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First Amendment Days 2023

First Amendment Days is a weeklong celebration of our First Amendment freedoms – religion, speech, press, assembly, petition. A diverse assortment of speakers, events and activities are offered on campus every spring as a creative way to engage students and the entire Iowa State community to better understand the power of free expression. First Amendment Days is also designed to provide opportunities to exercise our five freedoms.

Depth & Dialogue Session

Small sessions exploring various First Amendment topics will take place throughout the day. All below events are free and open to student and the public. Students, feel free to arrive late or leave early to any session as necessary because of classes.

Covering Faith: Facts & Friction in the News Media

Full schedule and detailed sessions info >>

Covering Faith: Facts & Friction in News Media’ is a symposium meant to bring people of faith and local journalists together to discuss how matters of religion and spirituality are treated in modern news reporting. The event will include sessions for the faithful and reporters to hear from one another on how to help each other provide better, more contextualized news that treats faith as a core community value. Free lunch will be provided. Public welcome.

10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 172 Hamilton Hall, Iowa State University

  • 10 a.m. – Coffee & pastries. Faith leaders and others discuss how they perceive news coverage.
  • 11:15 a.m. – Break
  • 11:25 a.m. – How to be a trusted resource. (This session will be particularly good for PR students.)
  • 12:15 p.m. – Lunch. Free food, plus a moderated conversation among faith and media representatives.
  • 1:15 p.m. – Media debriefing about what they’ve heard from others so far.
  • 2:15 p.m. – Coffee break
  • 2:30 p.m. – Tips and best practices for journalists. (This session will conclude by 4 p.m. and will be particularly good for journalism students.)

Feast on the First

11 a.m.-1 p.m., First Amendment Tent, Curtiss Lawn East, Central Campus

Enjoy FREE food, fun and festivities of the five freedoms.

Festivities will include

  • FREE food (sausage rolls or mac and cheese plus dessert from the Mucky Duck Pub), while supplies last
  • First Amendment Days T-shirts, while supplies last
  • Passports to five First Amendment displays, with stickers as prizes
  • Soapboxes

All week

Iowa State University Library First Amendment libguide

Want to study up on the First Amendment? Check out the extensive resources available in this Iowa State University Library First Amendment libguide curated by Charles Yier of the Iowa State University Library in conjunction with First Amendment Days.

First Amendment Days: Student-Led Design Challenge

Working in multidisciplinary teams, Iowa State students from across the university were challenged to design and construct five displays representing the rights enumerated in the First Amendment. To see these displays, first stop into the Parks Library, where you can pick up a “passport” that lists the locations of each display. Once you’ve seen them all, you can return to the library and get your First Amendment Days sticker! Here are the locations:

  • Freedom of assembly: Enrollment Services Center
  • Freedom of petition: Parks Library
  • Freedom of the press: Beardshear Hall
  • Freedom of religion: Parks Library
  • Freedom of speech: Lawn south of The Hub

Ames Public Library

The First Amendment is the cornerstone of American freedoms.
In celebration of First Amendment Days, the Ames Public Library will have five exhibits scattered throughout the library building. Each exhibit explores one of the five freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment. Visit all five and earn a prize!