UA to Observe Constitution Day with Debate among Student Groups

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences and the department of political science will host a debate to mark Constitution Day Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Theater on UA’s campus.

The debate is free and open to the public.

Three campus political groups — the College Democrats, Young Americans for Liberty, and College Republicans and Young Conservatives for America (two groups have combined into one for the purposes of this debate) — will participate in the discussion of four constitutional issues.

The debate will focus on the president’s constitutional authority in launching a war, the states’ versus the national government’s responses to immigration, same-sex marriage legality among states, and the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act and Congress’s authority to require Americans to have health insurance.

“I chose questions that were politically controversial, that is, likely to lead to disagreements among the three groups, and constitutionally important,” said Dr. Joseph Smith, a UA assistant professor of political science who is coordinating the debate. “My hope is that the debate will be a way for the audience to learn about constitutional controversies and for the groups to publicize their views to the campus community.”

Each group can have up to four participants. The format will consist of opening statements and a debate on four main topics.

Each group will have three minutes to give its initial response to the question and an additional 90 seconds to give a rebuttal after the other groups have given their initial responses. After each team answers the question, each team will then have 90 seconds to add to their answer or respond to other teams.

Constitution Day commemorates the adoption of the United States Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. The holiday recognizes and celebrates the privileges of U.S. citizenship and the importance of the Constitution.

The department of political science is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships, Truman Scholarships, and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.