MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (ANFINSON) -- As part of its annual Constitution Day celebration, Middle Tennessee State University played host to a naturalization ceremony for 300 immigrants. The celebration also included student-led readings of the Constitution.
Nearly 300 immigrants gathered in the Murphy Center along with friends, family and members of the community. Judge Joe B. Brown of the US District Court for Middle Tennessee led the swearing-in ceremony.
“...that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic... “Please stand with me to honor the flag...”
At MTSU’s Center for Innovation in Media, student reporters provided live coverage of the event throughout the day. Just outside their doors, a long line of students volunteered to read from the Constitution.
MTSU Recording Industry major, Jennifer Boyd, was one of the participants. She says the Constitution is important to people in her major.
“It’s all about intellectual property, which is a huge part of the Constitution. And I’m also in copyright law, and that’s part of what we’re studying right now.”
Boyd also feels that understanding the nation's founding principles is an important part of being a good citizen.
Constitution Day was first celebrated at MTSU in 2004. The university’s American Democracy Project has been hosting annual campus events ever since.