USC refuses to mandate Constitution course, despite state law requiring it
Reported below by The Daily Gamecock, an editorially independent student newspaper at the University of South Carolina, USC students aren’t required to take classes on the Constitution and other documents central to the founding of the U.S., which means the university is breaking state law.
State law requires public universities to teach their graduates at least one year of courses on the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Federalist papers.
And if they don’t, the law says that’s “sufficient cause for the dismissal or removal” of a university president.
The law was first raised as an issue by a pair of students — third-year political science student Jameson Broggi and fourth-year religious studies student Taylor Smith — a year ago, but pressure on the university has grown in the last few months.
Three state senators — Larry Grooms, Chip Campsen and Danny Verdin — have written USC President Harris Pastides asking the university to comply with the law, which was last updated in 1998.
Pastides responded with a letter that says the law would need to be updated for USC to follow it. Pastides wrote that about 60 percent of USC students take classes on the founding documents and requiring the rest to do the same would cause problems.
“Without modernization, the strict application of [the law] would create an academic logjam, delaying a student’s timely graduation and burdening the student and parent with additional tuition and costs,” Pastides wrote.
In an interview, Broggi said he and his friends are still setting up meetings with state legislators and that they’ve gotten support from some university trustees and a former governor.
He said he’s pushing USC to comply with the law because he thinks students should learn what their rights are and what sacrifices made by early Americans led to them.
“We’re all studying different fields, but I think it’s essential for every American to know these fundamental American values,” Broggi said. “How do we know what our rights really are and if the government is violating them if we haven’t studied the Constitution?”
Related Documents:
- Sen. Chip Campsen’s letter – PDF
- Sen. Larry Grooms’ letter – PDF
- Sen. Danny Verdin’s Letter – PDF
- USC President Harris Pastides’ letter in response – PDF
Original article written by Thad Moore, published 2/9/14.
https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2014/02/usc-doesnt-require-constitution-classes-breaking-state-law