Volunteer – Page 21 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

New Leadership Texas: Day 5

By Megan Chapa,

This morning started earlier than usual, but that was just fine because we were headed to Austin City Hall.

The inside of the building was just as beautiful as the outside! The modern architecture combined with the intricate art pieces made City Hall an enjoyable place to spend the day. As we began to shuffle inside the building we were led to a meeting room. Here we were served a light breakfast that consisted of breakfast tacos, fruit, and coffee. We ate quickly because the Women in Leadership panel was only a few minutes from starting. The panel began with the introductions of the panelists. Present was Austin’s Fire Chief, Rhoda Kerr; Law Department Division Chief, Deborah Thomas; Director of Small and Minority Business Resource Department, Veronica Lara; Elena Ball, VP for Power Production at Austin Energy; and lastly SHSU alumni Margo Fraiser, Austin Police Monitor. The panel spoke about dynamics of their careers, experiences that have shaped them, and gender inequalities (the latter dynamic was overly emphasized, we felt).

Following the panel was a tour of City Hall by Ms. Melodye Foust.

We learned interesting facts about the infrastructure and history. The building began its planning and renovation is 1999 and was completed in 2004. Austin City Hall is four stories high and was structure to capture nature. Each floor includes double-sided balconies that overlook the city, and on the fourth floor, Lady Bird Lake.

Ms. Foust also informed us about the partnership made with an art gallery that allowed them to house their art work. This makes City Hall not only community center, but a museum.

In conclusion of the tour, we loaded on the bus for lunch at Scholz Garten. Lunch was delicious and meaningful because this is a restaurant where “politicians” frequent!

The most exciting part of the day was the tour of the Capitol. Each time I go to the capitol I learn something new.

My favorite fact during this tour was that funds for the capitol building were raised by selling off 3,000,000 acres of land! After the wonderful tour, we gathered in the House Committee Room and awaited our guest speakers. They were an assortment of representatives, legislative directors, and policy analysts. We also gained insight of the work done at the capitol in and out of session for policy and legislation. Most policy work is done during the session and most constituent work is done immediately following session.

After a long day of learning and exploring we made our way back to our temporary residence. We jumped into comfy clothes and left for dinner. Dinner was quieter than usual because we were all exhausted from the long day of exploration.

To end the night, we made last minute touches to our HB5 presentations that we would deliver first thing the next morning in the mock hearing. I was anxious to hear everyone’s provisions of the bill!

New Leadership Texas: Day Four

By Kaitlyn Tyra

Wednesday began with our normal quick, yet nutritious breakfast before our morning session of classes began. Our first speaker, Rebecca Sive, is a lecturer and academic director at the University of Chicago where she teaches Women in Public Leadership. Ms. Sive is also the author of Every Day is Election Day: A Women’s guide to Winning Any Office, from the PTA to the White House. During Ms. Sive’s lecture, she stressed turning on our own internal GPS and creating our own paths. Essential to her discussion, she reinforced the fact that everyone has their own path in life. For some, that may be to public office, but sometimes it isn’t.

Ms. Sive’s discussed her six “easy” steps to run and win for office which provided helpful guidelines for NLT participants to think about. In addition, Ms. Sive was nice enough to sign copies of her books for everyone. Personally I found the session extremely helpful because it laid out concrete steps to help candidates run for office.

After Ms. Sive’s presentation, we paused for lunch. Unsurprisingly, lunch time is everyone’s favorite time of the day because it gives us the opportunities to continue our discussions about controversial topics, our common experiences as college students, and about our career goals.

Following lunch, we had the opportunity to work our political action project and prepare for the HB5 panel of experts. The panel consisted of experts from various perspectives concerning HB5. The distinguished panel included the current High School Director from Austin Independent School District…

…an attorney previously in the Texas Legislature who assisted in writing the bill for various House Representatives, a Texas Tribune Education Reporter, and an Educational Administration Professor from UT. Each provided a unique perspective and helped prepare NLT participants for our mock committee hearing on Friday by answering questions and addressing concerns on the specific details of HB5.

The last presentation of the day focused on managing your message as a candidate. Marjorie Clifton, CEO of Clifton Consulting, provided extremely helpful advice on effective communication and how to achieve it. She provided us with three key components to address while speaking: who is your audience? What is your message? How are you going to deliver it? Ms. Clifton noted that personal experience helps make you more credible and gives the candidate the opportunity to connect with voters. Ms. Clifton’s presentation was engaging and an upbeat way to end our sessions for the day.

The evening was devoted to dinner and finishing up our political action project. Tomorrow is an exciting day because we get to tour the capitol and meet with influential women within the Texas Legislature. In preparation of an eventful day, and mentally drained from learning an extensive amount knowledge in such a short time, we headed up to our rooms to end the evening.

New Leadership Texas: Day Three

By Megan Chapa

Breakfast started at 8 a.m. and there we chatted about the past day’s events and the one before us. It was interesting to exchange opinions about the presentations and workshops and how we were going to practice them in our communities.

Next, was a fundraising workshop, Go Fish: How to Catch (and keep) Contributors, by Ms. Nancy Bocskor. This was an interesting presentation where we learned many fascinating strategies on how to raise money. This was not only beneficial to those interested in politics, but also those who plan to work with non-profits organizations. We also learned the investor triangle and how to access low, mid, and big dollar donors. Fundraising goes hand-in-hand with relationship building and asking for what you want. Furthermore, without mastering the art of negotiation, it’s not possible to raise funds.

After a short break, Ms. Whitney Harp, introduced the Political Action Project that was assigned to us. For the next few days we will be studying House Bill 5 (HB5) and reenacting the committee hearing. This house bill changes graduation plans and introduces endorsements that will replace some of the previous required courses like algebra II. Everyone was assigned someone who played a significant role in respect to this bill. For example, some were arguing in favor of the bill, others against, and even some neutral. I was assigned Representative Alma Allen of District 131, who was in favor of HB5 with the exception that records be kept on the demographics of graduation plans selected by students. This amendment was added to ensure that HB5 was fair and did not serve as a hindrance or disadvantage for lower socioeconomic students. All were excited to see the future of this project. (editor’s note: the Governor signed this bill the day following this blog.)

Chicken wraps were served for lunch with a side of chips and fruit. We mingled and I conspired with others to help overcome those against HB5. After lunch there was also time reserved to work on our projects. I did some research on Honorable Alma Allen to get a feel of her character and moral integrity, both of which I plan to embody with grace and vigor. She is inspiring who has impacted policy in a positive way.

The afternoon was quite interesting and personal. The concept was to understand others and not be consumed by stereotypes. The theme was “The Danger of the Single Story.” We watched videos of women from Nigeria who have overcome the difficulties and are now represented in parliament. Their story was to defeat the stereotypes and overthrow corruption in Nigeria. This also segued into sharing cultural artifacts we were asked to bring.

We broke up into groups of eight and shared a little piece of our culture or background. This time was memorable and moving. I learned about victories, defeats, and most importantly, the growth that was developed through our experiences. I was inspired by Alyssa Davenport-Herbst. Alyssa struggles with a disability that has affected her speech. Despite all, she thrives in her academics and community involvement. She is a brilliant physicist who aspires to write science policy. She brought a book that tells the success story of many innovators and explained how this was where she draws inspiration to make a difference. Cultures are expansive.

We had dinner and after a brief discussion on Political Decision Making with Representative Mary E. Gonzales. She told us her story and the difficult situations that have affected her life. It was great insight on what to expect in and out of the political arena.

To end the night we gathered around the fire and made s’mores!

I thought it was pretty “sweet” to mingle with my new friends; people who began to unmask and be themselves. I am grateful for their diverse views and their representation across the political spectrum.

Citizenship Class

For the eighth consecutive year, the LEAP Center (and its forerunner, the Junior Fellows) partnered with the Huntsville Public Library to lead a spring Citizenship class to immigrants. The class is five weeks long, one night a week, and it covers the major material on the Naturalization Exam.

This year, we had more than 30 people sign up, but scheduling difficulties reduced the number of immigrants who actually attended. With a core of about 10-15 immigrants per night, the LEAP Center students and volunteers (thank you Terry Stivers, Roberta Plant, and Carol Hayes) worked with these immigrants to help them learn American history and government. We had a fun kick-off, with the Mayor and council members stopping by on the first night (on their way to the parade):

To become a citizen, an immigrant must meet certain legal requirements. They have to be in the country for a specific length of time (which varies by whether you are married to a US citizen), have generally followed the law, and not have any egregious moral failings.

The test itself includes an oral section, where immigrants read statements; a written section, where immigrants write down sentences read to them; an oral interview, in which immigrants are asked about their past and behaviors (“are you often drunk?“, “have you ever been a prostitute?”); and they must answer correctly at least six out of ten questions pertaining to American government and history.

These questions range from naming one of the two longest rivers in the US to knowing three cabinet posts to knowing the name of the national anthem.

We covered these major topics over the course of the first four weeks. Karla Rosales, who took a leadership role in the program by virtue of her internship with the Huntsville Public Library, led off the proceedings with a bit of instructions…

Although most of the presentations were led by Professor Yawn, the students worked with small groups of immigrants throughout the program.

It was also nice to receive community support. On week four, for example, the Daughters of the American Revolution attended and provided American-themed gifts to the immigrants–flags, pocket constitutions, pencils, and other fun things.

This was a big hit, especially among some of the immigrants’ children:

On the final week of the immigration class, the immigrants and volunteers relive the first Thanksgiving, with all participants bringing dishes from their native country and joining in a celebratory feast. The food is great!

Another special feature of the final week is the presentation made by Audrey Biggar, a local immigration attorney. She graciously agrees to assist the immigrants and provide advice for navigating the process. (She is also President of the Walker County Bar Association, making her one of the more civic-minded of the local bar.) She also brings great Thai food to the dinner!

Finally, the immigrants receive a certificate of completion, a prelude, we hope, to citizenship.

And with one final group photo, the class is over.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the students and immigrants got back together. The Huntsville City Council invited the immigrants to a City Council meeting to be recognized for their efforts.

For the immigrants and the students, it was their first-ever City Council meeting and, again, a big hit among the kids.

Over the past eight years, the LEAP Center has worked with about 150 immigrants from more than 20 countries. Approximately 40 have obtained their citizenship.

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.

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.

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.

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