Constitution Day to be marked by discussion with Gephardt

Sept. 15, 2005 -- Quick — what do Philadelphia and Beverly Hills have in common?

Truth be told, not much — and that point was driven home in a recently released survey by the National Constitution Center.

The survey, distributed to 600 students, revealed that just 25.5 percent of the respondents knew that the U.S. Constitution was penned in Philadelphia; but a full 75.2 percent knew that the numbers 90210 corresponded to Beverly Hills.

Want another one? Just 21.2 percent knew how many senators serve in the U.S. Senate; 81.2 percent knew how many members are in the music group Hanson.

In May, the U.S. Department of Education took a step to rectify the above numbers by issuing a Notice of Implementation, stating that all educational institutions receiving federal funding must provide an educational program pertaining to the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17 — when the document was signed in 1787 — of each year, unless that date falls on a weekend.

The University will therefore hold an informal discussion Sept. 19 with Richard A. Gephardt, the former U.S. majority and minority leader from Missouri, and James W. Davis, Ph.D., professor emeritus of political science in Arts & Sciences and director of the Richard A. Gephardt Institute for Public Service at Washington University.

The "Constitution Day" discussion will center on the relevance of the Constitution in today's world and will be from 2-3 p.m. in the Women's Building Formal Lounge. The event is free and open to the public

"It will provide students a unique opportunity to learn how the Constitution influences relationships between the branches of government, and when and how it affects the legislative process," Davis said.

James Davis

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Free copies of the Constitution will be available at the Campus Store in Mallinckrodt Student Center.

Hopefully, Constitution Day programs across the country will make a difference. After all, according to the survey, 41.2 percent of respondents knew the names of the three branches of the government, but 59.2 percent knew the names of The Three Stooges.

Call 314-935-8628 for more information about the Constitution Day event.