Continuing Constitution Week celebrations, Bowling Green State University’s (BGSU) Department of Political Science hosted two expert panel discussions in the Bowen Thompson Student-Union on Thursday, Sept. 18.

The two panels are a part of a week-long celebration commemorating Constitution Day, which was on Sept. 17. All of the events during Constitution Week have been made possible through the Bernard Mann Constitutional Fund for Constitutional Law Education. BGSU’s Department of Political Science is collaborating with the university’s Department of History, Democracy and Public Policy Research Network, and the C. Raymond Marvin Center for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement to hold these events.

Eight faculty experts from across the country addressed the Constitution and what it means for today’s United States. Dr. Andrew Stone, assistant professor of Political Science at the University of Mississippi, said the founding document serves as a basis for American democracy.

“The Constitution gives us a guide,” said Stone. “When the founders were talking about what kind of democracy we want, they said we want to set up some things that are protected, things we don’t want the government to be able to tell us what to do. The Bill of Rights is their guide to help us figure out what they thought the most important things were.”

To end a panel, Dr. Christopher Krewson, assistant professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University, said words of optimism for the future of the United States.

“In the end, we need to be introspective somewhat too and think about having a spirit of moderation, stability and looking past our partisan lens sometimes to think about what’s best for this country,” said Krewson.