FFRF's billboard was removed from Rancho Cucumunga after a request which may have been from the city.  First Amendment advocates are concerned that this is censorship and a potential violation of free speech protection.  Read More...

The Texas State Board of Education meeting on November 19 was met with a big purple dinosaur which asked that question.  Chairman Don McLeroy has made statements indicating that he does not accept the evidence of evolution.  The meeting held was to determine the state science standards for the next ten years.  Read More...

Nir Barkat, a self-made millionaire and a secular Jew, defeated ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Meir Proush in elections held on November 11.  The previous administration was criticized for unfair distribution of funding for ultra-Orthodox areas and for imposing conservative social values.  Nir Barkat is expected to promote tourism and high-tech development for job creation.  Read More...

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute has a short 33 question quiz on civics related issues.  You can take the quiz here.  You may find the results surprising.  Keep these results in mind when speaking to others about the separation of church and state.  Knowing the history of a concept and what actual documents and laws state can go a long way in a debate.

Edwin Kagin debated Rev. Matt Slick at an event sponsored by the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.  You can check out his video, as well as others here.

Paul Bloom from Slate covers the topic of religious societies and non religious societies and their impact on human behavior.  The results?  Some of the most secular societies are extraordinarily nice.  Read More...

Atheist Revolution blogger vjack writes about the recent protests conducted nationwide over the passing of a proposition in California which defined legal marriage as a union of one man and one woman.  Even in tiny communities people came out to protest.  What is the lesson, learn to face the fear of being vocal about issues you care about.  Read More...

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This is your eNewsletter and we are always updating and changing to fit your needs, so please let us know what you think of our new format! Email enews@secularstudents.org with any suggestions, ideas, or comments.

Editor-in-Chief:

Editors:  Elizabeth R.A. Liddell, August E. Brunsman IV, Hemant Mehta, Jacquie Kuzma, Brian Gelletly

The end of another year is quickly approaching.  In the United States, elections have been mostly completed (We're looking at you, Minnesota!).  Since one year is nearly wrapped up, we have exciting things to report in the Year-End Review and our Group Running Guide is freshened up.  We hear a secular plea from the University of Alberta along with reports from group events with PZ Myers and Sunsara Taylor and we will dive into marketing, atheist style.

Lori Lipman Brown lobbies on behalf of the Secular Coalition for America.  This month, she reports on the election results.  It's not all bad news for supporters of separation of church and state.  Elizabeth Dole was defeated, Pete Stark was reelected by a larger margin then last time, and eight years of executive decisions influenced by the religious right are over.

by Ian Bushfield

In 2004, Paul Welke couldn't attend his convocation ceremony. The avowed atheist was in Bosnia at the time, serving for the Canadian Peacekeeping forces that were deployed there. The University offered him the ability to attend a convocation at a later date, but upon reading the Chancellor's charge to use his degree "for the glory of God and honour of you country," he pledged not to attend until the ceremony reflected his belief system...

...Fast-forward four years, and the goal of a secular convocation has been revised by the University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics.

by Alex DiBranco

Dartmouth student Alex DiBranco continues her three part article with number three.  She tackles the difficult task of explaining assumptions people have of others, both atheist and religious and what can be done to promote further education about atheism.  If you've missed the previous articled, read part one here, and part two here.

If your group is an affiliate of the Secular Student Alliance, chances are you’ve come across our Group Running Guide. It’s the handbook we send to anyone looking to start a group on their campus, containing a wealth of information on starting and maintaining your secular group.

So you can imagine that we’re excited to announce the new 2008 edition of our Group Running Guide!

This updated version is reorganized for ease of use, and expanded to provide additional detail, guidance and examples. We’ve brought the Technology section up to date with modern opportunities. Plus, the book is now spiral-bound for easy photocopying and durability.

Even established groups might gather an idea or two from our Group Running Guide. For newer groups or new officers, it’s an indispensable guide to handling a secular group. That’s why we keep a version online here.  Check it out today!

Shelley Mountjoy, President of the Rational Response Squad at George Mason University reports on a presentation by PZ Myers, "Science Education: Caught in the Middle in the War Between Science and Religion."

Sunsara Taylor is making the rounds at college campuses around the US.  One of her stops was at the University of Minnesota, home to the Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists.  Her presentation on Bob Avakian's book, "Away With All Gods," made the case that this book on atheism is different than any other book out there, because this book ties atheism to a political movement.

It wasn't that long ago that there were few atheist billboards or ad campaigns around.  The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a notable exception.  After the British Humanist Association launched a highly successful fund raising effort to plaster buses in the UK with a humanist message, atheist and humanist groups in the US are getting inspired.  COCORE and the American Humanist Association are running campaigns in Colorado and Washington D.C., respectively.

2008 has been a great year for the Secular Student Alliance.  We presently have 129 campus affiliate groups in twelve countries.  Lyz Liddell has risen to the challenge of the Senior Campus Organizer position, an all important contact for student organizers.  We are busy updating our promotional material, including our Group Running Guide.

The SSA has also provided grants to student groups, organized a speaker bureau, and played a major role in organizing Richard Dawkins' spring university tour.

Read the rest of the report for a list of "Best Of" awards!