APSU students to decide if they ‘eat free or live free’ on Constitution Day

(Posted Sept. 12, 2019)

Austin Peay State University students will have a choice to make on Constitution Day, Sept. 17: Eat free or live free. The choice pits free food against First Amendment rights.

That choice will happen 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Morgan University Center Plaza, where students choosing to enter the fake People’s Republic of Clarksville experience preplanned events that demonstrate what life might be like without First Amendment protections.

All the rules of the fake country are enforced by student actors.

Students will choose between free food and their first amendment rights on Sept. 17.

If students ask for a specific type of chip, for example, they might not get what they ordered. If they come in with a group of friends, they might not be allowed to sit together. If they have logos on their T-shirts or backpacks, the logos will be covered with tape. If they have a complaint, they have to sit at a table where no one will hear their concerns.

All the rules of the fake country are enforced by student actors from The All State, Wesley Foundation, Governor’s Programming Council and the Military Student Center. The event is sponsored by the departments of Student Publications and Student Life & Engagement.

Last year, 329 students waived their First Amendment rights to participate in the event.

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