Constitution Day Celebration Moves to Cats Den
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 17, 2012) — Today's Constitution Day celebration has been moved indoors due to the probability of rain. All activities, including the free apple pie and lemonade, will take place in the Cats Den, in the UK Student Center.
The program, which will invite public officials, journalists, and college, high school and middle school students, is being organized by an Honors Program class taught by Buck Ryan, director of the Citizen Kentucky Project of the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center.
The program is in three parts: 11 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. will focus on a preview of Election 2012, particularly the race for president; 11:50 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. features roundtable discussions and civic fun for kids; and 12:10 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. offers a global perspective.
"We hope to engage young voters through the public forum and a civic information fair, including voter registration," Ryan said.
A special guest will be veteran Russian journalist Oksana Silantieva, who will explain how the Russian news media are covering the U.S. presidential election, as well as discussing limits on free speech and freedom of the press in her country. Silantieva, now an associate professor at the National Research University, Higher School of Economics, in Moscow, will participate as part of UK’s "Year of Russia" special program.
The 2012-2013 academic year has been designated the "Year of Russia" by the UK College of Arts and Sciences, which in conjunction with the Russian Studies program is sponsoring a program, "Reimagining Russia's Realms: Peoples, Arts, Cultures, and Homelands of Eurasia," which will feature a variety of events, including lectures, book clubs, film series, art exhibits and more.
For program information, see http://russia.as.uky.edu.
Sponsors of Constitution Day at UK 2012 include the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center, the Honors Program, the Provost’s Office, Student Government, and the colleges of Arts & Sciences, Communication & Information, and Education.
MEDIA CONTACT: Keith Hautala, (859) 323-2396; keith.hautala@uky.edu