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The 51������Ƶ’s celebration of Constitution Week will include opportunities to meet some candidates in local races.

Forums for contenders vying for three public offices – City-Parish president, Lafayette Parish sheriff and City-Parish Council District 1 – are scheduled next week. Two additional forums, for City-Parish Council Districts 2 and 3, will be held Sept. 21 and Sept. 23, respectively.

�鶹AV usually celebrates national Constitution Day on Sept. 17. But its College of Liberal Arts has planned an extended slate of related activities beginning Monday, Sept. 14.  They include a live reading of the U.S. Constitution, a constitutional debate, a documentary film showing, and the political forums. All activities are free and open to the public.

Constitution Day is an important part of the cultural heritage of the United States of America, according to Dr. Pearson Cross, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and one of the Constitution Week organizers.

“This annual celebration recognizes the value of the American experiment and the success of a nation of free people whose rights and liberties are protected by a written Constitution. We’ve simply decided to extend the celebration to underscore its importance,” he said.

Constitution Day is an American holiday that acknowledges the historic day – Sept. 17, 1787 – when 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the U. S. Constitution. It became an official holiday in 2004, when the Constitution Day amendment to the Omnibus Spending Bill passed. The law requires that all educational institutions receiving federal funds hold a program for students every Constitution Day.

Schedule of Activities

Monday, Sept. 14

• 2 p.m. – Bayou Bijou in the Student Union on McKinley Street
• 6-7:30 p.m. – , Griffin Hall Auditorium on Rex Street

Tuesday, Sept. 15

• All day – in main hallway of Edith Garland Dupré Library on  W. St. Mary Boulevard

Wednesday, Sept. 16

• 2 p.m. – ,” Griffin Hall Auditorium on Rex Street
• 6-7:30 p.m. – , Griffin Hall Auditorium on Rex Street

Thursday, Sept. 17

• 11:45 a.m. - 1:10 p.m. – with color guard and readings from the Constitution, side yard of Judice-Rickels Hall on W. St. Mary Boulevard
• 6-7:30 p.m. – , Griffin Hall Auditorium on Rex Street

Monday, Sept. 21

• 6-7:30 p.m. – , Griffin Hall Auditorium on Rex Street

Wednesday, Sept. 23

• 6-7:30 p.m. – , Griffin Hall Auditorium on Rex Street

For more information about Constitution Week activities, contact Sally Donlon in the College of Liberal Arts, (337) 482-2963.