Center for Teaching and Learning

Constitution Day at UMSL

 

Constitution Day Observance - Monday, September 17, 2007
MSC - Century Room A-B-C
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM


Theme: The Constitution and the Environment: Is the Constitution Green Enough?

"Can the United States cope with climate change? Every part of our government is dealing with this vital issue - from our cities and states to the Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court. The Constitution provides the basic rulebook for the way these parts of government can work together to cope with our changing climate. Join us as top experts in law, journalism and the environment tackle this urgent question."

Constitution Day Activities

10:00 AM - 2:30 PM: Information Tables and Exhibits in the MSC
Exhibitors include the Coalition of the Environment; League of Women Voters; St. Louis County Election Board; and University Book Stores will sell books related to the Constitution and the environment.

11:00 AM - 12:00 noon: Brunch with the Legislators
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Legislators with an interest in the environment (one Republican and one Democrat) are invited to discuss the pros and cons of legislating. Sponsored by Student Legislative Association/Associated Students of UM (SLA/ASUM).

12:15 - 2:00 PM: Monday Noon Series Program
Is the Constitution Green Enough? Constitutional Challenges in the Global Warming Era
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Presenter: Doug Kendall, Executive Director, Community Rights Counsel, Washington DC, explains constitutional questions raised by the MA v EPA global warming case and cases on state global warming protections. Does anyone have "standing" to challenge EPA refusal to address global warming? When does federal law trump state law? Does the federal government have authority under the Commerce Clause to regulate small, intrastate streams and wetlands?

Discussants: Edward Heisel, Clinic Attorney, Washington University School of Law, Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic, and Bill Lambrecht, Washington Bureau Chief, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

PLEASE NOTE: Faculty members bringing class(es) to this event are asked to email the Center for Teaching and Learning, ctl@umsl.edu, with an estimated number of students.

We thank the following Sponsors of the 2007 Constitution Day:

  1. Student Legislative Association/ASUM
  2. Citizenship Education Clearing House (CECH)
  3. Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL)
  4. Department of History,
  5. Department of Political Science,
  6. Honors College,
  7. Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center,
  8. Public Policy Research Center
  9. Environmental Health and Safety
  10. The Green Campus Advisory Group
  11. Political Science Graduate Student Association
  12. Office of Student Life
  13. Center for Humanities
  14. Center for Teaching and Learning/Academic Affairs
  15. University Book Store
  16. New York Times (as a co-sponsor of the American Democracy Project)
  17. Drey Foundation

See Monday Noon series on the web

2007 Constitution Day Planning Committee: Leesa Althen, Wolfgang Althof, Maria Amies, Steve Bailey, Bob Bliss, Peggy Cohen, Rita Csapo Sweet, Sandy Diamond, Vivian Eveloff, Louis Gerteis, Barbara Graham, Cassie Gross, Leah Jones, David Kimball, Karen Lucas, Carlo Manaois, David Robertson, Dana Ulrich, and Betty Van Uum.

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