St. Francis College Recognizes Constitution Day
St. Francis College's Student Government Association (SGA) reminded the SFC community of the inalienable rights afforded every American citizen, as students passed out United States Constitutions in front of campus today in honor September 17th's Constitution Day.
Commemorating the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine men on September 17, 1787, the U.S. Congress officially designated the date in 1952, at that time calling it "Citizenship Day." In 2004, Congress changed the official name to "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" and mandated that educational institutions receiving Federal funds hold special programs for students in recognition.
St. Francis College traditionally hosts a Constitution Day lecture or discussion featuring at least one guest participant. In the past, invited speakers have included author and historian Thomas Fleming (2010), former New York State Assembly Member Joan Millman (2016), and U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez (2019). This year, the COVID-19 pandemic made an assembly of that sort impossible.
"You've got to know what our nation is founded on," said senior Michael Conlon, President of SGA, as he, along with
junior Amanda Alexandre, distributed pocket-sized Constitutions to students arriving on campus. SGA organized the day's event."We all need to understand the legal acts that affect our school and our government."
The students also provided passers-by voter registration information, and a representative from the United States Census was on hand with census questionnaires.
"We have a very interesting election coming up, and we all have to vote to see the change that we want in this country," said Alexandre, about the importance of registering her fellow students. "We're trying to ensure that the young adult community is being active and taking part in the politics...I'm glad we're starting here at St. Francis."