Andrew Perry
Professor Calhoun
MANA 3308-01
10 December, 2014

My Experience at the Texas State Capitol

Before I signed up for this course, I had no idea what to expect. All I was told was that I would be taking a trip with some DBU students to Austin, Texas for a class. I wasn’t quite sure what we would be doing, and I certainly had no idea that we would be able to witness the things we did. I am going to spend some time here and discuss my adventures on this exciting trip and hopefully recount a good amount of the facts I learned along the way. Before we were able to leave for this trip to Austin, our class was to meet one time in a room together to discuss the timeline of events for the trip, and to do a few interesting assignments. Our first assignment required us to tell a tale regarding a fictional situation in which some crimes were to be committed. It was really funny to hear what stories the other students came up with. Writing a story myself, however, proved to be more of a challenge. I am not the most creative type so my story ended up being somewhat bland. Luckily, Professor Calhoun did not call on me to share my story! Although initially the assignment seemed like more fun than educational, I realized quickly how easily we were picking up on the definitions of these new terms of crime. Being able to hear them be used in real-world examples truly helped engrave them into our minds. After we were done writing our stories, our next assignment was to discuss the advantages and disadvantages to business structures such as corporations, sole proprietorships, and partnerships. I had always assumed that corporations were the best way to go about big business, but that may not always be the case. Although they had the advantage of limited liability and the ability to sell stick to raise capital, the fact that they could not take losses into account on tax returns, combined with the issue of double taxation and the sheer difficulty of setting up such a business structure, showed me that a corporation is not necessarily right for every business. The advantages of a sole proprietorship were the exact opposite of the disadvantages to a corporation. Coincidentally, the same rule applied for the disadvantages to corporations’ advantages. The advantages and disadvantages of Partnerships, however, were slightly less related to the previous two business types. They are great for pulling resources from multiple people and very easy to form. Unfortunately, each partner can be held liable for the actions of the other partner. Also, there is often litigation because one of the partners did not put their agreements in writing. The third assignment was a little smaller compared to the other two. Basically, we learned that the term “sucker insurance” referred to the state minimum car insurance, in this case Texas. Also, we were taught that if the damages we caused to another car outweigh our coverage, the state of Texas has the right to revoke our license to drive. Additionally, we can be sued for the remainder of the damages that are still owed. After we finished those assignments, discussed how the rest of the week was going to play out, and signed any papers that needed to be signed, we went home and prepared for the trip. Luckily, the trip did not require more than just a few pairs of clothes, so we packed lightly. As we travelled on the bus, some of us took the time to read over Texas Payday Laws and other papers that might help us better comprehend the things we would be learning in Austin. On the way to Austin, we had the opportunity to visit the Inner Space Cavern. This tour was particularly fascinating to me because I have always been interested in rocks and caves. As we walked down into the cave, our thick coats were quickly shed due to the high temperatures and humidity, resulting from the insulation of the cave and the water that was constantly present. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and taught us some interesting facts during our time with her. Firstly, she instructed us not to touch the rocks because they had determined that the rocks were still growing and even the slightest oil from our fingertips could halt the growing process.

Upon arrival, the first thing I noticed was how massive the state capitol building was. The outside almost looked like a dark copper color, and the statue that sat on top was of a woman holding a star. The next two days were very interesting because we were able to witness how the court system worked first hand. We sat in on civil court, criminal court, family court, and even federal court cases. Probably the biggest thing that surprised me was how freely any ordinary citizen could walk in and out of court cases. This makes me want to go sit in on a few more cases myself when I’m back in Dallas. Thank you Professor Calhoun for leading us on this fun adventure and teaching us practical information along the way. I can say that truly enjoyed my time in Austin because of you and your energetic attitude, along with the cool court cases ;)