Lectures, discussions remember Constitution
The anniversary of the U.S. Constitution was celebrated last week by the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the Department of Government & Sociology, and the Law and Society Student Organization (LASSO) with a series of week-long discussions and lectures about the document and its meaning.
On Sept. 12, students and faculty gathered in the A & S auditorium to hear Dr. Ralph Hemphill, professor of Political Science, lecture about the current constitutional issues before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I do not claim to be an expert on the U.S. Constitution, but a student of its principles,” Hemphill said.
He said that it was important to learn about the Constitution, and that students, as the incoming workforce and leaders of this country, must know how the Constitution has contributed to our success as a nation.
Hemphill related the U.S. Constitution to current issues, including the privatization of the economy and its effects on the standard of living.
“The more our lives are privatized, the less Constitution we will have,” Hemphill said.
Hemphill also discussed controversial issues ranging from the Terry Shiavo case and the fallout of Hurricane Katrina disaster to the on-going Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge John G. Roberts. He explained how the Constitution has affected and will affect the decisions of the Supreme Court.
It was a brief history lesson that became more interactive as the audience participated in a Q&A session after his speech.
One piece of advice Hemphill issued was for people to have “a lot more activism and a little less restraint” concerning the role of the Constitution in their lives. He lives by the “use it or lose it” motto.
Hemphill’s speech proved to be helpful to many students that attended the hour-long session.
Criminal justice major Eric Taum said, “The lecture was very informative. We are sincerely honored to have him extend his knowledge to us. We are honored to have him.”
Hemphill’s lecture also prepared students for the future.
“It lets us know the needs that take place within the government and the effects it has on our economy. It is up to us as an incoming workforce and future leaders to know this and be well informed,” said Lindsey Evans, a political systems and criminal justice major.
Political systems major William Thompson agreed with Evans’ sentiments.
Thompson said, “Listening to his lecture made me realize just how effective and how influential our Constitution is to our daily lives. I didn’t know that it affected us so much.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Sep 23 2005. Filed under News.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
