Constitution Day Observance Set for Friday, Sept. 15
JONESBORO – Students, faculty and high school guests are invited to attend the 13th annual Constitution Day, Friday, Sept. 15, at Arkansas State University. Constitution Day is hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and Communication and the Department of Political Science.
All activities are held in the Carl R. Reng Student Union with the plenary session beginning at 9:30 a.m. in Centennial Hall on the third floor. Dr. Carl Cates, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication, and Dr. William McLean, chair of the Department of Political Science, will extend welcome messages to all attendees. Dr. Dale Miller, professor of music and director of choral activities, will present the A-State Choir.
Constitution Day activities include panel discussions and focus groups at 10-10:50 a.m., 11-11:50 a.m. and 1-1:50 p.m., with each session repeated.
“The Presidency and Communication” gets underway in the Student Union Auditorium. This panel examines several aspects of presidential communication, including historical perspectives, the media’s evolving role in covering presidents, and the increasing use of social media and its impact on social movements, elections and society.
“Constitution Jeopardy” follows in the Pine Tree Room. This session is a fun and interactive assessment of what citizens know, or don’t know, about U.S. government and the Constitution. It is conducted in the Jeopardy game show format, allowing students to compete for prizes.
The role of the president in foreign affairs, as well as limits on his authority, has spawned a great deal of debate. “The Role of the President in Foreign Policy, International Relations and Immigration” will cover the president’s historically increasing influence in each of the three areas and examine the constitutionality of this expanding role. This focus group is in the Spring River Room.
The A-State Moot Court team will present oral arguments in the case of “William DeNolf vs. State of Olympus” in the Mockingbird Room. In an effort to crack down on crime in Olympus, scientists and crime scene investigators teamed up to develop new diagnostic technology that will aid law enforcement officials during investigations.
The Functional Brain Mapping Exam (FBME) is a brain-mapping test that allows investigators to determine whether a suspect has memory of being at the scene of a crime. In essence, certain areas of the brain will “light up” during an FBME exam if the subject has memories of being at a crime scene when shown pictures of it.
Oral arguments will be presented on: (1) whether the FBME conducted by the State of Olympus facially violates the right against self-incrimination protected by the Fifth Amendment as applied to the states through the due process clause of the 14th Amendment, and (2) whether the sentence of solitary confinement, as applied to the petitioner, violates the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment as applied to the states through the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.
The 2017 Constitution Day commemorates the 230th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 men on Sept. 17, 1787. For more information regarding A-State’s Constitution Day, call (870) 972-3973 or (870) 972-2104.
