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CFN Members Celebrate Constitution Day on Campus

This year, FIRE invited CFN members to host Constitution Day events to kick off the new school year and spread the word about liberty on campus. Some of our suggested activities included setting up an open microphone or soapbox for students, staging a debate about a campus issue, or building a "Free Speech Wall" with paper or cardboard and setting out markers for students to exercise their right to anonymous speech.

Several students took advantage of these suggestions and sent in pictures of their events, which are posted on the CFN website.

FROM LEFT: Indiana University's "Constitutional Guerrilla Gorilla"; 2010 FIRE intern Cynthia Bell staffs a Constitution Day info table at Seton Hall University; 2010 CFN Conference attendee Kenny Tan at Vanderbilt sets up a table; Another 2010 intern, Nico Perrino sports a FIRE T-shirt while passing out pocket constitutions at Indiana University; Christine-Marie Dixon at Madonna University also set up tables; New CFN member Paul Weigner spreads the word at Vassar.

One of the most contentious Constitution Day events occurred at Pepperdine University. As you may have read on the Torch, the Pepperdine College Libertarians decided to build a Free Speech Wall. Hundreds of comments were added to the wall during the week, but then the wall was vandalized by an offended student. Michelle Fields from Pepperdine wrote on our Facebook wall, "Someone tried to silence us, but we are rebuilding our wall. Thanks again for the great idea." After an article about the incident was published in the Pepperdine Graphic, the rebuilt wall garnered more attention and comments than ever (including a few choice words for the would-be censor). A few close-up photos of individual comments are included in the album.

From Top: The Free Speech Wall at Pepperdine; After a vandal targets the wall; Pepperdine College Libertarians stand in front of the restored wall.

Thanks to all the CFN members who participated! I'm already looking forward to next year.

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