On Sept. 17, 1787, 39 men signed a legal document that would revolutionize the history of America.
Last week, UB celebrated the document by hosting the annual Constitution Day event to educate students on America’s history. The event took place in the Student Union lobby from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It also gave students the opportunity to act on certain Constitutional liberties, like the right to vote.
Constitution Day is celebrated on Sept. 17 to “continue this legacy and to develop habits of citizenship in a new generation of Americans,” according to the National Constitution Center.
In the past, UB students have celebrated this holiday through activities like constitutional trivia with prizes, constitutional birthday cupcakes and decorating and musical performances, according to the Center for Student Leadership & Community Engagement website.
UB’s Constitution Day event is run by the Center for Student Leadership & Community Engagement and Student Life.
The event had a lot of international students excited to learn about the Constitution, according to Jennifer Jerussi, a community engagement manager.
“It is fun to see what people know and remember from history classes,” Budek said. “In my years of planning Constitution Day celebrations, I have learned a lot about the U.S. Constitution and realize I forget different things each year.”
Terri Budek, assistant director for cultural diversity for Student Life, said about 275 students attended the event.
Jennifer Merckel, a senior double major in aerospace and civil engineering, ran a voter registration program for the event.
Around 10 students registered to vote within the first hour and by the end of the event, 12 students had registered to vote, according to Budek.
This is one of several voter registration programs sponsored by UB, according to Budek. Budek likens Constitution Day to the “birthday of our government,” and the ability of the people to vote is an important aspect of the day.
“Voting is one way in which citizens can have their voices heard and our opportunity to share our ideas and vote for the people who we believe will uphold the ideals of liberty, equality and justice,” Budek said in an email. “This is what the Constitution was created for.”
Jerussi said one of her favorite activities at the end was the “What would you ask the Founding Fathers?” booth. Students wrote down a question they pose to a Founding Father if given the chance.
The point of the questions was to have students reflect on what they know about the Constitution, according to Budek.
The American Constitution Society, run through UB’s Law School, also distributed pocket versions of the original American Constitution throughout the event.
Zihong Gao, a freshman business major, is an international student from China who attended Constitution Day. He said he thinks having the event to celebrate the document is beneficial for international students at UB.
Brandon Gesler, a sophomore business major, said he enjoys the events that are put on in the Student Union that are “culturally diverse.”
“Obviously UB has a huge international population,” he said. “It’s good to see American culture included in the mix too.”
Budek said she believes there is value in learning about all kinds of government documents around the world, and it is interesting to see how Americans value and talk about the Constitution presently.
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