Each year, individuals gather to celebrate Constitution Day on Sept. 17. Constitution Day is intended to reflect on the adoption of the Constitution and its signing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in September of 1787.
Throughout the remainder of the month, the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, the Center for Student Engagement and the Division of Diversity and Engagement are hosting a variety of interactive events, lectures and conferences relating to topics such as constitutional rights, American civics, equality and freedom.
The week of Sept. 19 is known as the University of Tennessee’s “Listen. Learn. Lead.” week, a time dedicated to cultivating an inclusive and approachable environment on campus by reflecting on expanding one’s leadership skills. The campaign compliments the various Constitution Day programs and offers opportunities to become educated and involved on campus.
Katie Cahill, director of the Leadership and Governance Program for the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, explained the university’s mission for the upcoming week.
“The week is inspired by Senator Baker’s observations that listening is the key to good leadership. Leaders should be what Baker describes as ‘eloquent listeners,’ meaning that they should be able to listen to differing viewpoints but be eloquent enough to communicate their own,” Cahill said.
To kick things off, students will have the opportunity to discuss the major debates that took place during the Constitutional Convention on Tuesday, Sept. 20 from 12-1:30 p.m. The event, which is entitled “Constitutional Conversations: Finding Common Ground,” will be hosted in the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center’s Toyota Auditorium. Registered students will receive conversation questions and materials prior to the event.
“The idea is to talk about constitutional issues but in a modern day context,” Cahill said.
The discussion will focus on the analysis of equity versus equality in relation to the Constitution.
“An issue that was definitely part of the backdrop of the constitutional convention and something that we are going to talk about in the context of what it means on campus,” Cahill said.
Students can RSVP to the event by emailing the Baker Center directly.
Later that evening, Jeffrey Rosen, CEO and President of the National Constitution Center, will visit the Toyota Auditorium from 5-6:15 p.m. to examine how the right to vote is foundational in a democratic society. His presentation, entitled “The Right to Vote,” is open for all to attend and is the University’s central event in marking Constitution Day.
Rosen, who is also a professor at The George Washington University Law School, editor for The Atlantic magazine and a published author, will examine the process of voting in the U.S. and its emergence and evolution. Although the right to vote is not enumerated in the Constitution, Rosen will detail the origin of how voting came to be seen as one’s rightful duty.
The week will also include a panel discussion that will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 5-6:15 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium. The panel will consist of Knox County Election Commissioner Hannah Hooper, City Council member Lynne Fugate and Vice Mayor Andrew Roberto, who will focus on the question “Why Vote?,” and will strive to collaboratively examine voting through several lenses.
“They are coming to talk about why voting is so important and particularly why it’s so important to vote and get involved in local elections and issues,” Cahill said.
Bill Lyons, the director of policy partnership and mediator of the event, gave some insight on why the subject matter should be further discussed.
“In every election the very first question we face is ‘Why vote?’ It matters, both for the kind of city, county, state or country we want to have and the kind of citizen we want to be,” Lyons said.
The symposium is free to the public and hopes to motivate students, faculty and the community to engage in local affairs and government.
The Division of Diversity and Engagement is joining “Listen. Learn. Lead.” week by inviting in author and professor Loretta Ross to speak on the matter of “cancel culture” and offer a new perspective to the concept. Her talk, titled “Calling In The Calling Out Culture,” will challenge listeners to study modern day social practices and approaches to opposing viewpoints.
Ross is currently a professor of women and gender studies at Smith College. She has an extensive history working as a women’s rights advocate and is the founder of the Center for Human Rights Education. The lecture is open to all and will be held in the Toyota Auditorium in the Baker Center on Friday, Sept. 23, from 5-7 p.m.
In addition to the Baker Center’s collection of informative and celebratory events, The Center for Student Engagement has arranged a “Back to the Ballot Celebration” to be held on Friday, Sept. 23 in the Fred Brown Plaza, from 7-9 p.m. Students can wrap up “Listen. Learn. Lead.”weekby attending the celebration and committing to learn more about voter registration.
The Director of the Center for Student Engagement, Ashleigh Moyer, gave a rundown of what one can expect at the celebration.
“‘Back to the Ballot Box’ is an event hosted by the Campus Events Board and the Center for Student Engagement, the goal of the event is to bring students together, have fun and provide access and information on voting during the midterm election,” Moyer said.
An assortment of local food trucks will be present, along with the distribution of t-shirts. Students are required to download a pass before attending the event, which can be located on the VOLink website.
To close the Constitution Day celebrations and “Listen. Learn. Lead.” week, the tallied results of the Tennessee vs. Florida Voter Challenge will be revealed during halftime of the UT versus Florida football game on Saturday, Sept. 24.
The Tennessee vs. Florida Voter Challenge began Aug. 24 and will conclude Sept. 23 at midnight. The University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service is up against Tennessee’s Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy in a competition regarding voter registration.
The competitions’ overall goal is to promote participation in November’s upcoming midterm elections and to ensure both schools’ populations are educated and prepared. The challenge is not limited to students.
“It’s open to the entire VOL nation, including their family and friends,” Cahill said.
Individuals looking to earn a point for the VOLS can follow a three step process highlighted on volsvote.utk.edu. Community members can check if they are registered to vote, officially register if they are not and sign up for election reminders all through the digital system. The race winner will be awarded to the university found to have more community members subscribed to election reminders.
“‘Listen. Learn. Lead.’ week is our charge to campus for faculty, staff, students and the community to think about listening first, especially to viewpoints that challenge your existing values and beliefs, to learn from those ideas and positions, and then to decide how to lead,” Cahill said.
With a multidisciplinary spread of gatherings to attend, UT offers students the opportunity to discover more about the U.S. Constitution and see how Tennessee is fostering a scene of leadership development and active citizenship.
