In just a few short months, those of us who call ourselves journalists – including, specifically, members of the Society for Professional Journalists and members of the Daily staff – will band together April 7, to celebrate the First Amendment. We call it First Amendment Day. You should come. It’ll be great. 

And we can assure you this won’t be the last time you’ll hear about First Amendment Day between now and then, but we wanted to take an opportunity to put a call out to those of you across this campus whose passions lie with other amendments before it gets to be too late in the semester. 

You see, for a long time now, First Amendment Day organizers have often asked themselves these simple questions: “Why don’t we celebrate the other amendments, too? Why don’t they get their own day?”

So in light of the Daily’s coverage of students’ reactions to the Iowa Legislature’s work to make it easier for Iowans to conceal carry, and because this is something that always crosses our minds too late in the game, we’d like to extend an open invitation to those of you who love your U.S. Constitutional Amendments to rally together to make plans now to celebrate them in style later in the semester. 

For example, seeing as First Amendment Day is scheduled for April 7, that would make April 8, Second Amendment Day. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus take note. And you might consider finding out whether the ISU College Republicans would be interested in joining forces to educate and advocate for the Second Amendment on campus that day. 

Now, we know what you’re thinking: There are some amendments that’ll be just plain difficult to commemorate. 

For example, our right against unreasonable searches and seizures is great, but what do you do? Invite a cop into your apartment and then ask them to leave? All for the sake of celebrating the Fourth Amendment? Seems an unreasonable request and waste of public resources.

And let’s hope no one takes it upon themselves to waterboard a willing victim on Central Campus on April 14 just to educate people about the reasons behind the Eighth Amendment. 

Now, certainly, if states’ rights get you fired up, you might consider writing your Senators a letter April 16, or April 23, in honor of the 10th and 24th amendments, though it’s hard to imagine any campus organizations rallying together to celebrate them. 

Certainly among the most controversial of the amendments, staunch supporters of sobriety will want to take advantage of April 24 to sit back and enjoy a refreshingly cool glass of Coke, Fanta, orange juice or… water, if you please. They might also consider it a day to educate their friends and neighbors on the dangers of over-consumption. 

But just three days later, on April 27 – the Wednesday of the semester’s Dead Week, what’s more – those of you who celebrate Whiskey Wednesdays will have more than just surviving what can be the busiest week of the semester for many to raise your glasses to – we can toast to our ability to drink, out in the open, in bars in Campustown and on Main Street, to buy our alcohol at any one of several fine establishments around town, or to host parties at our homes, if we so choose.

Whichever your amendment, on whichever day you choose to celebrate it, let us know about it, and we’ll help you get the word out there.

Because every Amendment harks to a time when political winds across the country were right to unite both houses of Congress and at least two-thirds of the states together to be instruments of great change, and those momentous occasions should give us pause to reflect and, in some cases, even celebrate.