News

This Week: Spring 2010 Affiliation Renewal

Submitted by Lyz on Sun, 2010-02-21 15:30.
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This Week:
Spring Affiliation Renewal

It's time for the Secular Student Alliance's Spring 2010 Affiliation Renewal!  This is the semiannual survey which we administer to all our student groups in order to make sure you're still alive, see what you've been up to, and find out how we have (or haven't) been able to help.  

Every SSA affiliate group is required to complete the Affiliation Renewal in order to remain affiliated with the SSA.  (Even if you just affiliated last week!)  If I do not receive a renewal form from your group, I will be contacting you to find out what happened!  But you can save us both the game of phone tag if you just take the time this week to complete the form.

( categories: Blog | Campus Groups | Events | News )

"Good Without God" a Good Idea? "Yes," says Sharon Moss

Submitted by Lyz on Tue, 2010-03-02 14:27.
by Sharon Moss
 
Good Without GodI’ve been around the philosophical block a number of times. As a life-long atheist and an activist with 10 years of group-running experience under my belt, I feel like I’ve heard most of the arguments in our community. I don’t read many books on atheism/humanism/insert-other-labels-here anymore. I almost didn’t even pick up a copy of Greg Epstein’s Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe.   But I’m glad I did.  Epstein covers new ground and provides important, thought-provoking points for the movement.  
( categories: Blog | News )

Release: Controversy Ignited by Atheist Students and Leaders’ Participation in White House Briefing

Submitted by Jesse Galef on Sun, 2010-02-28 04:22.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Jesse Galef (614) 441-9588 - Jesse [at] secularstudents [dot] org

March, 1 2010

Columbus, Ohio - In the first meeting of its kind, representatives from the Secular Student Alliance and atheist leaders from around the country met in Washington, DC for the Secular Coalition for America's Briefing with the Obama Administration.   Over 60 people, sent as delegates of national and local nontheistic organizations from around the country, congregated in the nation’s capital to engage with administration officials on issues concerning the nontheistic community.

( categories: Media Coverage | News )

Help! Our Flyers Keep Getting Torn Down!

Submitted by Lyz on Sat, 2010-02-27 16:02.

A vandalized flyer at the University of Chicago, shredded by a key.  Others were torn down altogether, had crosses drawn on them, and derogatory comments written in.
I hear from a number of affiliates each semester that the flyers they post for meetings or events are being torn down or vandalized.  This is an unfortunate and all-too-common problem, and it's a shame that some people can be so threatened by the mere presence of our groups that they feel the need to prevent interested students from participating.
 
Frustrations aside, we've put together some strategies that your group can try to alleviate or overcome this problem.  Some might work better than others, depending on your campus environment and policies, and we're always happy to hear what happens when you try these ideas.

 

( categories: Blog | News | On Campus )

Review: SSA's 2010 Northern California Leadership Summit

Submitted by Lyz on Sat, 2010-02-27 12:26.

Jason Cooperrider, president of SHIFT at the University of Utah

by Jason Cooperrider

This past February, I had the pleasure of attending the Secular Student Alliance's Northern California Leadership Summit at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. It was my honor to represent SHIFT (Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought), the secular student group at the University of Utah, as its president and co-founder.

( categories: Blog | Events | News )

The Secular Student Alliance Interviewed on The Young Turks

Submitted by Jesse Galef on Tue, 2010-02-23 17:41.

Secular Student Alliance's Communications Director, Jesse Galef, was recently interviewed on the popular and influential talk/internet show The Young Turks. The 7-minute interview covered the controversy sparked by the Secular Coalition for America's policy briefing with the Obama administration and other news of the day.

Watch the interview on The Young Turks' Channel.


( categories: Blog | Media Coverage | News )

Openings for the SSA Board of Directors

Submitted by Lyz on Sun, 2010-02-21 23:28.
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The Secular Student Alliance is looking for dedicated leaders who would like to run for positions on the SSA's Board of Directors!  The SSA is a democratic organization and all SSA members are eligible to run for a position on the Board of Directors.  Elections take place this May, and board terms are two years long.

Board members are responsible for setting goals and policy for the organization, fundraising, reviewing progress, and promoting SSA.  All Board members are expected to participate in fundraising.  We are happy to train you to do this, but you must be willing.
( categories: Blog | Events | Internal | Members | News )

This Week: Get Ready to Renew!

Submitted by august on Sat, 2010-02-13 13:07.
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This Week: Get Ready to Renew!
( categories: Blog | Cooperation | For Students | Internal | News )

Freethinking Healer and Rabble-Rouser Helen Kagin dies at 76

Submitted by august on Thu, 2010-02-11 05:15.

Helen KaginA beloved freethinking activist, and member of the Secular Student Alliance, passed away on February 17th, 2010 after a long battle with cancer. Helen worked as a physician in Cincinnati, OH for over thirty years.

I had the pleasure and honor of knowing Helen for just shy of eleven years. The joy, intensity, and brilliance with which she lived her life are totally impossible to capture in words. At Camp Quest Ohio, most of the kids and younger counselors played this vigorous, no-holds-barred version of keep away in the pool with a ball. There was no leader, no ref, no written rules, no score keeping. It just came together organically, summer after summer. With a small handful of exceptions, only the youngest staffers played with any regularity. Well into her seventies, Helen could be counted on to play every time her and the ball were in the pool at the same time.

( categories: Cooperation | Internal | News )

Atheist Students and Leaders Participate in White House Briefing

Submitted by Jesse Galef on Mon, 2010-02-08 02:38.

This story originally appeared on Unreasonable Faith on March 1, 2010. Used here with permission.

By Jesse Galef

The atheist movement made a big step last Friday when the Secular Coalition for America arranged a policy briefing with White House officials. A delegation of about 60 nontheists convened in the nation's capital to engage with the administration. I can't repeat what the administration said – these meetings are held off the record – but I can say that I've never felt more proud and optimistic about the political status of atheists.

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