“We the People”.
These three simple words that begin the U.S. Constitution were celebrated at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and school campuses across the nation on the annual Constitution Day on Sept. 17.
The day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 men on Sept. 17, 1787. It was the official recognition that all people born in the U.S., or who have gained citizenship through naturalization, are citizens.
“We should all understand what the Constitution entails because it’s a founding document of our nation,” said Alexander Howell, a junior criminal justice major from West Lafayette, Ind. “The more we all know about these documents and what they say, the more we can do to make this nation a better place for all of us to live.”
Today, a federal regulation requires all educational institutions that receive federal funding, including federal student loans, to provide programs about the U.S. Constitution on this day.
“This gets people to think about the Constitution and the founding documents of our country.That’s the point,” said Glenna Simons, chair of SMWC’s Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Simons’ State and Local Government class set up a table outside Doherty Dining Center for two hours on Constitution Day. There, students like Confidence Nwachukwu put their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution to the test.
“It was enlightening to take this quiz,” said Nwachukwu, a sophomore Nursing student from Nigeria. “I came to the U.S. 10 years ago, and it’s important to know your rights as a citizen of this country.”
While she remembered learning about the Constitution in her history classes growing up, Lucia Fruchtenicht realized she has some studying to do before she retakes the test next year.
“You learn this stuff as a kid, but it’s really easy to forget some of it,” said Fruchtenicht, a grad student Art Therapy major from Covington, Ky. “I think that if I’d kept up with it all these years, I probably would have known more of the answers.”
Students were allowed to use their phones to help them answer the five-question test. Still, junior Nursing major Bentley Meyer, of Cincinnati, Ohio, said the test was easier than he expected without the help of technology.
“A lot of people don’t really know all that the Constitution entails, and the laws can get abused that way,” he said. “That’s why events like this are great. The U.S. Constitution is why we’re here as a country.”
Every student who took the test received a free pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution. Students who answered all five questions correctly were entered into a drawing to win a Texas Roadhouse gift card.