This year marks the 10th anniversary of Iowa State’s First Amendment Day, a celebration that serves as a reminder of the five freedoms granted to the American people in the Constitution.

Iowa State’s initial First Amendment Day was celebrated in April 2003.

According to “Creating Creative First Amendment Events,” a creative component for a master’s degree published by Mark Witherspoon, adviser to the Daily and leader in the formation of the initial First Amendment Day at Iowa State, “in the summer of 2002, three things happened that led to the beginning of First Amendment celebrations at Iowa State University.”

Witherspoon wrote that the first occurred in July, when the First Amendment Center had published a 2002 State of the First Amendment Survey. This survey showed a severe increase in the “number of people in the United States who believed the First Amendment provided Americans with too much freedom.”

“’Spoon and the director of the Greenlee School, then John Eighmey, had some grant money,” said David Bulla, associate professor at the College of Communication & Media Sciences at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Bulla worked as a professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication before his transfer to Abu Dhabi. “’Spoon thought that 9/11 had done some damage to civil liberties and wanted to create a First Amendment Day activity.”

In his creative component, Witherspoon wrote, “Previous year’s surveys — those conducted in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001 — had shown that about one-third of Americans thought the First Amendment provided too much freedom. In the 2002 survey, that percentage jumped to 49 percent.”

Witherspoon said the second thing that led to the formation of First Amendment Day was when he was asked to coordinate an effort of the college media advisers in order to educate students and advisers about the First Amendment.

At this point, Gene Policinski, senior vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center, became involved when Witherspoon came to him in order to get ideas to work with.

“Mark came to me with Chris Carroll, who is the director of Vanderbilt’s Student Publications, and we had a discussion about programs relating to the first amendment,” Policinski said. “We brainstormed about doing a summer workshop for college media advisers and during this time, Mark mentioned wanting to do a First Amendment Festival. So we brainstormed what could be done for it and we decided to bring in Ken Paulson for the keynote speaker, and for entertainment we would have Freedom Sings. I have been involved several times since then, and I even emceed for Feast on the First a couple years ago. I have maintained a pretty good connection with Mark since becoming involved.”

Then the last factor occurred. Eighmey, then director of the Greenlee School, asked Witherspoon a few weeks later to coordinate a national event for the Greenlee School. Witherspoon thus decided this would be the opportunity to bring the First Amendment to people at Iowa State and the Ames community.

“I remember Mark Witherspoon playing the key leadership role,” Eighmey said. “My role was really just a supporting one, to encourage and to provide support and some resources.”

Policinski praised Iowa State’s efforts in celebrating First Amendment Day on an annual basis.

“Frankly, Iowa State is one of the leaders in what it does to celebrate the First Amendment. In the past few years other schools have had activities of some sort to celebrate it, such as a series of speakers or some activity, but Iowa State is one of the leaders in this trend,” he said. “Every year it gains stature, and it’s a real testimony to Iowa State as a university and to the Greenlee School for all the work they have done to recognize the First Amendment. It has broadened in its depth and continues to do so on an annual basis.”

Bulla encouraged students from all majors and walks of life to join in on celebrating their freedoms granted by the First Amendment.

“If [Iowa State] students traveled around the world, they would realize the rights enshrined in the First Amendment are not guaranteed in much of the world,” he said. “Try writing what you please in China, staging a protest in Iran or criticizing the government in North Korea. … In many ways, First Amendment Day is the Greenlee School’s and [Society of Professional Journalists’] statement about who we, as Americans, are as a people. We believe in freedom of expression, open government and citizen participation. We believe that every man’s opinion has value — even those with whom we disagree.”

Eighmey echoed many of Bulla’s points in his opinion of the First Amendment, especially as to the role it plays for journalists.

“It is an important event. Journalism plays a key role in the success of any democracy, and the more we can do to appreciate and support this role, the brighter the future will be. Of course the First Amendment, with all its aspects, is essential to our civil and civic society.”

The initial First Amendment Day featured Freedom Sings, a “program of the First Amendment Center. [It] is a critically acclaimed multimedia experience with an all-star cast of musicians, now in its 11th year of touring the country. The presentation features music that has been banned or censored or has sounded a call for social change, and it invites audiences to experience the First Amendment in a new way.”

A few years later in 2005, First Amendment Day was lengthened to a week long event in order to replace “a little of Veishea that would be missing because of the cancellation of ISU’s annual spring celebration, and the second was to kick off the Greenlee School’s Centennial year.”

That year, five of the seven days were dedicated to each individual freedom listed within the First Amendment. April 10, 2005 was set to be the kickoff. The next day, Monday, was dedicated to Freedom of Speech; Tuesday was determined to be Freedom of Petition. Wednesday was Freedom of the Press. Thursday was Freedom of Assembly and Friday was Freedom of Religion, leaving Saturday to be the Awards Day.

Policinski said that the First Amendment is one of the most important freedoms Americans have and that a decade of celebrations is relevant to its significance.

“Unfortunately, people’s knowledge of the content in the First Amendment has declined,” he said. “Very few people can list all of the five freedoms included in the First Amendment. College is the time for people to complete their education and focus on these five freedoms. This is knowledge that you carry with you throughout your whole life, and people really need to understand what each freedom means. College campuses are especially a place to practice your use of the First Amendment. It is meant to be a safe harbor and a marketplace of ideas.”

This year’s First Amendment Day is scheduled with many different types of events promoting the five freedoms. Highlights include the Freedom March, which is Thursday at 9 a.m. During the Freedom March, participants march from the steps of Ames City Hall to the steps of Beardshear Hall, to support whatever cause they choose.

Another highlight of this year’s First Amendment Day celebrations is the return of Freedom Sings.

“It is fitting that the group Freedom Sings is returning to campus for the 10th anniversary of this event,” Eighmey said. “The ballroom of the Union was packed when this group performed 10 years ago at the first event. The songs they sing bring dynamic depth to everyone’s appreciation of the First Amendment.”