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<TITLE>Constitution Day Observance at Texas A&M University-Commerce</TITLE>
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<P ALIGN=CENTER><B><FONT FACE="Arial">Texas A&M University-Commerce Celebrates Constitution Day with Several Activities</FONT></B><B><BR>
<FONT FACE="Arial">(See article below for further information on Constitution Day)</FONT></B><B></B></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Arial">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.</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
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<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Arial">The following article from the<I> Chronicle of Higher Education</I> concerns the new federal legislation calling for institutions to implement a "Constitution Day" on September 17. </FONT><A HREF="http://chronicle.com/daily/2005/08/2005082503n.htm"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">http://chronicle.com/daily/2005/08/2005082503n.htm</FONT></U></A><FONT FACE="Arial"> </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=CENTER><B><FONT SIZE=4 FACE="Arial">Colleges Plan a Variety of Events to Comply With Federal Mandate for Observing Constitution Day</FONT></B></P>
<P><A HREF="mailto:anne.walters@chronicle.com"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">By ANNE K. WALTERS</FONT></U></A>
<BR><FONT FACE="Arial">A new<U> federal law that requires colleges to present educational programs about the U.S. Constitution every September 17</U> has many institutions scrambling to develop such programs just as the academic year is getting under way. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">"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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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 (</FONT><A HREF="http://chronicle.com/daily/2004/12/2004120304n.htm"><I><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">The Chronicle,</FONT></U></I></A><FONT FACE="Arial"> 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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><B><FONT FACE="Arial">Already Celebrated</FONT></B><FONT FACE="Arial"> </FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">"I've always believed that holidays should mean something and not just be a three-day weekend," Mr. Bigler said. </FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">Dickinson College, too, sees the day as an opportunity to honor its namesake, John Dickinson, a signer of the Constitution. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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<I> Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime From the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism</I> (W.W. Norton & Company, 2004). </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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 </FONT><A HREF="http://www.dickinson.edu"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">home page.</FONT></U></A><FONT FACE="Arial"> </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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?" </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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." </FONT></P>
<P><B><FONT FACE="Arial">Plenty of Speeches</FONT></B><FONT FACE="Arial"> </FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE="Arial">Colleges that are new to Constitution Day celebrations also aim to begin discussions among their students. </FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">Students have approached him about including discussions of abortion rights, the history of the Constitution, voting rights, and judicial activism. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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." </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">"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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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." </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">At Northwestern University, September 17 falls before the first day of classes, so two lectures will be held during freshman orientation. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Century Gothic">Joyce A. Scott</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Century Gothic">Provost</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Century Gothic">Texas A&M University-Commerce</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Century Gothic">P. O. Box 3011 </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Century Gothic">Commerce, TX 75429-3011</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Century Gothic">903-886-5022</FONT></P>
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