SEPTEMBER 13, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Week Of Activities Planned At SMC In Celebration of Constitution Day 

SPARTANBURG, SC -- To celebrate the 220th year since the framing of the United States Constitution, Spartanburg Methodist College has several activities lined up for the week of Sept. 17 – 21. 

Each Freshman Year Experience class will celebrate Constitution Day on Monday by spotlighting issues of citizenship and learning more about the Constitution itself.   

 “I think this is an excellent opportunity for students to focus on our American heritage and to be reminded of the freedoms that we all enjoy,” says SMC Dean of Students Art Hartzog, who is the coordinator of the Freshman Year Experience program.  

The College is making  pocket-sized copies of the Constitution available to all members of the freshman class. 

On Wednesday, September 19 at 4:00 pm, Dr. Marvin L. Cann, Adjunct Professor of History at SMC, will present a lecture on “The South Carolina Delegates to the Philadelphia Convention”.  Cann’s presentation will examine the contributions the South Carolina delegation made in writing the Constitution.  

The SMC Student Government Association will sponsor a voter registration drive throughout the week.  In the 2006 general election, only 24% of South Carolinians ages 18-29 voted.  The SMC SGA hopes that this voter registration drive will encourage students to become active participants in civic issues on the local, state, and national levels.  Students will be able to register to vote in their county of residence, with the college ensuring that each student’s registration form makes it to the proper county Board of Elections office.   

The Student Activities Office, under the leadership of  Kim Day, the Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development, will sponsor a Constitution Trivia Quiz via the campus email network.  All students will have the opportunity to answer questions pertaining to the constitution for the chance to win prizes ranging from college bookstore items to $50 cash. 

Federal law requires that all schools, colleges, and universities that receive federal funds hold an educational event about the Constitution on or during the week of September 17th each year.

Spartanburg Methodist College is in its 96th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning. 

For more information, please contact Kim Day, the Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development, at (864) 587-4006.

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