite part happened to be the Ronald Reagan statue because of his history as a president and a cowboy.
Ronald Reagan &Jessica
The John Wayne and Charlton Heston Statues stood out most to Zach.
John Wayne with Zach
Everyone pretty much enjoyed the beautiful art in the Museum, the “Canyon Princess” sculpture…
Canyon Princess & Jessica
…the Lincoln Sculpture…
Abe Lincoln, by Balciar
and The End of the Trail Sculpture, the latter of which serves as the Museum’s centerpiece…
Students & End of the Trail
…and the museum grounds were pretty, too…
Museum Grounds
To wait out the hectic traffic of Oklahoma City, we enjoyed a coffee and scintillating conversation at a local starbucks. With growling bellies, stories and recommendations of restaurants were swapped until it was time to head back to Norman for dinner. Locating “Hideaway”, home of the “best pizza in the state”, we scarfed down appetizers and delicious pizza to satiate our voracious appetites after a long day of touring the city.
The day’s activities left us exhausted and in much need of an early night’s sleep. Tired as we are, we cannot wait to begin the adventure again tomorrow.
Day 2 of our trip started with us going to the OPSA Conference. The conference presentations we attended were held in an art gallery, which provided an impressive backdrop for the speakers. The gallery, named the Fred Jones Art Museum, is something we will be able to explore fully later in the conference.
There were a total of 7 speakers at the two panels we attended, and the speakers included undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors.
Presenter Isaac Lutz
Research topics included:
Ideas on reforming the Oklahoma Education Lottery
Creating and implementing an Uninsured Motorist Bill
Quality of Life issues in Oklahoma City
A cost-benefit analysis of the Affordable Care Act
A demographic look at healthcare in Oklahoma
The information provided was interesting for the most part, but it was also beneficial for us to learn the process of research and see how it unfolds at a professional conference. One of the intriguing aspects of this process was seeing undergraduates and graduate students present. This provided the opportunity to learn from others’ examples, but also as a kind of measuring stick to evaluate our own capabilities.
We were privileged to be invited by the University of Oklahoma College of Law for an in-depth tour of their law school. The tour included lunch, an actual tour of the Law School, a meeting with Dean Harroz, and even the ability to sit in on a law class by Professor Richter. We were blessed by the hospitality of both the Dean and the Admission Counselor, Trudy Sickles.
OU College of Law
After enjoying fajitas with prospective students and current law students, we toured the College of Law, enjoying the many works of law-related art in the building, including a bust of Abraham Lincoln…
We explored the Donald E. Pray Law Library, which housed a plethora of state and federal court rulings.
OU Law Library
The next interesting stop was the Dick Bell Courtroom.
OU College of Law Courtroom
The courtroom not only serves as a learning tool for students but also as a host to regional mock trial competitions and actual live courtroom proceedings. As a group that brings in our own live trials (thank you Justice Tom Gray and the Texas Tenth Court of Appeals), this was particularly interesting.
Following the tour, we sat in on a civil and courtroom procedures class taught by Professor Liesa Richter. After hearing so much about the Socratic method being taught at law school it was an intriguing experience to finally be in a classroom where it was used.
Professor Richter, OU Law
Although considered tough, Professor Richter is considered by many of the students to be one of the best professors at the University of Oklahoma. Since she spoke with such passion and enthusiasm it was easy to understand their consensus.
In reflecting on our day at OU, both for the conference and the law school, we feel blessed to have this opportunity. Professor Keith Gaddie, the OPSA Conference Chair, was wonderfully welcoming, and we were greatly impressed by how well we were treated by the OU College of Law.
Stopping briefly for a Starbucks, we quickly moved to downtown Oklahoma City for the most free-wheeling event of the day: the Segway Tour! Segway is the best way to experience the full downtown environment. Since almost everyone, besides Constance, knew how to use a Segway and liked the experience, it was sure to be an enjoyable evening.
Segway Train
Our start was perhaps a bit slower than we thought, as Jessica seemed a bit shaky on the Segway and struggled to keep her balance while also taking pictures, but she soon got the hang of it and enjoyed it.
The breadth of sites we were able to see was incredible. We explored Bricktown; the OKC Riverwalk;
LEAP Students on Riverwalk
OKC Thunder stadium; OKC RedHawks stadium, which features a statue of native Oklahomans such as Mickey Mantle…
…the Land Run sculptures, which portrays the “Sooners” rushing to find land…
Land Run Monument
…the 1995 Federal Building Memorial, architecture by I. M. Pei, the Myriad Gardens…
LEAP Students at an OKC Fountain
…and so much more. The Segway tour provided ourselves with a new appreciation for Oklahoma City.
Highlights included the Centennial Land Run Monument at sun set, and—the one that stood out the most—the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. It was awe-inspiring to stand where such a dramatic and catastrophic event took place.
Oklahoma City Memorial
We left the memorial to finish up the tour at the Skirvin hotel, said to be haunted by the ghost of a hotel maid that killed herself after having an affair with Skirvin himself.
Thanks to Charlotte Crowder and “Sure Beats Walking” for setting up a great tour by Segway.
As tradition on LEAP Center trips, we drove back to Norman in search of a new and exciting meal. Jackpot was struck in the finding of a tiny, hole-in-the-wall place called “The Greek House”. Family owned, the menu consisted of four items and we all chose the Gyro Plate…
Gyros Plate at the Greek House
We proceeded to dig into a mountain of sliced lamb and french fries, stuffing ourselves with authentic Greek food.
In summary, we had terrific experiences from sunup to sundown, and we are looking forward to setting the bar even higher tomorrow.
The Center for Law, Engagement, And Politics (LEAP) and The Princeton Review recently hosted a Mock LSAT for Sam Houston State University Pre-Law Students. The test, which takes about four hours to complete, was an actual exam used by the Law School Admission Council and was professionally scored for the students. The scores, however, did not count as official scores and were not provided to the Law School Admissions Council.
“The purpose of the mock LSAT,” noted Mike Yawn, Director of the LEAP Center, “is to give students an idea of where they stand, assist them identifying the areas in which they need to improve, and help them feel more comfortable with the testing environment.”
More than forty students devoted their Saturday to taking the exam. Law School has emerged as one of the more popular post-graduate pursuits on the campus of SHSU. Since 2005, the number of students applying to law school has doubled, from approximately 60 to 120. Even more promising, the number of students accepted to law school has almost tripled, rising from approximately 20 to the 50-60 range.
SHSU Students Take Mock LSAT
According to the Law School Admissions Council, SHSU is now 141st in the nation—out of 2,774 schools—at producing applicants to law schools. SHSU recently moved ahead of Rice University, University of North Carolina, Seton Hall, and Loyola on the list.
“We’ve moved ahead rapidly,” noted Yawn. “We have a Pre-Law minor, numerous faculty with law degrees, and dozens of law-related programs per year. This is a great University to attend for students interested in pursuing law.”
“It was a challenging test,” observed Jessica Rodriguez, an SHSU Junior and aspiring law student. “It was the second Mock LSAT I’ve taken, and I improved, which is what I was hoping for. I plan to take the LSAT Prep Course in the spring and take the real thing next fall.”
The Princeton Review will be offering a Prep Course on the campus of SHSU in the spring of 2014, the only such offering in Huntsville over the next year. For more information on the test, contact Mike Yawn at (936) 294-1456 or at mike.yawn@shsu.edu.
“The goal of the CIA is to learn other nations’ secrets,” noted General Michael Hayden, and he should know. Hayden was the Director of both the CIA (2006-2009) and the National Security Agency (1999-2005) and, most recently, a “guest lecturer” to a group SHSU students who traveled to Houston, Texas to learn more about intelligence operations. The lecture, hosted by the World Affairs Council, covered wiretapping, prioritizing threats, presidential performance, and balancing work and family.The most pressing question from students focused on wiretapping, a topic that General Hayden seemed to anticipate. Hayden ensured students that the government did not record their calls, but acknowledged that the government did document the calls, taking note of who called whom and how long each call lasted—logging, as General Hayden referred to it, some 3 billion “phone events” per day.
Brian King, Zach Goodlander, and Other SHSU Students Listen to General Hayden
This massive data collection comes in handy when other information falls into place. Hayden provided the example of the government capturing “Ali Bin Badguy” and confiscating “Mr. Badguy’s” phone which, in turn, allows them to locate his calls off the “phone-event” database and identify other potential terrorist connections. Hayden emphasized, however, that the government did not record calls made by citizens, at least not without a warrant.
SHSU Senior Coby Steele veered away from the popular wire-tapping issue and asked about operational management. “How,” he wanted to know, “do the multiple acronym agencies work together to prioritize threats?” General Hayden acknowledged that it was a problem, but not for the reasons people think. “The problem,” he noted, “is that we have so much data. It’s difficult to ‘connect the dots’ when there are so many dots that the page is black. But that’s because we are good at collecting data and working together.”
Steele Asks Gen. Hayden About Priorities
Hayden, who worked directly for Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama, noted that it wasn’t just the intelligence agencies working together. He praised President Bush and Obama for putting aside their differences and maintaining a consistent policy on intelligence: “There were fewer changes in 2009 when the Obama administration took over from Bush than there were in 2005, when Bush transitioned from his first term to his second.”
Brian King, a senior at SHSU, moved away from policy issues altogether and asked about the personal life of a CIA employee. “How,” asked King, “do you balance a family while running the CIA?” Hayden acknowledged the difficulties but said that he and his wife took “vacations together and traveled together for work,” unless he was heading into a war zone, in which case he traveled alone.
Zach Goodlander, General Hayden, and Brian King Discuss American Security
Although the SHSU students had almost an hour with General Hayden, not all of the SHSU students asked questions. Ashley Richardson, an Accounting major and first-semester freshman from Magnolia, Texas, learned through listening. “This is an amazing real-world educational experience with the former CIA Director,” noted Richardson. “You just don’t get these types of experiences in high school.”
King agreed, noting, “I’m not sure you get these opportunities at any other college. The CIA Director can listen to our conversations whenever he wants,” King added, tongue-in-cheek, “but how often can students listen to his conversations—let alone participate in them?”
SHSU Students with General Hayden
The opportunity to interact directly with General Hayden was coordinated between the World Affairs Council and SHSU’s Center for Law, Engagement, And Politics (LEAP), which promotes learning across diverse disciplines. In the past month, students have met the former President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon; discussed career paths with a half dozen Texas legislators; and attended a presentation by former Senior Advisor to President Obama, David Axelrod; met former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card—while also attending law-school related activities and engaging in volunteer service across the community.
“Our goal,” noted Mike Yawn, Director of the LEAP Center, “is to provide opportunities that open new worlds for the students. SHSU faculty work hard to do that in the classroom, the University provides institutional support for similar outcomes outside of the classroom, and that combination will help us produce the next generation of public leaders in the state of Texas.”
Their advice was to the point and useful. Karissa Morrissey provded a helpful overview of the LSAT and GRE, offering a timeline for preparing for graduate school or law school. High points included:
The LSAT ranges from 120-180; The GRE ranges from 130-170
The LSAT is offered four times a year (Feb, Jun, Oct, Dec), while the GRE offers more frequent tests
The LSAT should be taken approximately a year prior to when the students wants to enroll in Law School.
The Princeton Review offers Prep Courses at SHSU in the spring of each year.
Dean Stephen Perez stressed the importance of the LSAT Scores and a student’s GPA, while pointing to Tech’s strong rates on bar passage, employment, and the excellent performance of students in Moot Court and Mock Trials. Also, the National Jurist magazine ranked Tech among the top 10 in the country in both “overall value” and “student satisfaction.” Perhaps not surprisingly, more SHSU students are enrolling in Tech, with four Bearkats matriculating last year. Dean Perez seems to be intent on duplicating that success this year, offering the students who attended the seminar fee waivers to apply to Texas Tech.
Perez Discusses Law School Admissions
Kathryn Meyer caught students’ attention when she discussed the programs of the Bush School of Public Service. The Bush School is a top 35 Public Administration across the country, featuring broad programs in Administration and International Affairs and endeavoring to keep students’ costs low. SHSU boasts more graduates at the Bush School than any other University in the nation with the exception of Texas A & M.
Thomas Leeper’s discussion bridged both law and public affairs. Leeper has served as an attorney in private practice, a city attorney, and a political appointee. Leeper discussed life in law school (giving particular attention to the Socratic Method), the kind of work that attorneys do, and the importance of public service.
The Center for Law, Engagement, And Politics (LEAP) promotes learning opportunities across diverse disciplines at SHSU. Over the past seven years, SHSU has significantly increased its efforts in the pre-law field, doubling the number of students accepted to law schools in the United States. Moreover, last year, SHSU moved in the top five percent nationally in the Law School Admissions Council’s (LSAC) ranking of “Law School Feeders.”
The second day of our Dallas trip started early Saturday morning at the Southern Methodist University campus. SMU has one of the most beautiful campuses we have seen. The architecture is the first thing that captures your eye. Dallas Hall, for example, is beautiful, and it was the first building on SMU’s campus (1915), designed by Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge.
SHSU Students in Front of Dallas Hall
Also impressive was the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies, the location for our New Politics Forum Seminar. Given Tower’s history serving Texas, it was a fitting venue for our conference on public careers.
We first attended a panel on State Policy Making, featuring Chancellor Lee Jackson, Representative Kenneth Sheets, and Representative Rafael Anchia. Chancellor Jackson Lee was formerly a member of the House of Representatives and is perhaps unusual in that he owns no social media accounts. He emphasized the importance reliability and integrity.
Chancellor Lee Jackson
Representative Sheets fell into politics through his work in the military and volunteering for the Republican Party. Unusual for a public official, he notes that he is horrible at remembering names. His tip for combating this is to always call someone “Ma’am” or “Sir.”
Representative Kenneth Sheets
Representative Anchia, a first generation American, was the speaker who stood out the most to us. He emphasized that politics and public service are separate, and that the former should never get in the way of the latter. He was also spent the most time with students from SHSU, appearing impressed with the school’s LEAP program.
Rep. Rafael Anchia with SHSU Students
Our second session featured the keynote speaker, Senator Royce West. He is a fine speaker, and he interacted well with the audience.
TX Senator Royce West
He emphasized integrity as well as the importance of bipartisanship. He applied these qualities to his own career, and noted that he was able to save his own legislative agenda by “listening and working with people.” He also graciously stayed after with us, and encouraged us to continue getting the most out of our education.
SHSU Students with TX Senator West
The last panel of the day addressed the Media and was led by Carol Reed, of Reed PRC, and Gromer Jeffers, from the Dallas Morning News. Both, again, pressed issues of integrity and, members of the media, stressed credibility.
Following the event, we moved to Bandito’s Mexican Cantina for food and conversation. We met Casey Bingham, who works for Greg Abbott and is a member of the Young Republicans of Dallas.
Casey Bingham and Dulce Martinez
We also met a student from UNT, who told us about a program the University offers focusing on non-profit economics.
We dined at Eatzi’s, a build-your-own meal place, that combines elements of a grocery story and a sit-down cafe. Here we enjoyed a wonderful array of foods. One of the must haves is the spicy spaghetti, with freshly prepared pasta and a spicy tomato sauce. If comfort food is your thing, the combination of the lemon chicken, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes is the ideal combination. If you are adventurous, the sweet curry chicken offers a unique blend of ingredients and texture. For dessert, we visited a small gelato ship, and I Had the “Monkey Business” gelato, which was probably the best ice cream I’ve ever had, offering banana, cinnamon, vanilla, and—as a surprise—chocolate.
With some energy restored, we headed to Dallas City Hall, which was designed I. M. Pei, probably the most celebrated living architect. It was a beautiful and peaceful scene.
Dallas City Hall by I.M. Pei
From there, we checked out Pioneer Plaza, which was created by Robert Summers, a Texas artist. It is the largest bronze sculpture in the world and makes for a dramatic scene in downtown Dallas.
…which included more aviation themed work.
Most interesting, though, was the statue of James Garner, the star of Rockford Files and Maverick, who grew up in Norman, Oklahoma.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 