Today at Berkeley Lab: Chancellor Birgeneau Invites Participation in Constitution Day Events

Friday, Sept. 14, 2007

Chancellor Birgeneau Invites Participation in Constitution Day Events

To the Campus Community:

On September 17th, Cal will celebrate Constitution Day-the anniversary of the signing of our country's founding document. Federal law requires all schools who receive federal funding to hold an educational program annually on this day.

To give you access to a rich archive of documents and information on the U.S. Constitution, the University of California has created a website, which I encourage you to explore: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/constitutionday/welcome.html

I also invite you to attend some of the activities that will be occurring on campus in connection with Constitution Day.

Jefferson Memorial Lecture. The Honorable A. Wallace Tashima, U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will speak on The War on Terror and the Rule of Law. The event will take place Monday, Sept. 17 at 4:10 p.m., Lipman Room, 8th floor Barrows Hall. For information, visit http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/lectures/jefferson/tashima.shtml
Free Speech Movement Cafe Constitution Day Forum. Distinguished experts will speak on free speech and related constitutional issues with a focus on their relevance to college students and other members of the academic community. Speakers include Daniel Farber, the Sho Sato Professor of Law and director of the Boalt Environmental Law Program; Lowell Bergman, the Reva and David Logan Professor of Investigative Reporting; and Tom Goldstein, Professor and former Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism. The event will take place Tuesday, Sept. 18, from 6-8 p.m., Free Speech Movement Cafe, Moffitt Library.

In honor of Constitution Day, whatever your background, affiliations, or political views, I invite you to reflect this coming week on the values that are the foundation of our great university: academic freedom, freedom of speech, and the unimpeded, reasoned and civil exchange of a full spectrum of viewpoints on every issue.

I wish you a productive and engaging semester ahead.

Yours sincerely,

Robert J. Birgeneau