Contact Program Contact Student Activities (765) 455-9203 Media Contact Anne-Marie Damler OCM (765) 455-9468 adamler@iuk.edu Mary Ellen Stephenson OCM (765) 455-9414 mestephe@iuk.edu

Historian looks at ‘battles’ to change Constitution

KOKOMO, Ind.—Professor of Law and History Michael Grossberg, Ph.D., from IU Bloomington will present a Constitution Day program at Indiana University Kokomo on Wednesday, September 20. Sponsored by the History/Political Science Club, the talk starts at 7 p.m. in Kelley Student Center, Room 130. Admission is free and open to the public.

Observed officially on September 19, Constitution Day marks the 219th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. In 2004, the U.S. Congress mandated that all educational institutions receiving federal funds will celebrate Constitution Day by offering an educational program, on or around the holiday. The programs are intended to promote understanding and appreciation of the nation’s constitutional underpinnings.

An expert on legal history and family law, Grossberg “brings very high credentials” to his lecture, according to Allen Safianow, faculty moderator of the History/Political Science Club. “Dr. Grossberg has won many high honors. For 10 years [1995–2005], he served as editor of the American Historical Review, which is perhaps the most prestigious of all professional historical publications.”

Grossberg titled his talk “How Much Protection Do We Need?  The Gay Marriage Amendment and American Constitution.” The lecture will cover “the historical significance of amending the constitution and the kinds of battles such amendments have instigated in the past,” Grossberg said. “My intent is to argue that the current Congressional debate over the Gay Marriage Amendment raises important questions about the place of the federal constitution in American political and social life.” Safianow noted that Grossberg has prepared briefs in state cases concerning gay marriage, “so he brings a special professional involvement with the subject.”

For more information, contact the Office of Student Activities, (765) 455-9203. Persons without campus parking passes should follow the signs for special event parking for the lecture.