CWU To Celebrate Constitution Day

September 16, 2005

Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: loweryr@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Last year, President George W. Bush signed a bill that designates every Sept. 17 as Constitution Day in the United States. The bill included a new federal provision that every school, college and university that receives federal money must teach about the Constitution, which was adopted Sept. 17, 1787.

"Under the new law, if Constitution Day falls on a weekend - as it does this year - schools are allowed to hold their Constitution Day events either the week before or the week after," says Mike Reilly, CWU associate vice president for enrollment management. "So, Monday (Sept. 19) will be the day for most of our events. This works out great, since our students are returning to Ellensburg this weekend, as we get ready for the start of fall quarter classes next Wednesday (Sept. 21)."

In recognition of Constitution Day, CWU has also developed a Web site with a wide variety of resources pertaining to the Constitution and the government it established. It's available on-line at www.cwu.edu/constitution.

"We developed the Web site not only as a resource for the university, but for the community as well," Reilly adds. "We hope that local K-12 students and their teachers, and anyone interested in learning more about one of our country's most important founding documents, will visit the site."

Reilly goes on to say, with the confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts now underway, it's an especially good time to learn about constitutional checks and balances within the federal government.