ADP Campuses Commemorate Constitution Day 2016

Constitution Day 2016 | Learning & Engaging the ADP Way

ADP campuses commemorate Constitution Day as a way to spur student to think more deeply, to consider opposing perspectives, to act and to wrestle with complex issues facing our communities and democratic institutions. We hope you take the time to peruse the 2016 Constitution Day offerings of just some of our ADP campuses. They’ve been busy registering new voters and discussing infringements on voter rights. They are urging their communities to focus on race, racism and other inequalities and social injustices that persist in our country. We encourage you to do the same today and every day.

Learn more about Constitution Day here.

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Emporia State University (Kan.)
Emporia State University students involved in the American Democracy Project are writing editorials on the U.S. Constitution, democracy and related topics for the local paper, the Emporia Gazette, in advance of Constitution Day, which is Sept. 17th. Read one of the op-eds by first-year student Emma Krause here. 

Illinois State University
Robin Fretwell Wilson, the Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law and the director of the Program in Family Law and Policy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign., will deliver the annual Constitution Day talk at Illinois State University. Her lecture, “Can the Constitution Protect Both LGBT Rights and Religious Liberty?” will be at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, September 15, in the Old Main Room of the Bone Student Center. The talk, sponsored by the Illinois State chapter of the American Democracy Project, is free and open to the public. Read more here.

Indiana University South Bend
IUSB’s ADP and Political Science Club co-sponsored Constitution Day celebrations on campus with music, mini Constitutions and voter registration efforts. Learn more here.

Middle Tennessee State University
Diane Nash, a civil rights activist who helped integrate Nashville lunch counters in 1960 and desegregate bus travel, spoke on Sept. 14^th at NTSU’s Constitution Day celebration. She advised students to work on issues that move them. Other events included readings of the U.S. Constitution and voter registration efforts. Learn more here.

Stockton University (N.J.)
Stockton University’s ADP/PEP with other campus partners will host Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University for Constitution Day. Amar’s presentation, “The Supreme Court and the Constitution: What’s at Stake in the 2016 Election?” will focus on the impact of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the stalled nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, current constitutional controversies and the potential effects on the Supreme Court. Constitution Day is one of a series of events at Stockton that will include voter registration efforts, a panel discussion with Stockton students who attended the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, debate-watching parties, and other lectures on history, politics and elections. Read more here.

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
UW Oshkosh’s Constitution Day activities included a presentation by Keith Findley, assistant professor of University of Wisconsin Law School and co-director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project. Information on the U.S. Constitution was also on display and available for pickup.  More information about the American Democracy Project and Constitution Day events is available at http://adp.uwosh.edu/constitution-day. You’ll find more information here.

Western Carolina University (N.C.) 
Western Carolina University invites student contestants to present a potential constitutional amendment (what they would add or change to the current Constitution), discuss why their issue is important, and justify why their constitutional amendment is needed.  The contestants will then answer questions about their amendment from our judges (5 minutes max).  A panel of judges will select the top 3 amendments based on the importance of the issue, how well founded and researched the amendment is, and the quality of the presentation.  The top 3 contestants will earn a $50 Visa Gift Card. WCU is also planning debate watch events and voter registration drives this fall.

Western Kentucky University
WKU’s Constitution Week 2016 Celebration focused on individual rights and protections with four main sessions: 1) an interactive talk on Trans-bathroom Laws, Title IX, Equal Protection and Separation of Powers; 2) Pizza and Politics series; 3) a global citizen fair with study abroad; and 4) a Constitution birthday part with voter registration. Learn more here.

Let us know what your campus did to commemorate Constitution Day 2016 in the comments or by emailing adp@aascu.org!

 

Constitution Day 2015 | Learning & Engaging the ADP Way

Constitution Day 2015

Constitution Day can be seen as a celebratory event; and in many cases it is a celebration of an experiment in democratic governance that continues to balance rights to equality and liberty. On most of our campuses, however, Constitution Day is not (only) celebratory, but a day to spur people to think more deeply, to consider opposing perspectives, to spur citizens to action and to wrestle with complex issues facing our civic life and democratic institutions.

We hope you take the time to peruse the 2015 Constitution Day offerings of just some of our ADP campuses. They’ve been busy registering new voters and discussing infringements on voter rights. They are urging their communities to focus on race, racism and other inequalities and social injustices that persist in our country. We encourage you to do the same today and every day.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis
UMSL is commemorating Constitution Day by holding an essay contest titled, “What does freedom mean to you?” They also have artwork posted on the MSC Bridge following the same question as the essay contest all month long. On Constitution Day, September 17, they are holding discussions based on these questions; “Does the Constitution protect religion from government? Does the Constitution protect government from religion? Both/neither? How does it do that?” Later that day Chancellor Tom George will speak and awards for the essay contest will be given out along with essay readings. Impromptu speeches will focus on freedom and the Constitution.

Middle Tennessee State University
Grad Student and Activist Aleia Brown will be moderating a voting rights panel discussion with renowned Civil Rights leaders on Constitution Day. The Panel speakers include James M. Lawson and C. T. Vivian.

Stockton University (N.J.)
On September 16, the day before Constitution Day Bryan Stevenson will be at Stockton University to talk about racial justice and the Constitution. His memoir, Just Mercy, follows the story of Stevenson as a young lawyer fighting for the rights wrongly condemned prisoners. For more information on Stevenson click here.

Western Carolina University (N.C.)
WCU is hosting a panel, “The Constitution in Everyday Life,” which will highlight constitutional issues in our daily lives.

University of Central Missouri
They are celebrating Constitution Day all week long with events including a voter registration drive, exhibitions by the nationally ranked and award winning debate and mock trial teams, a republican primary debate watch party with following discussion, and a lecture from Dr. Schocket, Director of American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University.

East Stroudsburg University (Pa.)
East Stroudsburg will be holding a panel discussion on the 50^th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and its recent changes.

Emporia State University (Kan.)
ESU will be holding a series of mini-teach sessions on September 15, 2015 where middle school and high school students as invited guests. Using ESU students as “facilitators/teachers” along with ESU faculty, we expect all will learn from the experience.  This capitalizes on the notion that teaching something is a powerful learning tool.

Western Illinois University
They will be holding a panel discussion on the 9^th amendment along with a student poster session.

College at Brockport (N.Y.)
They held a naturalization ceremony on campus and providing voter education and registration sessions. Learn more here.

Fort Hays State University (Kan.)
They will be passing out Constitution Day t-shirts, pocket Constitutions, and have a board with the 10 Bill of Rights and allow students to write their favorite Bill of Right on a button.

Keene State College (N.H.)
Keene will provide students with a change to register to vote, play the documentary “Not for Ourselves Alone,” and hold a performance, “Susan B Anthony—The Invincible.”

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
They will be holding panel program on what the Constitution means to me and democracy dialogue chalk boards on campus with question about democracy.

Indiana State University
They will be holding a discussion of the Constitution and student analysis of whether the constitution needs to be amended to reflect modern times/sentiments.

University of Northern Iowa
They are hosting a panel on the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights act with three faculty members and Iowa’s Secretary of State.

Northeastern Illinois University
They will have a table in Village Square with polling and give away items.

University of Maryland, Baltimore County
They will host a public event entitled Counter-Stories: Protecting Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in Wartime, featuring Mark Graber, Jacob A. France Professor of Constitutionalism at the University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law. They will also feature Constitution Day-related links and stories on social media

Clayton University State (Ga.)
Clayton will be holding a Times Talk on a religious freedom bill that will be facilitated by two state legislators.

University of Arkansas – Fort Smith
During Constitution Week ADP is having students, faculty and community members volunteer to go into local elementary schools and read a book about the Constitution to fourth and fifth grade students. They will also have a Constitution-themed quiz bowl competition. The campus bell will ring on constitution day for an extended amount of time at a determined time.

Minot State University (N.D.)
MSU will be holding a Free Speech Plaza, an open discussion forum on campus.

Towson University (Md.)
They will be tabling in the student union, holding Constitution trivia and voter registration, and will have Constitution giveaways.

Illinois State University
They are hosting a screening of segments of “Eyes on the Prize”, the seminal documentary about the civil rights movement. A faculty member from sociology will facilitate a discussion following the screening. The segments they are screening focus on voting rights, and this issue was chosen this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.

St. Cloud State University (Minn.)
They will be holding a trivia day in the campus map area and fall social at Stearns History Museum.

Missouri State University
They have plans for the whole week to celebrate Constitution Day including hosting the Western District of Missouri’s Naturalization Ceremony. Other events include special speakers, advocacy training, voter registration, distributing pocket constitutions, Carillon Bells patriotic performance, and a social media campaign on democracy and constitutional facts.  The annual Conference on Civic Engagement is held on Constitution Day and focused this year on Opportunity and Democracy in an Age of Inequality. AASCU’s George Mehaffy, founder of ADP, will keynote.

The American Democracy Project Commemorates 9/11

ADP schools across the country are commemorating the 13^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Read on to see what other campuses are doing and be sure to share your own activities in the comments.

Fort Hays State University (Kan.) is hosting a candlelight vigil, where student body president Arin Powers will give a speech.

Indiana State University is screening the documentary “102 Minutes that Changed America.”

If you’re looking for a way to commemorate the day on your own or with friends, try checking out the Corporation for National and Community Service. They’ve organized the September 11^th National Day of Service and Remembrance, through which you can perform community service and connect with other volunteers.

MLK Day the ADP Way: 2014 MLK Day Commemorations on Campus

By Caitlin Reilly, Program Associate, American Democracy Project

We asked our campuses about how they chose to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the results are in!  Read about how they celebrated the holiday, ADP style.

California State University of Pennsylvania held a day of service and sent two busses full of students to visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in Washington, D.C.

Jacksonville State University (Ala.) organized a series of events on the days following MLK Day.  On Tuesday, January 21, 2014 the local NAACP president, David Baker addressed students and faculty.  His talk “A Good Time to Stand Up” addressed the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s activism and its place in contemporary issues of social justice and change.  The following night, the school hosted a screening of the film, “Mine Eyes Have Seen.”

ADP at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith supported and attended the MLK Community Association Annual Recognition and Awards Banquet held on the Saturday evening preceding MLK Day.  On MLK Day, ADP hosted a campus breakfast for about 450 people, and then led them on a peace walk.  Throughout the morning, ADP registered voters.  The following Thursday, ADP held its MLK Celebration, honoring unsung heroes in visual and performing arts.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis sponsored a day of service, along with a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance.  This featured Wes More, the host of “Beyond Belief,” the Cote Brillante Presbyterian Church Men’s Chorus, a scene from the play “Mountaintop” and a performance of “A Letter to Dr. King.”

The University of Washington Bothell, along with Cascadia Community College (Wash.), organized a day of service for students in honor of MLK Day. Volunteering opportunities included clearing invasive species and planting trees in the UW Bothell and Cascadia Community College wetlands, cleaning  at senior centers or nearby neighborhoods, participating in canned food and clothes drives, writing letters to service members, attending an advocacy workshop, learning about food justice and bowling with disabled children.

How did your campus celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.?  Let us know in the comment section!

Commemorating Veterans Day the ADP Way

Veterans and men and women currently serving in the military are being honored today, on Veterans Day, by ADP at Fort Hays State University (Kans.)

A ceremony will include speeches by the President and Vice President of FHSU’s Student Government Association. The Student Coordinator for ADP will speak as well as the student coordinator for FHSU’s Global Leadership Project. A flag ceremony will be conducted by a local Boy Scout troop.

Participants can write cards to veterans and soldiers in exchange for a poppy flower. The poppy is the emblem of Veterans Day as well as a reference to “In Flanders Field,” which will be read aloud during the ceremony.

Read more here.

How is your campus commemorating Veterans Day?