NEW ALBANY, IN (Sept. 14, 2011) – When celebrating First Amendment rights, it is easy to forget the five liberties given more than 200 years ago.

The Indiana University Southeast Civil Liberties Union values these freedoms and is hosting a colloquium in honor of Constitution Day to help remember the value and importance of these liberties for Americans today.

The colloquium will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 15, in the IU Southeast Library. It will focus on the First Amendment as it pertains to the free exercise clause and the establishment clause.

Speakers include Bryan Hall, IU Southeast assistant professor of philosophy; Jim Chen , dean of the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law; Lee Remington Williams, assistant professor of political science at Bellarmine University; and Ed Hensley, the Kentucky state director for American Atheists. They will be addressing issues concerning the complex relationship between church and state.

The colloquium will allow time for open discussion and a Q & A session following the event.

Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787.

For any additional information regarding the event, please contact the IU Southeast Civil Liberties Union by e-mail at seawelch@ius.edu.