There’s a Constitution lecture on campus.
Ryan is prepared.
“I know the Constitution.”
Jake makes the mistake of asking how much.
“The important parts.”
Such as?
“Freedom.”
Fair enough. Broad—but fair.
Benedictine College is holding an early Constitution Day lecture Wednesday featuring Notre Dame Law Professor Sherif Girgis on “The Supreme Court’s Traditionalist Turn.” The lecture begins at 4:00 p.m. in the McAllister Board Room in Ferrell Academic Center. Constitution Day itself follows on September 17, commemorating the signing of the Constitution in 1787.
When Maggie mentions “traditionalism and original meaning,” Ryan suddenly finds familiar territory.
“You want to know what something means… look at what the people who built it were trying to do.”
Maggie pauses.
Because for an architecture student, that’s actually an interesting thought.
Buildings aren’t merely things sitting in front of us. Someone designed them. Someone intended them to do something. Understanding that intention can tell us something about what we’re looking at today.
“That’s actually not a terrible way to think about architecture.”
Ryan accepts the compliment.
Jake reminds them that they’re supposed to be talking about the Constitution.
Ryan is unfazed.
“I contain multitudes.”
Maggie considers the evidence.
“You contain football.”
“Among other multitudes.”
Sometimes the best college conversations happen when one subject unexpectedly wanders into another.
ROOK
Different adventures. Same journey.