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Secular shorts:

The Secular Student Alliance is a partner organization in American Atheists' protest of the disturbing and far- reaching changes proposed by the Texas Board of Education.
Read more here.

Celebrate the
National Day of Reason!
Check out their website to get ideas, list your event, and sign on as a supporter.

Take Action!
Secular Coalition for America Alert: Tell Congress to permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule!

Secular students made the Tribune Magazine front page! Check it out here.

Sign the FFRF's petition to end the unconstitutional National Day of Prayer.

On Facebook? Check out the SSA's page!

Come to our biggest event! Our Annual Conference will be held July 23-25 in Columbus, OH. Find out more here.

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Contact us!
Call us toll free at 1-877-842-9474. You can also email us at ssa@secularstudents.org. We are always happy to hear from you and answer any questions or concerns!

What do you think?
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.

eMpirical Team

Content Manager:
Frank Bellamy

Editors:
August E. Brunsman IV, Ait Chapel, Amanda Knief, Lyz Liddell, Hemant Mehta, Luis A. Morán Morales

Communications Director:
Jesse Galef

Introduction

The Secular Student movement has been busy! Not only was the New England Leadership Summit was a success, but our affiliate groups have been as active as ever. Check out some of their clever fundraising ideas, inspiring service stories, and award-winning events!

Furman Society of Free Inquiry Wins "Boundary Breaking" Award

On November 4, 2009, a hundred students at Furman University found a seat to listen to a panel of their peers discuss instances of what they termed "unintentional discrimination." The Society of Free Inquiry (SoFI), the first religious skeptics group on Furman's campus, won the an award for this excellent event.
by Ryan Hampton

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Creative Fundraiser: Send an Atheist to Church

Your secular group is probably looking you to give back to the community and get some positive news coverage. The Society of Non-Theists at Purdue University has a proven fundraiser that kills both of these particular birds with one stone, and without being so controversial that your club members would be stoned to death: Send an Atheist to Church.
by Jennifer McCreight

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Atheists and Christians Unify to Destroy New Orleans

OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. We didn't actually destroy a city … just a couple of houses. For the second year in a row, Ohio State's Students for Freethought and a Christian campus group, The Thomas Society, went to go rebuild homes in New Orleans. The size of the groups combined was 23 people�”the perfect size to make it easy for all group members to mingle with each other at some point of the trip.
by Ashley Paramore

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God Debate at St. Cloud State University

The Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) and the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) hosted a debate at St. Cloud State University between August Berkshire and Joe Boot on the existence of God, with Prof. Suzanne Stangl-Erkens serving as the moderator. Boot argued in the affirmative, while Berkshire argued in the negative.There were 700 seats set out in the Atwood ballroom and an additional 200 were brought in to accommodate the influx of people. The turnout was spectacular.
By Benjamin Seghers

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Austin Dacey Talk on Blasphemy Best-attended SHIFT Event so Far

SHIFT (Secularism, Inquiry and Freethought), the secular student group at the University of Utah, recently welcomed Dr. Austin Dacey and his colleague, Dr. Angie McQuaig for a two-fold event: a presentation by Dacey about blasphemy and a discussion about religion with a local church leader to follow.
by Jason Cooperrider

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An Intern's Reflection on the SSA New England Leadership Summit

Oftentimes, internships burden students with tedious unenviable tasks that dull the mind and leave the intern feeling bored and underutilized. Fortunately for me, the Secular Student Alliance does not emulate this practice. Starting April 16th, The Secular Student Alliance hosted the 2010 New England Leadership Summit at Harvard University, and I was thrilled to accompany them.
by Nathaniel Mauger

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Atheism is not Extremism

After the Kent State newspaper printed an anti-atheist opinion piece, Vice President of the Kent State Freethinkers Aaron Rockhold wrote a thoughtful letter to the editor in response.

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Share Your Secular Story Contest

NonProphet Status is seeking previously unpublished personal stories written from a secular (Secular Humanist, Atheist, Agnostic, et al.) perspective. Submission details are provided after the link.

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The American Humanist Association Will Sponsor a Prom for Everyone

In mid-March, the American Humanist Association announced that, with the help of a generous donation from members Todd and Diana Stiefel, it was offering to plan and fund a prom for the Itawamba county Agricultural High School in Mississippi. The Itawamba County School District had made headlines by cancelling their prom rather than letting a lesbian student, Constance McMillen, bring her girlfriend as her date and wear a suit.
By Karen Frantz, Adapted from Humanist Network News

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Young Atheists Do Exist

You've probably heard some stereotypes about secular activists and avowed nonbelievers. Some of these stereotypes take us to be overly militant, arrogant in our intellectualism. Others paint us as nuts, oddballs with nothing better to think about. Still others classify us as immoral, possessed of something semi-demonic. I don't take them seriously. But there's one stereotype in particular that spells trouble for the secular movement: that secular activists are all really, really old.
by Paul Fidalgo

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SHIFT Hosts Health Care Discussion with Utah Representative

Last semester, SHIFT (Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought) held an informative and engaging health care event. At this event we welcomed Representative Brian King, of the Utah House of Representatives District 28, to address and lead our group in an interactive discussion, following which was shown the documentary Sicko, on Michael Moore's homepage.
by Elaine Ball

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