Three teams of students battled for Constitutional bragging rights at Sacramento State’s fourth annual Constitution Bowl in the University Ballroom on Sept. 14 as part of Constitution and Civic Engagement Week.
Teams of students from Stockton, Sacramento, and Sacramento’s Land Park neighborhood had 30 seconds to answer 30 questions directly from the United States and California Constitutions. President Nelsen, along with faculty, staff and students, presented questions in short video clips.
Team Stockton, consisting of Sac State students Edward Roman Rodriguez and Brenda Dominguez, dominated the competition with a score of 23 out of 30 possible points. Team Land Park placed in second with 14 points, edging out Team Sacramento, which finished with 13 points.
Rodriguez, who first heard about the event last year, prepared by studying in advance.
“I prepared the week prior by going over the Constitution, but I felt pretty confident about myself. I knew I would win, and I did,” Rodriguez said.
Alexander Du Gaue, a business major, said he attended because his “government teacher recommended it … plus he gave us extra credit (to come).”
Steve Boilard, the Executive Director for Center for California Studies, coordinated the event. Boilard said the purpose of Constitution Week is “to encourage students to think about the state that governs us.”
“I enjoy seeing students challenging themselves,” Boilard added. Boilard also appreciates seeing students “civically engaged.”
Other events during Constitution Week include the Community and Civic Engagement Resource Fair, The Day of Service Volunteer Event, Paint the Town, and student and campus organization panels, which includes lectures from past ASI presidents and activist, author and professor, Cornel West.
Sept. 17 marks the American Federal observance of the date of the U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787. It was known as “Citizenship Day,” before the official title was changed in 2004 to “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.” In 2005, a bill was passed that requires all publicly funded educational institutions and all federal agencies to provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day.
The law requires every school that receives federal funds — including universities — show students a program on the Constitution, though it does not specify a particular one.
At Sacramento State, the Community Engagement Center coordinates this program and has added a civic engagement component to the week and to the name. The theme for this year’s event is “Constitution Matters.”
