Events Planned for Constitution Day Sept. 17

In 2004, President George W. Bush signed a bill that designates each Sept. 17 as Constitution Day. Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College plan to celebrate Constitution Day this year with several events.

The following events are planned on main campus for Sept. 17:

Speaker: Oce W. Smith
"Our Personal Covenants: Our Common Heritage"
11 a.m. to noon
Multi-Media Room A of the Ruth Ann Musick Library
Oce W. Smith currently serves as Sergeant-at-Arms for the West Virginia House of Delegates. He was elected to the Sergeant-at-Arms post at the beginning of the 58th Legislature and holds the distinction as the longest serving legislative officer in the United States. Smith is a political analyst for local television stations, public speaker and lecturer. In addition, he writes "Just Observin'," a popular weekly feature and editorial column in the Times West Virginian. He is involved in several organizations and has a bridge in Barrackville named in his honor. He is the son of the late Oce W. Smith, Sr., and Norma Lough Smith. He is a 1959 graduate of Fairmont State with an A.B. in education. He earned a Master of Arts in Political Science from West Virginia University. In 2006, he was honored with the Alumni of Achievement Award by the Fairmont State Alumni Association. Smith and his wife, the former Carol Ann Burner, are longtime residents of Fairmont.

Speaker: Bob Bastress
"The Madisonian Design for Our Constitution"
3 to 4 p.m.
Multi-Media Room A of the Ruth Ann Musick Library
Bob Bastress is a leading expert and author of the only comprehensive book on the West Virginia Constitution. He has received statewide awards for his teaching, scholarship and public service. He has been a law professor at West Virginia University since 1978. He is a Constitutional Law expert with 30 years of courtroom experience.

Display: A display with information on the U.S. Constitution will be located all day in the lobby of the Ruth Ann Musick Library.

Display: Coordinated by Alpha Phi Sigma, there will be a Constitution Day display set up all day on Main Street, second floor of the Falcon Center. Constitution booklets will be distributed.

DVDs: DVDs about the Constitution will play all day on the television screens in the Falcon Center.

Voter Registration: Student Government, Students in Free Enterprise, Young Democrats, American Institute of Architecture Students, Gay Straight Alliance and Rugby Club are sponsoring Voter Registration Wednesdays on Sept. 17 and 24 and Oct. 1 and 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m. on Main Street, second floor of the Falcon Center.