Ivy Tech Celebrates Constitution Day
September 12 , 2005      

Bloomington , Indiana Ivy Tech-Bloomington is celebrating Constitution Day with a panel discussion on the importance of the United States Constitution on Wednesday, September 14 th in Alumni Hall beginning at 12 pm. As part of the celebration, the Student Government Association will also be passing out free copies of the United States Constitution from 11 am until 12 pm.

John Whikehart, Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington Chancellor, says that he is pleased that students have this opportunity to become re-acquainted with the Constitution of the United States. “At a time of serious national discussion regarding the role of the courts, the implications of The Patriot Act, and our federal system of checks and balances, student participation in Constitution Day can ensure that they understand that this is a living document that has current as well as historic application.”

Recent federal legislation mandates that all educational institutions receiving federal funding implement educational programs relating to the United States Constitution on or about the 17 th of September each year. Senator Robert Byrd (D – West Virginia), who believes that students lack significant knowledge of the Constitution, was the driving force behind the legislation. September 17 th was selected as the date for celebration due to the fact that on September 17, 1787 the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the United States Constitution and presented it to the American public.

Results of a survey released by the National Constitution Center follow:

Six-hundred students responded to the National Constitution Center’s survey. Key findings from the survey include:

• 25.5% of respondents know that Philadelphia is the city where the Constitution was written compared to 75.2% who know what city the zip code 90210 is attributed to.
• 21.2% of respondents know how many senators served in the U.S. Senate compared to 81.2% who know how many members there are in the music group “Hanson.”
• 35.5% of respondents know the first three words of the Constitution compared to 71.2% who know that www is the first three letters of most Web site addresses.
• 1.8% of respondents know that James Madison is considered the father of the U.S. Constitution compared to 58.3% who know that Bill Gates is the father of Microsoft.