Aside – Page 44 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Real Talk About Game Wardens: College of CRIJ

The College of Criminal Justice hosts numerous events promoting education, employment, and professional networks for their students. One of those is their regular “Real Talk with CJ” event, in which SHSU Alumni come in to discuss their careers, to provide advice, and to strengthen the relationship between alumni, faculty, staff, and students. On November 2, the “Real Talk” involved Forrest Price returning to campus to discuss his career as a game warden.

Approximately 40 students showed up for the event, and they gave Mr. Price their attention.

For his part, Price provided an informative overview of being a game warden, shining light on the requirements associated with the position, the pay scale, and the work conditions, officers’ broad discretion, and their control over their day-to-day duties.

Mr. Price observed that the best aspect of his job was being able to determine what his day-to-day duties are. Some days he may spend working with Park Rangers; other days he may work alone on a lake; and other days he might be trudging through a heavily forested area. On any given day, he might work with drug offenses; poaching; fishing without a license; boating while intoxicated; or, in one case, a person who captured, relocated, and released an alligator.

Students asked numerous insightful questions, showing impressive engagement with the topic and the speaker, and Mr. Price demonstrated great generosity with his time. Many thanks to the College of Criminal Justice for putting on this great program.

Distinguished Alumni Gala: 2023

One of the events LEAP Ambassadors look forward to each year is the Distinguished Alumni Gala, hosted by the Alumni Association and their wonderful staff. This year was no exception, and when Mr. and Mrs. Woodward invited us to sit at their table, we jumped at the opportunity!

With a return engagement by Chris Tritico as emcee, the Gala kicked off with its usual air of amiability, camaraderie, levity, and appreciation.

This year, Distinguished Alumni honorees included Beth and Kelly Damphousse; the Honorable Monica Thompson Guidry; and Colonel Vanessa Hicks-Callaway. Morgan Chesky was named “Outstanding Young Alumni;” and Rose Avalos and Paul Pearce were honored for Service Awards.

In addition, we heard from members of the Alumni Association Committee, Charlie Vienne, VP of Advancement, Matt Bethea, and were treated to the wonderful vocal talents of SHSU music student, Amy Hemphill.

And, of course, we also heard from President White, who gave an impassioned speech about the honorees, all alumni, and Sam Houston State University.

With this being the 50th Anniversary of the Distinguished Alumni Gala, the Alumni Association decided to also present a “Lifetime Achievement” award, and this went to Joe and Winnie Sandel and Byron and Charlene Sandel.

(The bios of each of the honorees can be found here).

The speeches this year were inspiring, and the honorees’ accomplishments were impressive, making this another rewarding year at the Gala.

Rose Avalos, a lifelong educator, gave one of the nicest speeches we have heard at a Distinguished Alumni Gala. In her understated way, Ms. Avalos offered eloquent testimony to the importance of education. As a first-generation college graduate, Ms. Avalos recounted her long career, which progressed from teaching, to serving as a principal, and now as an elected official on the school board. She is, she said, “On the committee to help, and I will do so as long as I can walk.”

Paul Pearce recounted his arrival at SHSU, when he was moving into the Roy Adams Dorm, and he told his family, “I’ll see you at Thanksgiving.” Pearce, who parlayed his time at SHSU into a career as an entrepreneurial scientist, focused on the importance of community. “It’s great to succeed in your career,” he noted, “but you have to support your family and your community. That’s how you make a difference.”

Morgan Chesky, only 37, focused on the role that relationships at SHSU played in his career, highlighting the importance of his fraternity brothers, and the fact that SHSU was a place that he felt appreciated, respected, and loved.

Lt. Col. Vanessa Hicks-Callaway gave perhaps the most inspirational of the speeches. She described herself as “multi-faceted,” noting she was “a believer in Jesus Christ, a mother, a wife, a veteran, and a politician”–while offering humorous examples of each role. Like several of the award recipients, she met her spouse at SHSU, and her son is also an SHSU graduate. To the SHSU Alumni Association, she offered “exponential thanks to the infinite power” for the award.

Judge Guidry began her modest speech by noting, “I am not a public speaker, so I wrote this down.” She thanked her family, her sorority, and her time at SHSU, connecting her learning as a graduate student in biology with her current role as a judge: she weighs evidence. While she offered a quiet speech, her friends and family made up for it with enthusiastic appreciation.

Beth and Kelly Damphousse highlighted the importance of family and SHSU in their speeches. In fact, President Damphousse (Damphousse is President of Texas State University) said he divided his life into two parts: before and after SHSU, a milestone punctuated by the fact that he met Beth at SHSU. He closed his emotional speech by thanking his daughters, who were also present at the event.

As a feature of the 50th anniversary of the Distinguished Alumni Gala, the Alumni Association gave its first “Lifetime Achievement Award,” which went to two generations of the Sandel family. With Joe and Winnie and Byron and Charlene Sandel on hand to accept the award, the family highlighted their long association with Texas and SHSU. More than 30 family members have attended SHSU! The family members have also been generous donors to SHSU, with the most recent example of this generosity being impressive additions to the Gibbs Ranch at SHSU–including a seven-figure donation.

There are many reasons we enjoy this event. Spending time with the Woodwards and other nice University and community people is always enjoyable. Also, we get to learn more about the University, its alumni, and its faculty and staff. Of course, we get to see Chris Tritico again!

And we learn a little more about what is expected of us as future alumni. While we may not be selected as Distinguished Alumni, we do know that everyone can make a difference through service of others, and that this service takes many forms.

And with that lesson fresh in mind, we headed off to get some sleep, before volunteering for the University’s homecoming!

Many thanks to Mac and Leanne Woodward who invited us to join them at this year’s Gala. We are enormously grateful to them for their mentorship, friendship, and support. And congratulations to Charlie Vienne, Hollie Garza, Donna Gilbert, Meggan Thompson, Chantel Finley, and the entire Alumni Association staff for a successful and enjoyable event.

A Homecoming “Visit” to Huntsville & SHSU

In our ongoing quest to see Huntsville with visitor’s eyes, we’ve previously stopped in to the Sam Houston Statue and Visitor’s Center, dropped in for a bite to eat at Louise and Oleta’s, and this month, we decided to enjoy a Sam Houston football game–the homecoming game, no less!

To get the full experience, we first enjoyed the tailgating, stopping by various booths, playing some games, and sampling diverse food options.

Our favorite booths were College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Campus Activities and Traditions, where we ran into some of our favorite people!

For those who haven’t been to a football game lately, the tailgating has really picked up, with 30-40 tents present, music blaring, and lots of folks connected to SHSU–staff, faculty, administrators, students, and alumni.

It’s a lot of fun!

We also picked the right game to attend. Although SHSU’s first season in Conference USA has been a rough one with an 0-8 start, there was reason to believe this game might be different. They weren’t facing a powerhouse; Kennesaw State entered the game with a 2-5 record, and that was against mostly FCS-level competition.

Games, however, take on a life of their own, and this one began poorly for the Bearkats. They seemed overmatched, plus they made sloppy errors, such as turnovers and penalties.

They also dodged a couple of bullets–specifically, Kennesaw State missed a couple of field goals.

For much of the first half, the most interesting scenes, from a Bearkat’s perspective, were the fans and the spirit squads.

With the first half mostly forgettable, fans focused on half-time festivities, such as the band, more spirit squad, and the Homecoming court.

But the Bearkats turned it around in the second half.

Their defense shut out Kennesaw State in the third and fourth quarters, while their offense scored 17 points–10 in the last four minutes.

The game turned on several moments. Kennesaw State’s Conor Cummins missed two field goals, ultimately proving the difference in the game. But the Bearkats also helped their own cause. They converted a couple of crucial fourth-down attempts to keep drives alive, and with 3:49 left in the game, they converted a key third-and-goal, with receiver Jay Rockwell laying out for an improbable catch in the end zone that, with the extra point, tied the game.

And, finally, following an interception by Bearkat Da’Marcus Crosby…

…kicker Colby Sessums connected on a 31-yard attempt to win the game–with no time on the clock.

The victory left the players and the fans thrilled, with much post-game celebration.

It was a wonderful fall weekend in Huntsville, with plenty of socializing, football, and Bearkat spirit to make a visit to Huntsville worthwhile.

Around the World with Former Prime Minister Sir John Major

by Michelle Cardenas

Morgan, Olivia, Cinthia, and I headed to the Texas A&M Bush School in College Station to hear from former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir John Major. Attending with us was Marybeth Rayburn, a friend of LEAP who attends TAMU. We quickly divided up and found our seats as we prepared to be enlightened on foreign policy and government.

To begin, the Dean of the Bush School, Frank B. Ashley III, delivered some opening remarks thanking the crowd for attending the event and welcoming donors of the George and Barbara Foundation.

He introduced the moderator for the event, Andrew H. Card, who served as President H.W. Bush’s Secretary of Transportation and President G. W. Bush’s Chief of Staff. Card was the perfect moderator for this event, considering his past experiences in government, and his relationship with Sir John Major.

A brief video ensued, which highlighted some of the pivotal moments shared between President H.W. Bush and Sir John Major, before introducing the former Prime Minister to the stage.

After reminiscing about his good experiences with the president, Sir John Major went straight into his love for politics.

At just 14 years old, Sir John Major found his calling for government. Major reminisced on how as a young teenager, he visited the House of Commons and decided in those few short moments that he would dedicate his life to becoming a part of one of the oldest representative assemblies in the world. Major would go on to give speeches from a soapbox (literally) to anyone who would listen.

But he didn’t stay on soapboxes in small towns for long. By the 1990s, he was meeting with world-wide leaders as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, succeeding Prime Minister Thatcher, the country’s first female executive. He discussed his meetings with Boris Yeltsin, and the Russian leader’s love of Vodka (even at 8am); his time as leader of the G7; and some of his meetings with President Bush.

During one of these meetings, he came to the US, where he met with President Bush at “Camp David.” This, he noted, sounded as if he would be roasting marshmallows with scouts around a campfire, but he soon learned the destination was elegant and equipped with technology befitting a President.

The presentation highlighted Sir John Major’s perspective on crucial and controversial topics, including immigration and foreign alliances. He underscored the shared positions of the UK and the US in politics and foreign affairs, addressing common challenges like asylum, foreign aid, and alliances. His core message emphasized that global order relies on hope, humanity, and goodwill, noting, “If the United Kingdom and the United States stick together, then the world is in order.”

Card asked Sir John Major if there was any advice he would give to those who might wish to go into public service. To this, he answered that our democracy is valuable and should be protected, urging the audience to look past the parties of politicians and instead to focus on how representatives are serving the needs of the country and its people.

Sir John Major’s words were inspirational, and he repeatedly emphasized the importance of imparting hope. When “people have hope for a better future,” he noted, “they can withstand the travails of the day.” The key for leaders is to ensure that that hope and hard work can pay off, through justice, mobility, and the rule of law.

LEAP Takes on Fleet Street! Sweeney Todd

By Olivia Discon

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd!

LEAP students experienced plethoric frightful festivities this ‘Halloweekend’, with some students left more spooked than others. To continue the fun, we enjoyed Theatre Under The Stars’ (TUTS) rendition of Sweeney Todd!

We ventured to our favorite food hall, POST Market, to taste an array of different dishes and cuisines. Similar to our fear factor, some students are more adventurous diners than others. The dishes ranged anywhere from coconut curry, tacos, shrimp alfredo, to a cubed biscoff croissant! This experience-for both newcomers and returning customers- was as refreshing as it was satiating.

Of course, while at Post Houston, we took advantage of some roof-top views for photos.

Our viewing of Sweeney Todd was highly anticipated, as Michelle and I had the chance to watch the Sam Houston’s rendition of the musical back in April. TUTS had a lot to live up to, considering the high standard set by SHSU’s performance.

The story, set in 19th-century London, revolves around the vengeful Sweeney Todd, a barber seeking retribution against those who have wronged him. The eerie plot, coupled with a hauntingly beautiful live orchestra, instilled a palpable sense of unease right from the moment the blade emitted its initial, spine-tingling screech.

There were touches of levity throughout the musical, creating a juxtaposition of humor and horror. The group particularly enjoyed “A Little Priest” and ‘By the Sea” for their wordplay and irony woven into the storytelling. A select few of us in the group found the wordplay extremely humorous, making it known to the rest of the theatre through our persistent giggling.

As we headed back to Huntsville, the group recounted their thoughts, including our favorite moments, plot twists that shocked us, and the characters that resonated with us the most. Personally, the conversation following a visit to a performance or art exhibition is my favorite aspect of the endeavor. While it is intellectually stimulating, it also allows for closer connections and camaraderie!

We had the opportunity to use the holiday as a learning opportunity; looking at Halloween under the scope of both civic engagement and the arts. Activities such as these, while already incredibly enjoyable, become triply important, serving to educate, offering a cultural experience, and providing a team-building exercise.

Huntsville’s Scary Square–2023

LEAP began assisting with the Scare on the Square in 2005, which may have been Main Street’s first such “stab” at the event. Well, for the 19th time, we “suited up” for this Halloween ritual that brings in thousands of people from the community together for a safe day of fun.

This time, though, we worked in a somewhat different capacity and there were a few new twists (of the knife).

A few weeks ago, Jessica Cuevas, LEAP’s co-Vice President of Operations, was brought in by the City of Huntsville to supervise the event as the Interim Main Street Manager. So, LEAP Ambassadors worked as “special assistants”–“Igors,” so to speak–to help the event run smoothly.

And, after years of taking place directly on the square, the event was shifted one block south so as not to interfere with customer parking for downtown businesses.

But as in past years, the event was a huge draw for local residents and a lot of fun for everyone. Vendors offered many options of food and drink, allowing visitors to “pick their poison.” More than 50 local organizations participated, including two of Professor Yawn’s classes. These students, being future attorneys, were the most frightening characters of all.

The Fire Department was again on hand, doing community service.

While many of the selfie stations were similar to past years, a new attraction was the 21st century photo booth, which takes a video from a 360-degree view. It was, in short, a “scream.”

Of course for most of the kids, the real attractions were the games and the candy. There were ring tosses on witches’ hats…

…pumpkin decorating…

…a Jurassic Trunk…

…ghost bowling…

…a cauldron toss, an eyeball toss…

…basketball shooting, face-painting…

…and many others. Thankfully, the costumes were diverse this year, with fewer Barbies than one might have expected.

For our part, we dressed as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was a bit of a change for us, as we’re not exactly ninja material, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

The result, according to the City of Huntsville’s Economic Development Coordinator, Tammy Gann, “perhaps the best attended Scare on the Square we’ve had.” It was, at least for us, certainly one of the most satisfying.

Ariza Martinez, the Main Street intern for the fall, had the opportunity to take the lead in organizing a community event of this scale for the very first time.

It was her chance to showcase her creativity and adaptability while making a positive impact on our community.

The City of Huntsville staff–Aron Kulhavy, Tammy Gann, Angela Robinson–were great! Continuing on the superhero theme, which may have been open to interpretation for some, was a “super” sight! Regarded as Huntsville’s unsung heroes, it was a true joy to see them enjoying the day’s festivities.

As for the Ambassadors, we “shelled” out lots of fun and truly enjoyed ourselves in Huntsville’s downtown, well, most of us.

While our ninja skills may have been questionable, our enthusiasm was undeniable.

Celebrating Sam Houston

On this week 187 years ago, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first-ever President of the Republic of Texas. Almost two centuries later, his legacy continues, in large part because of the great work done by Sam Houston State University and the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and Republic of Texas Presidential Library.

Tuesday night, the Museum celebrated not only the anniversary of Houston’s inauguration, but also the addition of numerous new and impressive artifacts to its large collection. And speaking of impressive, the celebration was just that!

Derrick Birdsall, Director of the Museum, opened the program with remarks at 6:30, introducing President White and the many other notable guests in attendance.

President White also spoke, highlighting Houston’s legacy, discussing his impact and relevance, not only to Texas history, but also to our own time, and also noting the role that the Museum plays in attracting students to SHSU.

Mikey Sproat, Curator of Collections, also took to the podium, discussing the addition of artifacts to the Museum and pointing to their centrality to understanding Texas history and Houston’s life.

The most prominently displayed artifact in the rotunda was Sam Houston’s commission as Commander in Chief of the Texas Army.

Included on the display is a QR code that allows visitors to scan and learn more about the document–one of many efforts the Museum has made to scale up the accessibility of their online artifact collection, which supplements the physical presentation of their artifacts.

But the allure of the Museum goes beyond the presentation and artifacts; it is also tied to the people who work and visit the Museum. Accordingly, the LEAP Ambassadors were thrilled to help for the event when asked by Director Birdsall. Our part was small, but it allowed us not only to assist Birdsall, but also to work with the great staff at the Museum…

…which included: Megan Buro, Jude Routh, Mikey Sproat, Joann Purvis, Yesenia Marroquin, Tim Scott, and Gregoria McGuire.

When the formal part of the program ended around 7, we had a chance to relax a bit and enjoy the Museum and the many wonderful people there: President James Gaertner and Nancy Gaertner, Mac and Leanne Woodward, Jane and Dr. Charles Monday, Vice-Provost Anne Gaillard, Aron Kulhavy, Tammy Gann, Regent Sheila Faske, former Regent Trisha Pollard, and Charlie Vienne.

We had a chance to say hi to Russell Martinez, which was nice because a few of the LEAP Ambassadors have been awarded the Martinez Scholarship. We met Bill Dabaghi, a genuinely nice guy who shared with us some of his family’s history in the area.

And we also had the opportunity to visit with individuals from the President’s office, including General Glaser, Jennifer Alexander, and Tabitha Shanley. And, of course, we took the opportunity to take a photograph with President White.

We even had a chance to visit with one of our favorite alumni, Blake Roach!

There was also great music…

…as well as a rare opportunity to physically enter the Museum’s displays. In one area, SHMM depicts Santa Ana’s “surrender” to an injured Sam Houston, and the Museum will soon be removing this exhibit. Therefore, it allowed visitors (and staff!) to enter the area and have fund with photographs!

We attend or assist with approximately 50 events per semester, but the general consensus is that this was our favorite this semester. We had the chance to spend time in one of our favorite places, with some of our favorite people while being part of the Sam Houston community.

Learning Law: the DA Way

McKenna Nonnenmann

For our mid-semester Pre-Law Society meeting, we had the honor of meeting Walker County District Attorney Will Durham. Born and raised in Huntsville, Durham carries a lot of pride for his hometown, and after a successful career as a personal injury attorney, followed his “calling” into public service.

Durham went through the structure of the District Attorney’s office, laying out the office’s divisions, responsibilities, staffing, and community involvement. This structure includes divisions for hot checks, protective orders, other misdemeanors, felonies, and victims assistance. The DA also uses interns from SHSU!

Durham also went in depth about some of the updates he made in the office, primarily making it as efficient as possible through the purchase of software and other technology. Now, for example, all discovery can be done electronically, saving costs in terms of copies (and trees). Moreover, Durham described his hiring philosophy, as the 3 Hs. His office wants lawyers/staff who are hungry, happy, and humble. In other words, he wants people who are eager to learn and work, will bring a good attitude to the office, and keep the focus on the public service–not themselves.

We were very grateful for Durham’s enlightening presentation, and I know many in the room are looking forward to applying for internships at the DA’s Office.

That was not the meeting’s only business, however. We also had our normal business matters, as well as elections!

Of our existing officers, VP of Finance (Emily Albright), VP of Membership (Nicole Erazo) and Historian (me!) were unopposed. VP of Marketing (Ariza Martinez) has only one meeting left before graduating, and Cinthia ran unopposed to succeed her. But for President and Secretary, there were challengers.

Olivia Discon came into the meeting as “interim president,” and she quickly distinguished herself as a hands-on officer, working to gain more involvement and greater campus and community participation. Yliana Santillan, a junior at SHSU, challenged her, with Ms. Discon emerging victorious.

Jasmine Crooks has served as Secretary for the past year, and she was challenged by Jessica Cuevas, who first joined the organization in the fall of 2021. Following their presentations, the vote showed Ms. Cuevas as the winner.

As always, we are grateful for all the people who decided to run for office and serve the organization, and we hope those who came up short in the elections will still find ways to contribute their considerable talents to the organization.

Most of all, we are grateful for Mr. Durham for his wonderful and educational presentation.

We’ll see everyone at the November 15 meeting!

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