Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 5, Ed. 1, November, 1991 Page: 3 of 8
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Novsmhfir 1991
Annotations
Paas_i
Dean talks about the good, the bad, the in-between
by Dean William L. Wilks
There is always good news and bad news:
GOOD
Continued moot court and mock trial suc-
cesses now are commonplace. We are win-
ners in San Diego and took a third-place
finish in the Tournament of Champions in
Florida.
Fisher, Gallagher & Lewis has pledged
$ 100,000 as a challenge grant to our alumni
for next year's annual fund where we hope
to double the number of contributors. All
money in the annual fund goes directly for
scholarships.
President Bush has given us a "possible
maybe" to deliver the commencement ad-
dress in May of 1992. (I will discuss pos-
sible backup speakers with the Student Bar
Association senior senators.)
The pass rate on the July Bar exam was
88.2%. (After three straight "percentage"
victories over the University of Texas, we
were just behind them but above the Uni-
versity of Houston.)
We have now reached over $700,000 in
our quiet campaign to establish a building
fund for our library of the future.
Professor Olga Moya joins us in January,
giving us our first full-time specialist in
environmental law.
We will presumably be asked to host a
debate between the mayoral run-off candi-
dates, Bob Lanier and Sylvester Turner, if
both candidates agree.
BAD
The Accreditation Committee of the As-
sociation of American Law Schools is rec-
ommending that they defer our admission
to the body to insure that we are, in fact,
committed to membership since this is our
first application ever.
Exams will be held as scheduled.
NEITHER
A concern has been expressed to me by the
Senior Senators that they were not con-
sulted before the commencement speaker
was invited this year. My apologies to the
senators. The invitation went out prema-
turely. I am certain, however, that everyone
will agree that Sen. Lloyd Bentsen is an
excellent choice. I confess also that there
was no real discussion with the senior sena-
tors before the President was invited to
speak in May. I assume that choice was also
acceptable to the senior senators. We will
need aback-up for President Bush and I will
ask for input from Mr. Bell and Ms. Tezino
as well as from SB A President Susan Durr.
I have been advised that there was some
move to somehow punish the Dean for this
lack of consultation on the selection of the
Senator and President as speakers by a
refusal to furnish ushers for the December
graduation. At the risk of trivializing (Is
that a word?) this issue in light of other
concerns of importance to this school, to
your education and to the profession, it
seems to me that such a "gesture" to
attempt to affect adversely the program
honoring our seniors does seem to lack
rationality.
I appreciate the opportunity to speak
through Annotations to the student body
and I hope I am regularly given this oppor-
tunity. We need communication at all lev-
els at this great law school, and it is a great
law school thanks to an excellent staff, a
fine faculty and a great student body.
Angry Student Bar Association pulls out of graduation ceremony
by Steve Petrou
An angry board of governors of the Stu-
dent Bar Association has voted not to assist
in the December 1991 graduation ceremony
because of what student leaders said was
the failure of Dean Bill Wilks to consult
with them about the choice of a graduation
speaker.
"I want to send a message that the views
of students do matter,'' said Senior Senator
Chris Bell, who introduced the anti-coop-
eration resolution and pushed for its pas-
sage.
Wilks accused student leaders of "acting
like high school kids."
Bell said under the SBA constitution the
senior senators are charged with overseeing
all matters concerning graduation, among
those duties is a say in the selection of
graduation speakers.
Bell also was upset because he said stu-
dents were not consulted about moving the
graduation day from Saturday to Tuesday
night.
"This administration has demonstrated
that it can do well without us," said SBA
Vice President Shaun Devine shortly be-
fore voting for the resolution.
Student leaders said they will not ask
students to serve as ushers for the December
graduation or to help with the ceremony in
any other manner.
The resolution withdrawing cooperation
was overwhelmingly passed, with only SBA
President Susan Durr abstaining and stu-
dent ABA representative Tucker Graves
voting against it by absentee ballot.
Bell said last July he and Senior Senator
Melody Tezino drew up a list of speakers
that included Southern Poverty Law Center
founder Morris Dees and trial lawyer Jerry
Spence for the December ceremony. They
also suggested President George Bush and
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as
speakers for the May ceremony.
When Bell presented the list to Wilks in
August, Bell said the Dean informed him an
invitation had been extended to Gov. Ann
Richards as the December speaker.
This came as a surprise to Bell because he
said no one from the SBA was consulted
about the choice of speaker. Bell said he
was assured that if the governor declined
the invitation, the student leaders would be
consulted about alternate speakers.
But, in October Bell learned Sen. Lloyd
Bentsen had accepted an invitation to re-
place the governor as the December gradu-
ation speaker.
The lack of consultation angered Bell,
who wrote a note expressing his displeasure
to Wilks.
In response, Wilks wrote Bell that he was
not aware of any document requiring con-
sultations on graduation speakers.
"Sorry you have been left out of the
loop," wrote Wilks.
Wilks said he was pleased with the choice
of Bentsen "as he is certainly a leader in our
nation and follows nicely the addresses of
Dan Rather and Secretary (of State James)
Baker." Baker and Rather spoke at the two
previous graduation ceremonies.
But, Bell felt Wilks' note and apology was
"too little, too late" and he drafted the
resolution urging a lack of student coopera-
tion in the December ceremony.
Before the resolution was passed, it was
amended to indicate the resolution " is in no
way intended to reflect on the individual
Phi Delta Phi and Delta Theta Phi welcome new members
Phi Delta Phi and Delta Theta Phi wel-
comed new members in separate initiation
ceremonies earlier this month.
Phi Delta Phi held its fall initiation Nov.
8 in Garrett-Townes Auditorium, where 21
members were initiated, including Nick C.
Nichols, a former South Texas College of
Law professor. Nichols was awarded an
honorary membership for his continuing
contributions to the law school. Nichols
taught civil trial advocacy at South Texas
and was named outstanding adjunct profes-
sor in 1987.
Nichols, apartner in the law firm Abraham,
Watkins, Nichols, Ballard and Friend, spoke
to the initiates about improving the image
of the legal profession. He also stressed that
attorneys must adhere to the highest ethical
standards in order to best serve the public
and the profession.
Magister Brett Shine congratulated the
new members on their initiation into the
nation's largest chapter of Phi Delta Phi.
Shine urged each member to participate in
the upcoming food drive as the honor frater-
nity adjourned for the semester.
The 1991-92 Phi Delta Phi officers are
Shine, vice magisters Mark White and Rob
Raybum, Exchequer Mark Duke, Clerk
Doug Schlachter and Historian Betty Luke.
Students interested in joining the fraternity
should come by the Phi Delta Phi office,
Room 304.
Delta Theta Phi received more than 50
new initiates into its membership for fall
1991. The new members were inducted
Nov. 8 in a ceremony held in the Fourteenth
Court of Appeals.
YMCA rings in holidays with jingle bell run
The Downtown YMCA will ring in the
holiday season Dec. 15atthe 1991 Appletree
Jingle Bell Run. The event starts at 2:30
p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for
children. The price includes aT-shirt, jingle
bells for shoes and eligibility for the grand
prize drawing of American Airline tickets
and Apple computers for children.
Events include a Little Wranglers
Children's Run (12 and under), which be-
gins at 2:30; the Rolling Wranglers Wheel-
chair Run (5 miles) at 3:05; Running Wran-
glers (5 miles) at 3:15; and the Walking
Wranglers Family Walk (3 miles) at 3:25.
Participants are invited to stay for the
after-race party on the Y parking lot. Pro-
ceeds will benefit youth and urban services.
Contact the YMCA for more information.
invited to speak at the December 1991
graduation ceremony, but rather on the
selection process in general."
Wilks said if students do not volunteer as
ushers, then outside help would be hired.
Wilks admitted he should have consulted
with student leaders about the choice of
speaker, but he feels their actions may
"spoil their own graduation."
W i Iks said there will be a need for a back-
up speaker if Bush declines in May and he
will ask for input from student leaders.
While the SBA resolution passed with
little opposition, there was some dissent
expressed by students.
"I am graduating and I don't like this,"
said Sheri Dean. "In the real world you
have to compromise and negotiate."
She said a better approach would have
been for the student leaders to help with die
December graduation ceremony and to
withdraw their cooperation in May should
Wilks continue his failure to consult them
about speakers.
But, Tezino replied, "It's not like we
didn't try, we started back in July."
STCL golfers hit links
The third time was the charm for the
Alumni Reunion Golf Tournament at
Southwyck Golf Course Nov, 2,
Top honors went to the foursome of
Lamar Clemons, *91, faculty member
Mark Siegel, guest Blake Hall and Dean
Blumrosen, *91. Second place was cap-
tured by Judge Norman Lee, *65, STCL
student John vanNess, guest Don Cantrell,
and adjunct faculty member Judge Dean
Huckabee. Finishing third was the team
of David Matthews, '86, Ben Roed *, *88,
Dale Jefferson, '86, and Dale Harbour,
'88.
Individual honors went to Frank Rosie,
'80, closest to the hole, and M. Kip Mor-
gan, '85, longest drive. The best name
went to the foursome Tee'd Off.
The event was organized by Dan Wise,
STCL vice president for institutional ad-
vancement, and Dick Seltzer, '81.
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Marker, Andy. Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 5, Ed. 1, November, 1991, newspaper, November 1991; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth144476/m1/3/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting South Texas College of Law.