After seeing his group's banner torn down and display vandalized, SFU Skeptics Vice President Jakob Liljenwall wrote this tongue-in-cheek open letter to those responsible:

Dear Vandal(s),

We, the SFU Skeptics, could not help but notice that our banner was once again affected by your handiwork last week. While your first work directly recontextualized the banner itself (from the context of hanging up to the context of being crumpled up on the floor), this latest piece seems to consist of an abstract expressionist addendum to the glass display case in which the banner was kept, obscuring part of the message only as long as it remained mounted. Now that the banner has been removed, your painted addition is more curiosity than commentary.

Obviously, the SFU Skeptics recognize your work for the well-considered art that it is, though others might mistake it for a cowardly and infantile act of aggression against some rather mundane ideas. Ideas are of course the key here, and so we cordially offer you an opportunity to express your own. So far the medium of vandalism appears to have served you well; we are acutely aware that you disagree with the text on our banner. Unfortunately, your own ideas have not been clearly articulated by acts of simple contrarianism, and we believe that an experiment in another medium might rectify this.

Specifically, we would like to invite you to stage a piece of performance art with us. In particular, we had in mind the sort often referred to as a “discussion” and engaged in by those who identify as “adults”. You need bring only yourself and your ideas; the club will provide finger paints so long you express an understanding that they are not to be eaten. We are eagerly looking forward to this collaboration. You may RSVP either by email or prank phone call.

Sincerely,
The SFU Skeptics

Jakob Liljenwall is a founding member and current Vice President of the Simon Fraser University Skeptics in Vancouver BC. He is also a volunteer for CFI, Vancouver.

• Introduction
• Revamped Service: Secular Student Alliance Flyer Exchange
• Clever Response: Open Letter to Vandals
• In Defense of Discrimination: A Criticism of the CLS v. Martinez Ruling
• No Discrimination Allowed: A Campus Organizer's Defense of the CLS v. Martinez Ruling
• Letter from Joe Foley, New Secular Student Alliance Board Chair
• Featured Speaker: Ellery Schempp
• Iacoviello Wins $1,000 American Atheists Scholarship

by Frank Bellamy

Justice Stevens concludes one of his last concurring opinions with the observation that “the ... argument [the Christian Legal Society chapter at Hastings College of Law] presses, however, is hardly limited to these facts. Other groups may exclude or mistreat Jews, blacks and women – or those who do not share their contempt for Jews, blacks, and women. A free society must tolerate such groups. It need not subsidize them, give them its official imprimatur, or grant them equal access to law school facilities.” I agree that society need not give its support to such groups. What strikes me about this case, however, is that there is no indication that the Christian Legal Society (CLS) has mistreated, shown contempt for, or in any significant sense excluded non-christians or homosexuals.

by Leslie A. Zukor

David Iacoviello poses with his scholarship certificate

Congratulations to David Iacoviello, the 2010 American Atheists scholarship runner-up.  Each year, American Atheists gives three prizes to nontheists who have distinguished themselves via their activism.  In the past, the organization has given out a $2,000 Founders’ Scholarship first prize, a $1,000 runner-up award, and a $1,000 Chinn Scholarship to an outstanding gay/lesbian atheist activist. However, there were no LGBT entrants this year, so American Atheists gave out two second prizes instead.  The Secular Student Alliance has a history of producing scholarship winners, including current SSA board members, Hemant Mehta and Andrew Cederdahl, and former board member, Becky Robinson.  The 2010 Founders’ Scholarship went to Leslie A. Zukor.  David Iacoviello and Andrew Choufrine were the runners-up.  Zukor and Choufrine will be profiled in upcoming editions of the eMpirical.  

by Leslie A. Zukor

Congratulations to the winners of the 2009-10 Secular Student Alliance Best Awards! 

Each year, the SSA gives out five awards to groups that have excelled in particular facets of activism and campus involvement.  This year, we had a record number of applicants; we got nearly 30 excellent entries.  The awards include a $300 cash prize for each group, and Affiliate of the Year merits $500.  The money is to be spent on winning clubs' future events, and the award recipients get a sweet plaque.

Winners of the 2009 Best Awards at the SSA's 2009 Annual Conference

This year, we awarded Affiliate of the Year to the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers (UNIFI), Best Community to the University of Oregon Alliance of Happy Atheists (AHA!), and Best Activism to the Macquarie University Atheist League.   The University of Utah's Secular Humanism, Inquiry, and Freethought (SHIFT) and the Society of Non-Theists at Purdue won Best Educator and Best Service Project, respectively.

Affiliate of the Year: University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers
UNIFI had several secular successes, including the group's annual Darwin Week.  During Darwin Week 2010, the group put on fourteen events to raise awareness about science and reason, filling over 750 seats in the process.  UNIFI's speakers included such personalities as Dr. Hector Avalos and famed blogger PZ Myers.  In addition to Darwin Week, the University of Northern Iowa club hosted a Know Your Arguments series, as well as a monthly Faith Forum.  The events have done a great job of educating community members about the importance of evolution, as well as common arguments presented against this scientifically-based viewpoint.

In addition to hosting speakers, UNIFI has been involved in secularist activism in a number of other ways.  For example, the group got national media attention for its Blasphemy Day events, including coverage on Ray Comfort's own blog.  Furthermore, the Freethinkers and Inquirers maintained a large presence at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteer effort, sending fifteen members to perform community service.  The group also raised over $500 in the local Relay For Life.  UNIFI has also carved out a welcoming space for secular events, including Sunday Brunches and weekly dinners.  For these reasons, the SSA is proud to award its Affiliate of the Year for 2010 to the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers.

Best Community: University of Oregon's Alliance of Happy Atheists
The winner of this year's Best Community Award was the Alliance of Happy Atheists (AHA!).  This University of Oregon club has been particularly impressive at building an open, welcoming, and cohesive atmosphere at its meetings.  The end result is that the atheist club has been a place where non-theistic individuals can find a supporting and caring network of friends, something often seen only at religious meetings.  Among AHA!'s community building activities are a group prom, a campus-wide scavenger hunt, and an AHA! Relay For Life team, among other activities.

The group also serves the University of Oregon community by providing a safe haven for secularists.  As a result of the AHA!'s presence, non-theistic study breaks are available, as well as post-meeting pizza excursions, and picnics and barbecues.  And the Alliance of Happy Atheists gets more than just a few attendees at its social events; the AHA! regularly has a community of 50+ people in attendance.  In addition to drawing so many people from the University of Oregon, AHA! has been successful in recruiting students from a local community college, as well as from surrounding areas.  We are pleased to award our Best Community Award to the Alliance of Happy Atheists!