[Vpaaetal] Constitution Day Observance at Texas A&M University-Commerce

Tue Aug 30 16:14:08 CDT 2005

Texas A&M University-Commerce Celebrates Constitution Day with Several
Activities
(See article below for further information on Constitution Day)
Monday, September 12 begins the Honors Colloquium with a Constitutional
theme which features a combination of speakers and films throughout the
course of 10 weeks.  The first colloquia (sp) will feature the film "Empire
of Reason" .  The Honors Colloquium is open to everyone. As of now, the
schedule has the HC meeting in SS 308 and not the Honors Lounge, SS 314.
Interested persons can come by the honors office and pick up a schedule of
the HC for the semester.
Wednesday, September 14, the Student Honors Council members and Pi Sigma
Alpha members will have a table at the Pi and we will give out pocket sized
constitutions and other information on the U.S. Constitution.  
Friday, September 16, Guest Speaker, Dr. Gary Jacobsohn, "When is a
Constitution Not a Constitution", Founders Lounge, 11:00am.  Dr. Jacobsohn
is from UT-Austin and a constitutional scholar.  

The following article from the Chronicle of Higher Education concerns the
new federal legislation calling for institutions to implement a
"Constitution Day" on September 17.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2005/08/2005082503n.htm
<http://chronicle.com/daily/2005/08/2005082503n.htm>  
Colleges Plan a Variety of Events to Comply With Federal Mandate for
Observing Constitution Day
By ANNE K. WALTERS <mailto:anne.walters at chronicle.com> 
A new federal law that requires colleges to present educational programs
about the U.S. Constitution every September 17 has many institutions
scrambling to develop such programs just as the academic year is getting
under way. 
Reaction to the mandate has varied. Some colleges, like Washington
University in St. Louis and Dickinson College, are using the occasion to
organize major events. But most are simply playing host to a speech or
holding a panel discussion. As of this week, scheduling difficulties had
left some institutions, including Indiana University at Bloomington and
Wittenberg University, still working out their plans. 
"There is a general atmosphere of bewilderment as to what they're supposed
to do," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American
Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. His
organization has received inquires from several colleges about how to comply
with the law, he said. 
The requirement, designating the anniversary of the signing of the
Constitution as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, was inserted into a
spending bill last fall by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, a Democrat of West Virginia
(The Chronicle, <http://chronicle.com/daily/2004/12/2004120304n.htm>
December 3, 2004). It covers all educational institutions that receive
federal funds. When September 17 falls on a weekend, as it does this year,
institutions may hold events during the preceding or following weeks,
according to guidelines issued in May by the U.S. Education Department. 
The new law does not provide federal funds to defray the cost of colleges'
programs, and the Education Department does not plan to monitor compliance.
"We are confident schools will comply and do not expect enforcement issues,"
said Samara Yudof, a spokeswoman for the department. 
Already Celebrated 
For some colleges, celebrating Constitution Day is nothing new. At James
Madison University, honoring both the document and the Virginia university's
namesake -- who was instrumental in writing the Constitution -- is a matter
of institutional pride. In addition to Constitution Day, the university
holds similar programs on Madison's birthday, in March. In the past, the
university has marked September 17 by dedicating a statue of Madison, the
nation's fourth president; holding a voter-registration drive; and
sponsoring lectures on the Constitution. 
This year the events will include a lecture on the Constitutional Convention
by a history professor and readings and speeches by the student-government
president and others near the Madison statue. 
B. Philip Bigler, director of the university's James Madison Center, sees
the day as an opportunity "for our students to become aware that our
namesake is also the father of the Constitution." Mr. Bigler advises a
student group, called the 1787 Society, that studies and raises awareness of
President Madison and the Constitution on the campus. The group will
distribute pocket-size copies of the Constitution and stress balls with
"1787" printed on them to students on September 16. 
"I've always believed that holidays should mean something and not just be a
three-day weekend," Mr. Bigler said. 
Although students at the university have a general awareness of the
Constitution, they rarely consider its importance in their everyday lives,
he said, adding that the university ought to make students more aware of
that role. 
Dickinson College, too, sees the day as an opportunity to honor its
namesake, John Dickinson, a signer of the Constitution. 
The Pennsylvania college has held annual Constitution Day lectures since
1994. Speakers have included Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Kenneth
W. Starr, the former solicitor general and the leading investigator of
President Bill Clinton. This year students will hear from Geoffrey R. Stone,
a professor at the University of Chicago Law School whose most recent book
is Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime From the Sedition Act of 1798 to
the War on Terrorism (W.W. Norton & Company, 2004). 
After the new law was enacted, Douglas E. Edlin, an assistant professor of
political science at Dickinson, began discussing other ways to celebrate
Constitution Day with students and administrators. This summer, he and two
students developed a Web site for Constitution Day that will be linked to
the college's home page. <http://www.dickinson.edu>  
The site will be organized into sections on the college's connection to the
Constitution, a schedule of events, and suggested readings. Discussion
boards will feature such questions as: "Who are 'We the People' who ordained
and established the Constitution?" and "Does the Constitution affirm a set
of moral standards for the nation?" 
Mr. Edlin, who teaches courses in comparative constitutionalism, hopes that
the online discussions will "get students who wouldn't familiarize
themselves with those questions to start to think about them." 
Plenty of Speeches 
Colleges that are new to Constitution Day celebrations also aim to begin
discussions among their students. 
At the Rhode Island School of Design, Scott B. Cook, a professor of history,
invited students and faculty and staff members to submit topics for a
Constitution colloquium on September 20. He hopes to organize an event that
will include topics relevant not only to society at large, but also to
artists and designers in particular, such as obscenity and artistic-property
rights. 
Students have approached him about including discussions of abortion rights,
the history of the Constitution, voting rights, and judicial activism. 
The event is "very much consciousness raising, which I believe was Robert
Byrd's intention," Mr. Cook said. He hopes that current events, such as the
nomination of John G. Roberts Jr. to the Supreme Court, will lead to a
lively discussion. 
The Career Education Corporation, a for-profit educational company with 81
colleges in five countries, developed a module for teaching the Constitution
when the regulations were issued, said Patricia A. Kapper, senior vice
president for education. The corporation sent a PowerPoint presentation that
faculty members can use to teach the document and a list of recommended
resources to its colleges. 
Additionally, she said, many of the colleges have developed their own twist
on Constitution Day activities, such as hanging banners highlighting
constitutional amendments around their campuses, holding essay contests, or
encouraging students and faculty members to wear red, white, and blue. 
Many institutions will turn to their faculties for expertise on the
Constitution. At Glendale Community College, in Arizona, Toni McClory, who
teaches political science, will speak on "Flag Burning: the Constitution,
the Court, and Congress." 
Washington University in St. Louis will use the day as an occasion to
formally open the Richard A. Gephardt Institute for Public Service. The
event, on September 19, will feature a speech by Mr. Gephardt, a former U.S.
representative from Missouri. 
"We think his perspective on the Constitution will be of great interest to
the students," said James W. Davis, a professor emeritus of political
science and director of the center. 
Mr. Davis said Constitution Day is an opportunity for citizens to become
more engaged. "The Constitution doesn't just provide rights and liberties,"
he said, "but a burden to keep it working." 
Not all colleges have had an easy time organizing events. The Education
Department did not release its guidelines until late May, and Constitution
Day falls early in the academic year. That combination has made planning an
educational program a challenge for many institutions. 
At Wittenberg, the provost, Kenneth W. Bladh, used his welcome-back e-mail
message to students and faculty and staff members in August to seek ideas
for Constitution Day events. "I'm relying on the cleverness and ingenuity of
our students and faculty," said Mr. Bladh, who wants the Ohio university to
move beyond holding a lecture and do something to prompt discussion outside
the classroom, like an essay contest. 
Colleges on a trimester or quarter academic calendar face special challenges
in planning events for Constitution Day. Ms. Yudof, of the Education
Department, suggested that colleges whose academic calendars conflict with
scheduling Constitution Day activities hold an event at the earliest
possible date after their new trimester or quarter begins. 
At Berkeley College, which is on a quarter system, officials were initially
concerned that Constitution Day might fall during examinations. September 17
actually comes before exams, and the college has planned speeches on the
legacy of the Constitution for September 7. The proprietary institution has
campuses in New York and New Jersey. 
At Northwestern University, September 17 falls before the first day of
classes, so two lectures will be held during freshman orientation. 
The day also falls before the start of classes for the quarter at Tacoma
Community College, in Washington State. The college will mark Constitution
Day during the first week of classes by distributing Constitution bookmarks
and displaying information about the document on posters and data screens
around the campus. 
Community colleges also face the challenge of designing events that will
appeal to a variety of nontraditional students. Heather M. Lawler,
student-affairs coordinator at Arapahoe Community College, in Colorado, said
she organized the college's celebration with many types of students in mind.
Events will include a Constitution-based scavenger hunt and a speech by a
state senator, John Evans. 
Joyce A. Scott
Provost
Texas A&M University-Commerce
P. O. Box 3011 
Commerce, TX  75429-3011
903-886-5022

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