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Texas government as it really works rather than as textbooks say it’s supposed to work is the focal point of two techniques be ing used by Dr. Walter Shelly at West Texas State University. Student involvement rather than passive submission in learning is stressed through the two methods Shelly uses to ex pose the students to government in the practical vein. For more than a year, Shelly has required that each member of his sophomore level government classes attend at least one city commission and one county com mission meeting in either Ama rillo or Canyon. And, more likely than not the only persons to attend the meet ings other than the commis sioners themselves and mem bers of the news media are Shelly's students. Before attending the sessions, Shelly gives a brief description of each body, its functions and what students should look for in their public officials’ delibera tions. Canyon city commissioners, who found council chambers filled at several meetings earlier this semester, adopted some new procedures to aid the student ob servers. Mayor Manly Bryan, for exam ple, began explaining fully each agenda item to the students be fore commissioners pursued dis cussion. Commissioners have often found themselves answer ing many student queries about actions they take. County commissioners, whose courtroom was crowded to over flowing on several occasions by the students, passed a resolution earlier in the term commending Shelly for his interest in state and local government. This fall, 154 of Shelly's stu dents converged on the local governmental bodies. Shelly sees the requirement as a must for today’s student. ‘This enables them to see how items are brought to the commis sion,” he said, “so if they have a problem they'll know how to ap proach the city or county com mission. ” Shelly said he believes many adults today have never at tended local governmental bodies’ meetings and are there fore at a disadvantage if for some reason they must approach their elected officials for help in solv ing a problem or airing a com plaint. “I'm sure as they look back on their college experience, they'll remember the commission meet ings far more than what they read in some text,” Shelly said. “Students now can not only vote, but many of them pay taxes like any other citizen and they're old enough to participate and I'd like to start them early in their participation.’ Shelly feels the students’ experiences at the local govern ment level indicate to them that, yes, while many major issues af fecting the whole country are tak ing place at the national level, there are important decisions af fecting the lives of their friends and neighbors being made in city and county commission meet ings. Besides his requirement that students attend local govern ment sessions, he also brings local government into his class room for the students. By using video-taped inter views with leading public offi cials from the Panhandle, Shelly adds another dimension to his government classes, a dimen sion again away from the tradi tional text-lecture approach. “This media enables the stu dent to relate to government on a human level, for the student is able to view government in terms of people,” he said. “The very fact that the student can watch and listen to individuals directly in volved in the decision-making process brings the governmen tal process alive.” Designed to supplement text book material, Shelly describes the video-tape technique as an “innovation as a teaching aid, and it is important to remember that the approach does not re place the traditional approach of lecture, discussion reading and examination.” Shelly began using the tapes in the fall 1974 semester, and has now gathered 45-minute inter views with 11 area officials. State Senator Max Sherman of Amarillo looks at the Texas Con stitution and Constitutional Revision, while Amarillo attor ney Wales Madden, a member of the Constitutional Revision Commission, discusses what was involved in that process. Sena tor Sherman's second tape out lines the legislative process in the Texas Senate, as Amarillo Representative Ben Bynum lec tures on the Texas House. Judge Don Dean of the 181st District Court discusses his role and of fice, while Randall County Criminal Attorney George Dow len relates his role as prosecutor. At the county level, Randall County Judge Woody Pond brings to the students his in sights not only as county judge, but also as presiding officer of the Commissioners’ Court. Audrey Bruse and Conway Kuy kendall tell what they feel the citizen should know about city, county and school taxes. Amarillo Mayor Ray Wahue answers questions relating to the structure, function and prob lems of municipal government, as Panhandle Regional Plan ning Commission Executive Director Ernie Clark points out the activities of his organiza tion. Newly-elected member of the State Board of Education, W.W. (Bill) Carter of Amarillo, analyzes for students public education in Texas. According to Dr. Shelly, the students have expressed an ap preciation for the interest and concern of the individuals who have given of their own time to making state and local govern ment more meaningful for them as students. Dr. Shelly also feels “that the response and willing ness of the guests to participate in the teaching process has been most encouraging.’ “Each guest has brought a dif ferent dimension of state and local politics to the classroom,” Shelly says. The WTSU professor also sees the tapes as vehicles for broaden ing the required government course's appeal to different age groups. “In our classrooms we are see ing more and more of what is called the ‘new student’ in high er education. Part of this group is the large number of students over age 25,” Shelly notes. “This new approach to teaching state and local government can hopefully make government more mean ingful to this potential group of students.” Shelly's tapes are made with the assistance of John Clark of the WTSU Media Center, and have been filmed in the guest's office or courtroom or on the WT campus. Registration for the spring term begins at West Texas State University Jan. 17
Newspaper Details
Canyon Sunday News
Canyon, Texas, US
Sun, Dec 15, 1974
Page 10
Full Page
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USA 01 Feb 2026
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