South Texas College of Law Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 2, Ed. 1, October, 2007 Page: 1 of 8
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The Student Newspaper of South Texas College of Law
ANNOTATIONS
October 2007
Volume XXXX, Number 2
www.annotationsonline.com
Renewed Interest in
Animal Law
By Lucille Hollander
Staff Writer
Interest in animal law has spiked in schools across the
United States, with 89 schools offering the course. STCL
has just joined those ranks with the recent offering of Animal
Law taught by Professor Fran Ortiz.
The animal law course, says Professor Ortiz, "analyzes
the application of traditional areas of law to animals, which
are a unique form of property. Animal law issues arise in a
variety of areas, like torts, property, contracts, criminal law,
and even constitutional law. The course covers the issues in
these areas, as well as animal-related statutes like the Animal
Welfare Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Wild
Horses and Burros Act. It also covers issues relating to all
types of animals—companion animals, wild animals,
laboratory animals, and animals used in entertainment.,,
Professor Ortiz brings a combination of impressive
credentials and a dedication to flexibility and communication
that makes this course both informative and enjoyable. The
course has been offered both as a writing seminar and as an
exam-based course.
Students may be particularly interested in Professor
Ortiz's seminar. With a Harvard Law School education plus
skills gained from being an editor on the Harvard Law
Review, Professor Ortiz offers her seminar students
continued on page 2
* #
Happy Halloween! The STCL Library staff dressed up the library for the Fall
Daniels, an educator, goes to law school
By Brad Poronsky
Business Manager
It is not everyday that one finds an elected
official amongst the classmates of a given law
school. Normally, you see the students aspiring
to one day be the politician. Here at South Texas,
we have one of the youngest elected officials in
the State of Texas among our ranks. Christopher
Daniel is a Trustee for North Harris Montgomery
Community College District (WW,nfamccd.edu).
During the November election of 2006, on a
ticket where non-partisan races were largely lost
in the shadow of the Gubnatorial Race between
Perry, Kinky, Strayhom, Bell, and others, Mr.
Daniel upset the incumbent Board President to
take his seat as Trustee. Winning nearly 40,000
votes, twenty five year old Chris Daniel now holds
a 6-year position on a 9 member board that
governs one of the largest college districts in
Texas.
"So what is a young, up-and-coming educator
doing going to law school?" I asked. His answer
was simple: to be better prepared to serve others.
In elaborating, Mr. Daniel relates that recognizing
issues on the horizon wasn't enough to do
something about them—you had to also have a
basic understanding how laws and public policy
are formed in order to change or improve them.
As a current student not far removed from his
college days, Chris believes he is in a unique
position to understand the needs and concerns of
students and young people in general. As a trustee,
and within the community, Chris likes to think of
himself as an educator. Although a word
traditionally reserved for teachers and professors,
Chris believes any person within any organization
can help educate and enlighten the organization
by relating the unique life experiences and
knowledge that person brings to the table. Further,
his role within the educational system is key to
the policy decisions that eventually trickle down
to those who actually have daily interaction with
the students.
As an educator, Chris hopes to influence basic
college readiness classes and "College Success"
classes with the knowledge and skills he used to
be valedictorian of his high school and in his
success in acquiring a mechanical engineering
degree from the University of Texas.
"With the rise in diversity of the incoming
generation of college students, not all have been
properly prepared for higher education nor have
they even been taught how to study. It is not that
future students are incapable or unwilling to learn,
but it is that almost none have been basically
taught how to study, or what to do when they
stumble during studying." He goes on to say that
while more students than ever are signing up for
affordable community college classes, community
colleges must make sure the new students have
the skills to finish out their two year degree.
Though a long-time Republican, Chris has
already begun reaching beyond politics to better
the community college education available to the
greater Houston and Montgomery County areas.
As an example, Chris is Co-Chairing the Black
United Fund of Texas' annual Gala this October
with Mayor Bill White to promote higher
education and quality of life for the African
American students in Texas. So then what does
the future hold for this Educator after he gets his
JD? Answer: "A stronger college system for an
already stellar community college district—one
that the tax payers can continue to be proud of
supporting."
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Lewis, Tamara E. South Texas College of Law Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 2, Ed. 1, October, 2007, newspaper, October 2007; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth144583/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting South Texas College of Law.