Hi, I’m Mike Yawn, professor of Political Science at SHSU.  I have the privilege of taking four students to the 2009 Presidential Inauguration.  We’ll be joining you periodically to fill you in as we experience new activities.



Background: I took twenty students to the 2005 Presidential Inauguration. The logistics were a bit easier then, inasmuch as tickets were easier to obtain, I was able to delegate a lot of the responsibility, the students flew, and I was younger.  Still, keeping up with twenty students is quite a task, especially when unexpected conditions arise.  In this case, a blizzard blew in during the inauguration and the students’ flights were delayed.  Dealing with twenty anxious students is not new to me; after all, I give tests.  But students don’t have access to the airport bar during tests; they do with delayed flights.



Preparation: This time, we are doing things a bit differently.  Megan Bryant initiated the idea. She is the President of the Political Science Junior Fellows, a civic-minded organization that promotes education, public service, and professionalism.  This kind of thing is right up her alley.   Through low-key marketing, she was able to recruit three additional, high-quality students.  Rather than fight the crowds in the nation’s capital, she and I agreed that, while the highlight of the trip would be the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, most of the activity and sight-seeing would take place to and from DC.

I delegated each student a leg of the trip.  They were responsible for finding possible attractions, restaurants, and hotels for each leg.  This saved me time and provided them with planning experience.

Activities: In all, the students narrowed down the “must-do” list of activities to the following:

• Louisiana State Capitol Building


• Alabama State Capitol Building


• Confederate White House (Montgomery)


• Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery


• MLK Gravesite


• Georgia State Capitol Building


• Jimmy Carter Presidential Library


• Virginia State Capitol Building


• Mount Vernon


• Montpelier


• Monticello


• 2009 Presidential Inauguration


• Vulcan Park


• Mississippi State Capitol


• Medgar Evers Home


• Jackson City Hall
  

The students will be blogging every day this week, so rather than duplicate their work, I’d like to spend a few moments telling you about them.



Justin Veillon:  Justin is a senior at SHSU and is majoring in Criminal Justice and Political Science.  He’s an excellent student, who has also enjoyed the opportunity of interning at the City of Huntsville for the past two semesters.  He is probably the most reserved of the students.  He stays calm, never getting too excited or too frustrated.  He’s also had the least travel experience.  Prior to this trip, he had only stepped foot in Texas and Louisiana.  Justin is a recent addition to the “Friends of the Wynne” Board and he is Vice President of the Political Science Junior Fellows. He will graduate in August 2009.





Blake Roach:  Blake is a Sophomore at SHSU, majoring in Political Science with a minor in History.  Blake works for the Visitor’s Center on campus, providing tours and welcoming people to campus.  This is a perfect job for him; he is upbeat, engaging, and personable.  Blake is active in Chi Alpha, the university’s largest Christian organization.

Chris Rahlwes:  Chris is a Junior at Sam Houston State University, majoring in Political Science.  He is earning minors in both History and Philosophy.  Chris is especially bright.  Largely passive, Chris rolls with the flow, seeks out different directions, and keeps the organization pretty loose.

He also has a different personality than the rest.  He spends a lot of time talking about films such as A Clockwork Orange.  When we eat out, he seeks out unusual dishes to try, which is helpful in encouraging the other students to step out of their comfort zones.  He also probably has the most diverse and unusual wardrobe.

Chris has thick skin.  He engages in give and take with the other students.  He knows, for example, that when he gets tired, his speech is difficult to understand.  The other day he told me that he “Liked to teach yoga.”  What it sounded like, however, was “I teach like Yoda.”   At least I understood the words, just missing their correct order.  At times, he is incomprehensible, speaking some obscure dialect of jibberish.



Chris is also the most creative and artistic of the group, filling in a lot of gaps in the organization’s skill set.  He currently works for an oil company and teaches Yoga.  Or he currently works for an oil company and teaches like Yoda.  I’m still not sure.



Megan Bryant:

Megan, a Political Science major and History minor, is President of the Political Science Junior Fellows.  Over the past year and a half, she has taken Junior Fellow trips to Washington, DC, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Utah, and Virginia.  She’s interned with both the Arts & Cultural Division and the Recreation Division for the City of Huntsville.  She’s also interned for the Bill Clinton Foundation in Little Rock, AR.  Currently, she is one of two students from SHSU to be an advisory member to the University’s Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.  On a personal level, Ms. Bryant’s strengths include her intelligence and sense of humor.

Closing Thoughts:

Finally, I’d like to thank SHSU for its generous funding assistance.  In particular, I’d like to thank Donna Artho and Mr. Frank Parker.  They do a  lot of good work for the students at Sam Houston State University and their has been essential on this trip.

I’d also like to thank Congressman Kevin Brady for providing us the tickets.  All of the students were extraordinarily grateful for his thoughtfulness and generosity.