Third Annual Constitution Day
scheduled for Monday, Sept. 17

Sept. 12, 2007 -- Arkansas State University’s third annual Constitution Day program will be held Monday, Sept. 17. Sponsored by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the proceedings are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Centennial Hall on the third floor of the ASU Student Union.

The Honorable Wendell Griffen of the Arkansas Court of Appeals will be this year’s keynote speaker. Judge Griffen’s talk is entitled “Reflections on Ethical Challenges Surrounding the U. S. Constitution.” The program this year not only marks the 220th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, but it also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock school crisis which captured national headlines while leading to the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School.

Following Griffen’s talk, participants may attend a series of sessions held in the Student Union Auditorium and nearby meeting rooms. These will include a panel at 10 a.m. on “Brown v. Board of Education” and “the Road to Little Rock,” which looks at the legal issues surrounding the case. Another panel at 11 a.m. will focus on the events that brought Little Rock national attention in September 1957.

There will also be two screenings of the award-winning documentary, “Hoxie, the First Stand, ” discussing the integration of the Hoxie public schools in 1955, and a fun, interactive session entitled “What Do We Know?” about the nation’s political system in action. All the sessions will draw on the expertise of local lawyers, two judges, a prominent writer, and ASU faculty and graduate students.

The program is targeted to students on the ASU-Jonesboro campus and to students in selected advanced placement courses in area high schools. Interested members of the ASU community and the general public are also welcome. For further information please contact Dr. Carol O’Connor at 972-3973 or coconnor@astate.edu.

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