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GRCC STUDENT GROUPS SPONSOR UNIQUE FREE SPEECH EVENT
Students Invited to Trade Free Speech for Free Food on Constitution Day
September 16, 2008 Grand Rapids, MI – On Constitution Day – September 17, 2008 – Grand Rapids Community College students will have the chance to trade their First Amendment rights for free food in an event in the “First Amendment Free Food Festival,” an event organized by student groups on campus and scheduled to take place on the Bostwick Commons of GRCC’s downtown campus from Noon to 2:00pm.
In exchange for a lunch – students will trade in their rights to freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances by entering a roped-off zone where the First Amendment no longer exists. In addition to losing their own First Amendment rights while they eat, students will be treated to performances by fellow students depicting what the loss of their freedoms might look like.
Lonnie Allen, editor of GRCC’s award-winning student newspaper The Collegiate and one of the chief proponents of bringing this concept to campus, cites the words of Thomas Jefferson to explain his motivation; “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”
“Those quotes mean a lot to me because of my passion for the truth in journalism. I believe journalist and reporters are stewards of our leaders in the government. If the press is not free to question its leaders or fails to ask the tough questions we could be led into a situation that goes against the very ideals of the people the leaders serve,” explains Allen.
He continues, “this project has been a passion of mine since I first heard about in New York two years ago. I have always wanted to bring it to this campus. The First Amendment Free Food festival will give the GRCC community a chance to actually live without the protection of the First Amendment, even if it is only a for few minutes. Is a free lunch really worth no First Amendment right?”
The event is sponsored by GRCC’s Campus Activities Board, the GRCC Student Congress, and the GRCC student newspaper the Collegiate along with the College Media Board.
Grand Rapids Community College, established in 1914, offers both liberal arts and workforce development degrees, certification and workshops. Student enrollment for both credit and non-credit courses reached 26,000 in the 2007-08 academic year.
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