What is most distressing is not that some public school teachers preach their religion, or that some authors put politics ahead of education. It is that it is so rare for anyone to call them on it. This text is widely used. Yet to my knowledge, no one has challenged these incorrect and misleading statements.

The Secular Student Alliance is seeking applicants for its Southern California Campus Organizing Internship (COI). This internship pays $10/hr. and all expenses are covered. This internship will require approximately 10 hours a week. The internship will start in late March or early April and last through early June of 2008 with an option to extend the internship or restart it in the fall. We are willing to be somewhat flexible in terms of time and stipend to meet academic requirements.

While approximately half of the work for this position can be done from any location of the Campus Organizing Intern's choosing, the other half will involve working directly on campuses in Southern California. Again, all travel costs will be covered. The position offers a highly flexible schedule.

The Campus Organizing Intern will help organize and support students who do not see theism as the source of morality--this includes atheists, agnostics, humanists, brights, rationalists and other non-theists. Duties will include working in person and remotely with student groups on campuses in Southern California to improve their operations, provide them with resources and network them with each other and the broader secular movement. SSA senior staff will provide training, direction, and assistance with all of these tasks. The COI will also work to start groups on campuses without groups via flyering, tabling and networking. The position will involve some traveling, public speaking, record keeping, lots of phone and email communication, and some possible resource development.

The Secular Student Alliance is seeking applicants for its northern California Campus Organizing Internship (COI). This internship pays $10/hr. and all expenses are covered. This internship will require approximately 10 hours a week. The internship will start in mid to late March and last through late May or early June of 2008 with an option to extend the internship or restart it in the fall. We are willing to be somewhat flexible in terms of time and stipend to meet academic requirements.

While approximately half of the work for this position can be done from any location of the Campus Organizing Intern's choosing, the other half will involve working directly on campuses in northern California. Again, all travel costs will be covered. The position offers a highly flexible schedule.

The Campus Organizing Intern will help organize and support students who do not see theism as the source of morality--this includes atheists, agnostics, humanists, brights, rationalists and other non-theists. Duties will include working in person and remotely with student groups on campuses in northern California to improve their operations, provide them with resources and network them with each other and the broader secular movement. SSA senior staff will provide training, direction, and assistance with all of these tasks. The COI will also work to start groups on campuses without groups via flyering, tabling and networking. The position will involve some traveling, public speaking, record keeping, lots of phone and email communication, and some possible resource development.

The COI will work very closely with our full-time Field Director who is based at our headquarters in Albany, NY. The COI will work in northern California. Most collaboration with the Field Director will be via telephone, instant messenger and e-mail. However, the COI will need to briefly travel to Albany for training. We will work to ensure that this travel does not interrupt the COI's academic schedule. As with all travel, all expenses will be covered by the Secular Student Alliance.

There are many intangible benefits to this position. You will have the option to do at least some of the work in the comfort of your own home. You will have the opportunity to make enormous progress in furthering freethought and humanist goals. You will gain job experience involving more responsibility and independence than most jobs for college students offer. Finally, the COI position is a potential springboard to an ongoing career in the freethought and humanist movement.

Strong candidates will have direct experience with campus activism. Someone with experience leading or helping to lead a student group would be an especially strong candidate. She or he will have strong speaking and writing skills. The candidate will enjoy collaborating with people of different ages, ethnic groups, sexual orientations, and philosophical or political beliefs.

The Secular Student Alliance hopes to select a Campus Organizing Intern in March of 2008 and have him or her start shortly thereafter. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so apply soon.

If you would like to apply for this internship, please e-mail Alison Bates at hr@secularstudents.org with your name, address, phone number, best times to call, the text of your resume in the body of your email, and answers to the screening questions below. Please keep the formatting (e.g. bold, italics, off sets) to a minimum. Please do not send attachments. We will send a list of screening questions to help us learn more about you. Be sure to specify that you are interested in the Northern California Campus Organizing Internship (we are also seeking applicants for a Southern California Campus Organizing Internship).

Becky Robinson

American Atheists just announced the 2008 scholarship winners!

2008 Founders’ Scholarship ($2500) Ms. Rebecca Robinson

Founders’ Runner-Up ($1000): Ms. Shannon Black

Chinn Scholarship ($1000): Mr. James Kennedy

We are no longer accepting applications for summer internships.  If you would like to be considered for a fall internship, let us know. 

The Secular Student Alliance (www.secularstudents.org) is seeking two college interns for the summer of 2008. 

* These positions are ten weeks long and have a $200/week stipend. 
* The start and stop dates are flexible, as are breaks, we only require a commitment of approximately ten weeks between mid June and late September. 
* These positions are 40 hr./week positions and will take place during normal business hours except where otherwise noted. 
* We are willing to be flexible in terms of time and stipend to meet academic requirements.
* The interns will work at the Humanist Center (www.humanistcenter.org) where we are housed by the Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS) in Albany, NY.
* On a case-by-case basis some work may be able to be done via telecommuting.
* Business casual dress is required.

There are four areas upon which we plan to have the interns focus.  Each intern may focus on one area, or multiple areas. 

Area 1 - PUBLIC RELATIONS
This area focuses on promoting public awareness of the Alliance, its affiliates, and the ideals we seek to advance.  This will be done through writing and distributing press releases, creating a press kit, helping to develop our electronic newsletter, working the blogosphere and social networking sites, and any other means that seem appropriate. 

Area 2 - WEB/DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
This area focuses on improving both the public website of the Alliance and on improving our internal database.  Most of this work will take place using HTML, PHP, Javascript, and MySQL.  Prior knowledge of these languages is not required, but is beneficial.  If you are interested in this area, please list all programming languages with which you are familiar in your answers to the screening questions. This area may also involve making other improvements to the way the Alliance uses technology.

Area 3 - RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
This area focuses on the creation of "program packets" and "action packets" for our affiliate groups.  Program packets include information that will help our affiliate groups arrange meetings on various social, philosophical, artistic, ethical, or political topics.  Examples include a discussion meeting on death and dying in the lives of atheists, and setting up a campus wide debate on the necessity of a god for morality.  Action packet include information to help our affiliate groups take action on specific issues.  Examples include organizing a protest and letter writing campaign advocating for access to emergency contraception at the campus pharmacy, lobbying state or federal legislators to support equal rights for GLBT persons, or organizing a fundraising event  such as a Soul Auction.

Area 4- FUNDRAISING
This area will involve work with as many areas of SSA fundraising as possible.  This includes membership management, direct mail, foundations, and large donor cultivation.  It may also include working with our campus affiliates to seek funding from their universities and teaching student leaders how to fund raise. 


The internships may involve some work not directly related to these areas.  However, the majority of the time for the internships will be spent working on creative, professional projects under the direct supervision of senior staff.

Our mission is to organize, unite, educate, and serve students and student communities that promote the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy, secularism, and human based ethics. The bulk of our efforts go into organizing and supporting students and student groups who do not see theism as the source of morality or knowledge--this includes atheists, agnostics, humanists, rationalists and other non-theists.  We have over 100 affiliates in nine countries--the vast majority of our affiliates are in the U.S.

The Secular Student Alliance is a 501(c)(3) educational, non-profit, public charity.  We were founded in 2000 by students and recent students.  We are head quartered in Albany, NY.

Please email your answers to the screening questions below to hr@secularstudents.org no later than April 1st, 2008.  Applications will be considered on a rolling basis though, so apply early. 

You may also include a copy of your resume within the body of your email.  Please do NOT send attachments.

Screening Questions

1. Why are you interested in this internship?

2. Which of the four areas are you interested in?  Why?

3. When would you be available to put in your ten weeks?

4. What do you expect to get from the internship?

5. Where are you a student?

6 .What are you studying?

7. When do you plan to graduate?

8. What is your college grade point average? Describe the scale your school uses if different from the standard 4.0 scale.

9. Will this internship fulfill an academic requirement for you?  If so, what conditions must the internship meet in order for it to qualify?

10. What are your long-term career goals? Do you plan to get further education? Are you interested in a career in the humanist/freethought movement? How does this internship fit into your long-term plans?

11. Can you prove that you are either a citizen of the United States, or a legal worker and permanent resident?

12. Have you been involved in some form of student activism? If so, briefly describe.

13. Are you willing to be publicly known as a supporter of SSA's cause? (The two most controversial elements of that cause being: 1. promoting respect and equal rights for atheists, agnostics, humanists and others that do not believe in a god AND 2. deep skepticism of the supernatural.)

14. Do you have any reservations about collaborating with people who are much older or younger than you, or are of a different ethnic group, sexual orientation, or philosophical or political belief?

15. What experience(s) from your activist/volunteer work do you expect to help you most for this internship? Why?

16. What experience(s) from your paid work do you expect to help you most for this internship? Why?

17. From what you know about the SSA, what do you like best?

18. From what do you know about the SSA, what would you most like to see improve?

19. With what, if any, student freethought or humanist organizations are you currently involved? How about adult organizations? Do you plan to attend any local student/adult organizations in the near future?

20. How did you learn about this position (Craigslist, Idealist, word of mouth)?

21. Please give the names and phone numbers of a work or activist reference, and one academic reference.

22. Please suggest three (or more) one hour long blocks of time when you would be able to arrange a phone or in person interview (Weekends and evenings are okay, but not ideal)

23. Is there anything else you would like to make us aware of as we consider your application?

We want to make sure that you know a few important facts about the Secular Student Alliance in time for your voice to be heard.

First, the Secular Student Alliance is a democratic* organization. Everyone who joins gets to vote on members of our Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is responsible for making sure the Alliance thrives and is true to its mission.

Late every winter we have an election for some of our Board of Directors seats. This year's voting runs from 2/22/08 through 2/29/08. There are eight people running for six seats on our Board of Directors. Terms on our Board of Directors last for two years.

Atheist, Humanist, Other Youth Without God-Belief Rapidly Multiplying, Organizing

Secular Student Alliance Reports Record Expansion on Campuses

Albany, NY - Atheist, humanist and other freethinking students can now call on professionals for advice on how to organize campus groups. More freethinking students are getting organized than ever before.

"We are clearly doing something right," said August E. Brunsman IV, executive director of the Secular Student Alliance. "Only two years ago we were working out of coffee shops and computer labs. Now we've got office space and we're about to hire our sixth employee."