politicalsciencejuniorfellows

Christian Bionat, Day 1: JF Spring Trip

Political Science Junior Fellows — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:43:33 +0000

Wednesday, February 22: Good evening everyone! I’m Christian Bionat, a senior at Sam Houston State University, and the President of the Political Science Junior Fellows. Today we started our five-day journey to the Arkansas Political Science Association Conference, and it was an enjoyable first day.

We left at three a.m., so that we could arrive to our destination during business hours, and fit in at least a half of a day of site-seeing. Our destination for Day One, but our first stop was Hope, Arkansas, where we visited the childhood home of former President Bill Clinton.

As I noted, however, our goal was to get to Memphis. We arrived there around noon, perfect timing for a lunch at Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, emphasis on “Fried” and “Chicken.” In fact, other than two starters, fried chicken is their only entrée.

Following lunch, we visited the National Civil Rights Museum, located at the former Lorraine Hotel, where Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated.

The Museum did a good job of laying out a timeline for the Civil Rights movement, and it also permitted a view of the exact spot where MLK was assassinated, as well as the spot where James Earl Ray fired his fateful bullet.

We are visiting the Little Rock Central High Civil Rights Museum tomorrow, and it will be nice to follow up today’s education with a focus on one of the key battles of the Civil Rights movement.

My favorite stop of the day was Sun Records. We were able to tour the studio—the birthplace of Rock and Roll—while listening to some of the earliest recordings of rock music. The sampling included Elvis’s first recording, as well as tracks by Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. A highlight was getting to stand in the same spot as Elvis while “singing” into an old-school microphone.

I also purchased a record—an actual LP record. The title: “Elvis—A Legendary Performer, Volume 3,” the start of my record collection.

Other than the music, a highlight of Memphis is the mighty Mississippi. We explored the river a bit just before sunset, walking up a linear park that showcased nice views of the town’s bridges and a few pieces of art. One creative piece of public art doubled as a bike rack; in the Junior Fellows’ hands, however, it soon became a jungle gym (it was designed for public interaction).

We closed the long day with dinner on Beale Street at King’s Palace, where we had “Gator Chips,” crawfish tails, and seafood gumbo—and that was just for starters. For the entrée, Justin (our Vice President) and I shared a Cajun Feast, featuring “voodoo potatoes,” jambalaya, and voodoo chicken.

Adding to the ambience was the live music, mostly blues, and a few fleeting glimpses of street performers outside.

Until tomorrow…

Junior Fellows’ Spring Trip

Political Science Junior Fellows — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:11:32 +0000

This is Mike Yawn, faculty advisor for the Political Science Junior Fellows. Once a semester (or more), the Junior Fellows take a trip to a destination that combines fun, education, and professional development, and this spring’s trip involves activities in Memphis, TN; Little Rock, AR; Conway, AR; Natchitoches, LA; and Nacogdoches, TX.

Over the next five days, we hope you’ll read about the students’ adventures–attending the Arkansas Political Science Association conference, touring museums, having some recreational fun, and exploring the cities they visit.

Meanwhile, at home, the members are carrying on their own activities; most notably, some of the members will be taking SHSU students to the Reagan Dinner, featuring Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. This dinner is following closely on the heels an event with Nancy Pelosi on Monday night, so the organization is earning their bi-partisan stripes this week.

We hope you’ll check out the blog over the next few days. Thanks for your support!

What a Way to Spend Presidents Day

Political Science Junior Fellows — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:09:35 +0000

Today was a busy one for the Junior Fellows. Half the members assisted with the “Citizenship Preparatory Course,” their ongoing program that helps immigrants earn their citizenship. But the other half of the organization took SHSU students to College Station, where they attended a lecture by Nancy Pelosi.

This being College Station and all, there were protesters expressing their displeasure with Pelosi’s visit…

Protesters at the Pelosi Event

For her part, Pelosi mostly played it safe, being gracious to her host, President George H. W. Bush, and sticking to a story of personal discovery.

Pelosi Speaking at the Bush School of Public Policy

It was a nice presentation, and it was a nice bonus to see Andy Card (former President H. W. Bush’s Secretary of Transportation) and former President H. W. Bush, and former First Lady Barbara Bush.

It was a nice night, too, for the Junior Fellows to spend some time with non members. We’d like to thank Dylan McCracken, Meghan Kelly, Lauren Kethan, Tony Itzep, and Deanna Tyler for attending and, as always, we’re happy alum Cameron Goodman was able to attend. We hope they and other SHSU students will make some of our upcoming events, too!

Junior Fellows at the Bush Presidential Library

Junior Fellows Kick Off Their 2012 Charity Football Game

Political Science Junior Fellows — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:37:24 +0000

We might do things a little different this year, but we’ll still be out on the football field raising money for charity. In the past four years, we’ve raised about $10,000 for the YMCA and the John Holcombe Scholarship Fund. We hope to add $3,000 or more to that total this year when we play our official game on April 21, 2012.

In the meantime, we’ll occasionally update everyone on our practices which are a lot of fun and sometimes humorous, as depicted in the picture below.

Free For Fall

Actually, there were some pretty good moments in the games. Melva Gomez, for example, is turning out to be quite a player, and today twice sacked the quarterback. This may have been one of them:

Melva Sacks the Quarterback

At the real game, we’ll have activities for the YMCA kids, a live play-by-play announcer (KSAM’s Kooter Roberson), and lots of community support, we hope.

Junior Fellows Present their Donation to the YMCA

Arkansas Political Science Association

Political Science Junior Fellows — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:03:24 +0000

The Junior Fellows will be traveling to Arkansas later this week to attend the Arkansas Political Science Association conference. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to learn more about the disciplines, attend a professional conference, and see Arkansas. We’ll be posting material as we travel through Ozark Country. Here’s our itinerary:

Wed: Memphis, TN (Sun Record Studio, Lorraine Motel, National Civil Rights Museum, Graceland).
Thu: Susan Eisenhower Speech, Little Rock Central High, Governor’s Mansion
Fri: Clinton Presidential Library, University of Arkansas Little Rock Law School, Old Mill
Saturday: Arkansas Political Science Association Conference, Little Rock Museum of Fine Arts, Natchitoches, LA
Sunday: Melrose Plantation, Zip Nac–Zip Line Course, Nacogdoches, TX

We’ll keep you updated as we “zip” through our trip!

Junior Fellows: Citizenship Preparatory Course

Political Science Junior Fellows — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:32:49 +0000

The Junior Fellows kicked off their 5th annual “Citizenship Preparatory Course” this Monday. We had about 17 immigrants attend (including some family members of the immigrants) from six different countries, and they appear to be a great group.

Three of the immigrants are SHSU students, two from different countries in Africa and one from Mexico. Other immigrants are from Germany, China, and India. We’re going to learn as much as we hope they learn.

This is a great program. Over the past four years, we’ve worked with more than 80 immigrants from more than 20 countries. Approximately a fourth of these immigrants earned their citizenship, some after attending three years in a row. It’s great to see their dedication, and it’s a wonderful reminder about the privileges of citizenship.

Congratulations to Mr. Mahmood and his daughter, both of whom earned their citizenship. Congratulations!

Junior Fellows & Jesus Moroles

Political Science Junior Fellows — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:16:29 +0000

Among working artists that specialize in public art, few match Jesus Moroles, whose work with granite graces the public realms of cities all across North America.

Moroles’ work can be seen in New York, Albuquerque, Houston, the White House, and the Smithsonian, just to name a few. Recently, the Junior Fellows went to New Orleans, where Moroles’ work sits in the Sculpture Garden outside of the New Orleans Museum of Fine Art.

Moroles’ Piece New Orleans Museum of Fine Arts

Soon, his work will also be seen on the east side of the CHSS Building on the SHSU campus. It will be the centerpiece in an outdoor classroom envisioned by Dean John de Castro. It promises to be the prettiest place on campus.

But this week, Moroles and his work can be found at the Wynne Home Arts Center, where Christian Bionat (that’s me!) is interning. Moroles is in town as part of the Latin Arts Festival, and visitors are being treated to numerous pieces of his completed work…

Moroles Scultpure, Wynne Home

…and even to see him in action…

Moroles working hands-on with children

He also spent some time with the Junior Fellows, discussing his art (“My favorite work? My daughter.”) and posing for pictures.

Moroles with the Junior Fellows

There’s not a lot of towns in the country where college students can spend a rainy afternoon in a beautiful home, exploring beautiful art, while talking with the artist who created it, but SHSU students can.

Danny Oppenheimer: Democracy, Despite Itself

Political Science Junior Fellows — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:42:00 +0000

The Junior Fellows and friends had another interesting evening in Houston, this time attending a presentation at The Brazos Bookstore by Danny Oppenheimer, a Princeton Psychologist whose new work discusses the paradox of democracy. Individually, he argues, people exhibit behavioral biases that prompt them to act in irrational ways. Collectively, however, this behavior often leads to positive outcomes–good public policies, higher productivity, and the like. Following the event, the members and two of our favorite alumni–Megan and Laken–retreated to The Amazon Cafe for dinner.

Santiago Casas, Megan Bryant, Professor Oppenheimer, Laken Jenkins, Justin Beiser

Steve Cook: The Struggle for Europe

Political Science Junior Fellows — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:39:40 +0000

The Junior Fellows attended a presentation by Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Cook is an expert on the Middle East, and has recently completed a highly-regarded book titled The Struggle for Egypt. Mr. Cook was an engaging speaker, and graciously spent time with the students following the event.

Junior Fellows Spring Calendar (Partial)

Political Science Junior Fellows — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:06:27 +0000

Junior Fellows Spring Calendar

Thursday, January 26: Joshua Bolten (Former White House Chief of Staff for G. W. Bush; Stanford Law Graduate; Professor at Princeton).
Wednesday, February 8: Steven Cook (Member, Council on Foreign Relations) discusses the struggle in Egypt.
Thursday, February 9: Princeton Psychologist Danny Oppenheimer discusses how democracy works–despite itself–and signs his latest book.
Monday, February 13: Walker County Bar Association Lunch, featuring George Parnham–Andrea Yates’ attorney.
*Mondays: February 13-March 5: Citizenship Classes
Thursday, February 16: TX Wesleyan Law School Visit
Friday, February 17: Wynne Home and Jesus Moroles
Saturday, February 18: Mock LSAT
Sunday, February 19: Football Practice
Monday, February 20: President’s Day with Andy Card (former G. H. W. Bush Sec of Trans.; former G. W. Bush Chief of Staff; current Pres. of Bush School) and Nancy Pelosi
Tuesday, February 21: Empty Bowls
Tuesday, February 21: City Council Recognition
Thursday, February 23: Reagan Dinner, with Attorney General Greg Abbott
Friday, February 24: James Carville and Mary Matalin
February 22-26: Little Rock/Memphis/Natchitoches--(1) Martin Luther King National Civil Rights Museum, (2) Clinton Presidential Library, (3) Little Rock Central High, (4) Arkansas Political Science Conference, (5) Graceland, (6) Sun Record Studio, (7) Historic Natchitoches, (8) Beale Street, (9) Melrose Plantation, and (10) Nacogdoches Zip Line Course.
*Thursday, March 1: Chamber of Commerce Trade Expo
Tuesday, March 6: City Council Recognition of Immigrants
Wednesday, March 21: Ali Soufan, “The Fight Against Al Qaida”
Thursday, March 22: Let’s Talk—Dinner with your choice of 24 experts/celebrities
*Friday, March 23: CHSS Wall of Honor Celebration)
Saturday, March 31: King Tut Exhibit, MFAH
Wednesday, April 11: Sammys
Friday, April 13: Come Fly Away, Alley Theater
Wednesday, April 18 (Tentative): Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Oral Arguments (possibly coming to Huntsville!)
Thursday, April 19: Marcia Clark Book Signing (Prosecuting Attorney in O. J. Simpson case)
April 21: Democrats & Republicans Football Game
April 26: Lunch with Condi Rice
May 30-June 24: Noises Off—Alley Theater