DeKALB – Sept. 17 marks Constitution Day and NIU is celebrating with several events. The Constitution of the United States was signed Sept. 17, 1787, and in 2004 Congress enacted a law to formally celebrate.

Before 2004 the holiday was called “Citizenship Day” and wasn’t as significant of a holiday. As a part of renaming the holiday, it was also mandated that all federal agencies and publicly funded institutions, such as NIU, provide educational programming on the history of the Constitution of America on Sept. 17. Since then, institutions celebrate the day in a variety of different ways. Some museums offer free admissions and NIU will have a few events to show support.

On Sept. 17 from noon-1 p.m., there will be a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the Constitution in the College of Law in room 170. It will aim to assess how well the Constitution has stood the test of time, how the document has become a part of our national identity and possible reforms to the Court.

Aside from that, there will be free pocket-sized Constitutions available in the financial aid office in Swen Parson Hall room 245. Additionally, the political science general education class will be discussing the origins of the Constitution on Sept. 16 and 17 (depending on what class is being taught).