Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WKU celebrating “Constitution Week” with event series

WKU

Western Kentucky University will celebrate America’s founding document with a lineup of events next week.

The WKU Department of Political Science, Office of the Provost, Political Engagement Project, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee are sponsoring the events, which begin Tuesday and wrap up Thursday.

Dr. Saundra Ardrey, professor in the Department of Political Science,said student political engagement is strong, with a recent explosion in interest catalyzed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision ending federal projections for abortion rights previously found under Roe v. Wade.

“A lot of my young women especially, they are coming to realize that rights that were granted and guaranteed in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, they’re not really guaranteed.,” Ardrey said. “You have to be ever-vigilant.”

The centerpiece of the lineup is Tuesday’s Rock the Vote Festival. Ardrey said the event will feature a voter registration drive, free food, and information about political candidates.

“What we do is invite all the candidates that want to come and submit their materials. We’ll have tables of buttons and voter information. We want to make sure students come and are informed about the issues,” Ardrey explained.

The full lineup of events includes the following:

  • Tuesday, September 20: National Voter Registration Day and Rock the Vote Festival, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Guthrie Bell Tower and South Lawn. Participants will be able to register to vote and get information about political candidates.
  • Wednesday, September 21: “Precedent and Politics: The Case of Roe v. Wade,” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Cherry Hall, room 302. Dr. Jeff Budziak, Department of Political Science will facilitate a discussion about the relationship between the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the future of reproductive rights and the impact on voter registration for the midterm elections.
  • Thursday, September 22: Deliberative Dialogue Group Discussion on “How Should We Encourage and Safeguard Voting?” 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Student Success Center, Gary Ransdell Hall first floor.  

In conjunction with the Rock the Vote event, voter registration drives will occur Tuesday at the following locations from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

  • Warren County Public Library Bob Kirby Branch, 175 Iron Skillet Court, Bowling Green
  • Warren County Public Library Main Location, 1225 State St., Bowling Green
  • Little Fox Bakery, 401 Park Row, Bowling Green
Dalton York joined WKU Public Radio in December 2021 as a reporter and host of Morning Edition. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in History from Murray State University, and was named MSU's Outstanding Senior Man for fall 2021. He previously served as a student reporter and All Things Considered host for WKMS, part of the Kentucky Public Radio network. He has won multiple Kentucky Associated Press Awards and Impact Broadcast Awards from the Kentucky Broadcasters Association. A native of Marshall County, Dalton is a proud product of his tight-knit community.