Department Of Communications Celebrates First Amendment Awareness Month

Apr. 09, 2012

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - The Department of Communications at the University of North Alabama is celebrating First Amendment Awareness Month during the entire month of April. There will be activities throughout the month to build awareness of the First Amendment and recognize the importance of the five rights that it guarantees. One out of five college students cannot name the five rights that the First Amendment guarantees. Because the First Amendment often gets taken for granted, the Department of Communications wants to use First Amendment Awareness Month to remind people of the five freedoms that guide a person's everyday life. During the first week of April, "Liberty Wraps" have been placed in the Guillot University Center. The "Liberty Wraps" were created by student organizations and are intended to reflect the five rights of the First Amendment and how those rights have impacted their organizations. There will also be two speakers in April, including Hank Klibanoff, author of the "The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation," who will talk April 23. Gene Policinski, senior vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center, will speak April 19. Both speakers will be featured in room 131 of the communications building at 7 p.m. each night. In addition to the guest speakers and "Liberty Wraps," there will also be a "Freedom Table" set up in the GUC a few days a week throughout the month. At the "Freedom Table," students can take a quiz to test their First Amendment knowledge and have their name entered in a raffle to win a $100 UNA bookstore gift card. Students can also get pamphlets and information on the First Amendment and upcoming events during First Amendment Awareness Month. For more information, contact Dr. Greg Pitts in the Department of Communications at 256-765-4247.