Purdue to celebrate Constitution Day on Sept. 15

All events will take place in rooms 302 and 306 of Stewart Center. Provost Sally Mason will offer introductory remarks at 9 a.m. Events are scheduled to conclude at 3 p.m. Others scheduled to participate are state representatives Sheila Klinker of Lafayette and Joe Micon of West Lafayette.

This year's theme will be "Got Rights?," a variation of the "Got Milk?" advertising campaign.

Phillip VanFossen, the Ackerman Professor of Social Studies Education and director of the James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, said the focus this year will be on making college students aware of how the rights granted in the Constitution affect their lives.

"It's important that every American be more educated and aware about their freedoms and rights, but this is especially important for those who are in college because these are our future leaders," VanFossen said. "So to make this day more relevant to Purdue students, we will be answering questions such as 'Do college newspapers have the same rights as other newspapers?'"

Congress passed a provision in 2004 declaring Sept. 17 as Constitution Day. All federally funded schools are asked to develop educational programs to celebrate this foundational day in American history. The celebration is being held on Friday because Sept. 17 falls on a Sunday this year.

"The point we want to make everyone aware of is that no matter who you are, the Constitution has an impact in nearly every part of your life," VanFossen said. "It's something we all take for granted, but studies have shown that a vast majority of people don't know much about the document. Constitution Day gives schools a brief, yet important, chance to change this."

At 1:30 p.m., there will be a "Jeopardy"-style quiz show featuring Purdue and local celebrities who will try their hand at answering questions about the Constitution and U.S. history.

The following events also are scheduled:

• Continuous play of "A More Perfect Union," a video by the National Constitution Center.

• A banned book exhibit, displaying books that have been censored throughout history.

• An interactive timeline from the National Constitution Center and a "Save the Bill of Rights" multimedia exhibit.

• The Daughters of the American Revolution display with information on the importance of the American Revolution.

• A video of Justice Learning's "Conversations with Supreme Court Justices." Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer talk about the Constitution with high school students. The justices discuss why we have and need the Constitution, what federalism is, how implicit and explicit rights are defined, and how separation of powers ensures that no one branch of government obtains too much power.

The Purdue ROTC color guard also will perform at the event. Refreshments will be available, as well as giveaways, including Purdue Constitution Day T-shirts and pocket-sized Constitutions.

More information on the day's events is available online.

The College of Education's Ackerman Center is coordinating most of the events, which are sponsored by the Office of the President, Office of the Provost and Office of the Vice President for Student Services. Others involved include Purdue Libraries and the Purdue Student Union Board.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Source: Phillip VanFossen, (765) 494-2367, vanfoss@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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