IUP will observe Constitution Day this week with two events to raise awareness of and spark discussion about the U.S. Constitution and the system of government it created. Please consider attending one or both of these events, and encourage our students to attend. Both events are on Wednesday, September 21, 2016. Constitution Day marks the day in September, 1787, when the delegates to the Constitution Convention signed the document they’d written, and sent it off to the states for ratification. Federal law mandates that all educational institutions receiving federal funds commemorate the day with learning activities.
Public Reading of the U.S. Constitution:
12-1 p.m., Wed., Sept. 21, Oak Grove (in front of the Library)
Members of the IUP community – students, staff and faculty – will gather to read the entire U.S. Constitution, starting with the Preamble and ending with the 27th Amendment. IUP President Michael Driscoll will lead off the event by reading the Preamble of the Constitution. Want to be a reader? Simply show up in the Oak Grove (near the Library) at any time between noon and 1 p.m. Readers will receive a “We the People at IUP” t-shirt, a pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution, and a star-shaped cookie. This event is sponsored by the Political Science Department and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
“Original Intentions? A Chat with the Founding Fathers”:
6-7:30 p.m., Wed., Sept. 21, Rm 126 Humanities & Social Sciences Bldg.
Four of the authors of the U.S. Constitution will be on hand to discuss the document and to answer audience questions. This is your opportunity to ask tough questions of Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Charles Pinckney and James Madison (portrayed by political science faculty David Chambers, Steven Jackson, Dighton “Mac” Fiddner, and history faculty Joe Mannard, respectively). This event is sponsored by the Political Science Department and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Attendance vouchers will be available.