PZ Myers clasps the Holy Bible as he accepts the 2009 Humanist of the Year Award

Last weekend, over three hundred people gathered in Tempe, AZ for the 68th annual American Humanist Association conference.  Speakers included Dr. PZ Myers, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Dr. Donald Johanson (discoverer of "Lucy").

August Brunsman, SSA's executive director, and Lyz Liddell, SSA's campus organizer, presented a session at the conference about making local American Humanist Association chapters welcoming to recent graduates.

Leslie Zukor, leader of the Reed Secular Alliance, blogged about her experiences in four parts. She took some really good photos!

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

The conference also attracted some media attention of both a serious (Phoenix Metro News and AZ Central) and whimsical nature (Phoenix New Times).

The Secular Student Alliance has moved into its new office space at 1515 W. Lane Ave. Rm. 101 in Upper Arlington, OH.  We're delighted to be sharing this space with Camp Quest and the Humanist Community of Central Ohio. 

All three organizations are having an open house between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17th.  Everyone is welcome!  Come and learn about what SSA, Camp Quest, and HCCO are doing to spread secular values in central Ohio and around the country (and even world).

We're located one block east of the Lane Avenue Mall (which has a stop for the #84 bus).  There is ample parking around the building. 

You can RSVP and share this event with your friends on Facebook. 

Can't make it to our open house?  Come to the Secular Student Alliance conference August 7-9 on the campus of Ohio State University.

Are you tired of seeing the Religious Right claim the moral high ground through abstinence pledges that don't work? Statistics show that teens who take abstinence pledges--such as the infamous "Silver Ring Thing"--are no less likely to engage in premarital sex, and in fact are more likely to engage in irresponsible, unprotected sex.

Secular Americans, especially nonreligious kids, have strong morals and values that are based on reason, not dogma. And as a humanist, you know that attempts to control teens' behavior through fear, intimidation and outdated doctrines and institutions are wrong--and futile.

But thanks to a group of young humanist activists from Georgia, the Silver Ring Thing has now clearly met its match. Please take a moment to watch the video below, which contains the humanist community's answer to abstinence pledges--the Secular Principles Pinky Swear!

Register today for the Secular Student Alliance 2009 Conference!

• Happy Hour and keynote speech with PZ Myers.
• "How to Debate" with Dan Barker.
• Meet the new Executive Director for the Secular Coalition for America.
• Hemant Mehta, the Friendly Atheist, talks about his new summer project.
• Solve your group's problems with advice from your peers.
• Meet and network with secular student group leaders from all over the country.
• And much more!

Sound like a great opportunity? It's the Secular Student Alliance's 2009 Conference! Events run from August 7 - 9, 2009 at the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH.

REGISTER NOW!

Iowa State University's Atheist and Agnostic Society heard about an upcoming campus visit by a traveling Christian preacher of intolerant views.  Rather than organize a loud, angry protest (or getting arrested!), they chose to organize a (Mostly) Silent Protest, inviting several other campus groups who support tolerance and diversity.  Anastasia Bodnar, president of ISUAAS, wrote this article for the group's blog.

Our (Mostly) Silent Protest Against Tom Short on Wednesday (15 April 2009) was a great success, thanks in part to the ISU LGBTA Alliance getting the message to their members. Campus Pastor Jim Shirbroun and Campus Minister Chris Hockley along with students from the Wesley Foundation of the Collegiate Methodist Church were also invited and attended the protest.

"Part of what is giving the movement momentum is the proliferation of groups on college campuses. The Secular Student Alliance now has 146 chapters, up from 42 in 2003" wrote Laurie Goodstein in the New York Times on April 26th, 2009.

We're actually growing so fast that we're up to 150 affiliate groups now (they interviewed us last week).

The SSA does not charge any of our campus affiliates for the services we offer.  So more groups doesn't mean we have more resources to support those groups. Individuals like you support the Secular Student Alliance and make it possible for us to  help mobilize these campus leaders (of course, they do a lot of  mobilizing on their own, too).  We cannot do this without the help of our donors.  Become one today!  We are a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit and your contributions are fully tax deductible.  You say you don't want to join?  Well, you could also just ChipIn! Thanks!

Bravo to the Pastafarians of the U of South Carolina and Andrew Cederdahl for their shout out in the story as well!

Want to get involved?  Check to see if there is an SSA Affiliate Group near you.  You can look to see if someone on your campus is working to start a group.  You can also request a Group Starting Packet if there isn't a group in your area and you'd like to get one going.