This is the second of two very special installments of the SSA eMpirical. Senior Campus Organizer Alison Bates conducts interviews with many of the SSA’s affiliate groups to find out what our groups around the world are up to, what they need a little help with, and how they are received on their respective campuses. The interviews are specific to each group and so we find out things such as how the University of Virginia Atheists and Agnostics were able to pull things together so quickly for Richard Dawkins’ impromptu visit, and how University of Minnesota’s Campus Atheists and Secullar Humanists have been able to maintain such a long and successful history.

The opportunity to participate in these interviews and to have the news of their groups published was open to all SSA groups. Response was so enthusiastic that we brought you two eMpirical editions featuring them, both replete with news directly from our secular students.

The University of North Texas has a new freethought group, and they're hitting the ground running!  The groups first apperance was at a Spiritual Showcase, where they were the lone organization representing religious progressives and the non-religious.  Read about how these secular students are  reaching out to cooperate with other freethought groups in Texas, and  moving ahead with their group.

Learn how the Toronto Secular Alliance has teamed up with the Humanist Association of Toronto to open the  Secular Freethought Centre.  Together this student and local group have established the first atheist/humanist/freethinker drop-in community center in Canada. And this is just one of many projects they've been working on!

What do you do when Richard Dawkins shows up unexpectedly on your university's doorstep? And how do you plan for next year when most of your group is set to graduate in the spring?  These are all  questions that Isaah Vincent, Activities Chair of the Virginia Atheists & Agnostics effectively answers.

Each year, a small number of youth are brave enough to create SSA affiliates on their campuses. Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Patrick Julius, the founder and President of the Secular Student Alliance at the University of Michigan.

Julia Sweeney, a former Saturday Night Live star, is one of the nation's up-and-coming Humanist voices. She recently appeared for a highly successful performance at Harvard University. This article was written by Julie Duncan, a member of the Harvard Secular Society , and Harvard undergraduate.

One year ago, I hadn’t the slightest clue how to put together a service project. What started off as an earnest desire to inspire inmates soon transformed itself into something that exceeded all expectations. Since freethought literature has matured my worldview, I desired to serve the community through my commitment to free inquiry and humanist principles. Why doesn’t our group collect Freethought books for prisoners?

Our own August E. Brunsman IV was given the 2006 Apex Award for Distinguished Service by the Humanist Community of Central Ohio.

American Atheists Scholarship Competition