By Brandon Hurn and Aaron Simpson
Staters Union
Staters travelled to Umberger Hall on Tuesday for a night of reflection and learning.
Guest sp
eakers Dr. Tim Steffensmeier and Judge Joseph Pierron were invited to speak to Staters about their perspective fields of study. Topics included community growth, and the structure of the American Judicial system.
Public square communities is the philosophy used by Steffensmeier and his colleagues use to impact communities across the state of Kansas. The basic idea behind this is the junction of the various aspects of health, government, education, and business within a society.
Steffensmeier began his speech with a poem concerning the true meaning of intelligence and how it relates to community. Steffensmeier went on to ask Staters a series of five questions designed to inspire change and introspective thought within a population.
This instigated discussion among the Staters as they related their personal situations to the points brought up by Steffensmeier.
Pierron, a Judge on the Kansas Court of Appeals, also had an opportunity to speak to Staters about his personal political knowledge.
The session began with a brief overview of American history, particularly as it pertained to the Judiciary Branch.
He then advanced into interactive explanations of Supreme Court cases that demonstrated the process and concepts of constitutionality.
Staters were selected from the crowd to represent historical figures and speak by their views. The first case concerned mandatory drug testing for all those running for public office.
This began at the local level of the court system, and Pierron demonstrated how cases escalate to the Supreme Court. Once this process was completed once, a different group of Staters was selected to demonstrate this in another case.
The speakers concluded their time by encouraging Staters to ask questions relevant to their speeches.]]>
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