Secular Student Alliance: Atheists, Humanists, Agnostics & Others - For Students

This Week: Get Ready to Renew!

13-February-2010

	This Week: Get Ready to Renew!
Affiliation Renewal Preview

Secular Student Alliance offers student registration & travel grants for 2010 American Atheists' convention

30-January-2010

UPDATE: The deadline for travel grants has passed.

The Secular Student Alliance is proud to be partnering with American Atheists by providing student registration for their 2010 convention in Newark, New Jersey April 2-4th, 2010.

Student registration is $75 for full-time students who are members of the Secular Student Alliance ($10/year). Join now! This is different from being a member of a Secular Student Alliance affiliate group. Register now!

Student Registration for American Atheists Convention Coming Soon(ish)

4-January-2010

The Secular Student Alliance will be running registration for the 2010 American Atheists Convention. The convention will be April 2nd-4th and be held at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel. The student registration page should go live by February.

Call for Proposals: "Deconstructing the Gods: Towards a Post-Religious Criticism"

3-January-2010

The Third Annual Brooklyn College Graduate English Conference will be held April 10, 2009, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY. The topic is "Deconstructing the Gods: Towards a Post-Religious Criticism," and proposals are being accepted now through January 31, 2010. Details about the conference, topics, and submission guidelines are below.

If one were asked to provide a single explanation for the growth of English studies in the later nineteenth century, one could do worse than reply, 'the failure of religion.' -- Terry Eagleton

Literature would begin wherever one no longer knows who writes and who signs the narrative of the call - and of the "Here I Am"- between the absolute Father and Son. -- Derrida

Secular Student Alliance Paid Winter 2010 Internships

13-November-2009

The Secular Student Alliance (www.secularstudents.org) is seeking two to four interns for the winter of 2010.

Internship Details
* These positions are ten weeks long and have either a $100/week (20 hr./week) or $200/week (40 hr./week) stipend.
* The start and stop dates are flexible, as are breaks, we only require a commitment of approximately ten weeks between mid January and late May.
* These positions are 20 hr./week ($100) or 40 hr./week ($200) 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 our office in Columbus, OH.
* On a case-by-case basis, some work may be able to be done via telecommuting.

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 130 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 headquartered in Columbus, OH.

Release: Secular Student Alliance Spooks Ray Comfort

11-November-2009

For Immediate Release
Contact: August Brunsman – (614) 441-9588 – august[AT]secularstudents[DOT]org

November 18, 2009

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a move that avoids the counter-protests organized by the Secular Student Alliance and other organizations, Ray Comfort and the Living Waters Ministry covertly began their Origin Into Schools project today, November 18th, instead of the previously announced November 19th. Altered copies of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, which contain a introduction which misrepresents the theory of evolution, were distributed on college campuses today. The Secular Student Alliance has been mobilizing groups on college campuses to respond with a positive, science-based campaign but took Comfort at his word that the distribution would occur on the 19th.

“We’re sorry that Mr. Comfort felt he had to mislead everyone just to avoid the counter-efforts of our campus groups,” said August Brunsman, Executive Director of the Secular Student Alliance. “Apparently he thought his deception would only work if nobody was around to tell the truth.” Counter-efforts were planned at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, the University of Virginia, UNC Chapel Hill, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, San Diego State University, University of South Florida, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, University of New Brunswick, and elsewhere.

The altered version of On the Origin of Species distributed by Living Waters Ministry contains a 50-page introduction written by Comfort attempting to cast doubt on Darwin’s theory of evolution and connect Darwin to Hitler. The books feature Comfort's section in a much larger font than Darwin's section. Comfort's section is rife with illustrations, but the single illustration in the original Origin of Species has not been reproduced.

In an attempt to prevent the ministry from tricking college students, the Secular Student Alliance national office assisted affiliated college groups to schedule protests, host speakers, write letters to the editor, show films, and distribute the original version of Darwin’s 150-year old masterpiece. Their plans will go forward despite Comfort’s sudden, unexplained change of dates. The Secular Student Alliance has collected resources to counter Living Waters' efforts at http://www.secularstudents.org/originintoschools.

“The best way to defeat misinformation is with education,” said Brunsman. “We would have loved to have a peaceful exchange of ideas with the ministry, but we’ll settle for having the last word in students’ minds.”

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The Secular Student Alliance is an educational nonprofit that supports a network of over 180 campus groups which promote the ideals of scientific rationality, secularism, democracy, and human-based ethics. Learn more at http://www.secularstudents.org.

Release: Atheist Youth Movement Leads Charge Against Anti-Darwin Book Project

7-November-2009

Release: Atheist Youth Movement Leads Charge Against Anti-Darwin Book Project

November 10, 2009

For Release: IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT

Contact: August Brunsman – (614) 441-9588 – august[AT]secularstudents[DOT]org

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Secular Student Alliance is mobilizing student groups to counter the Living Waters Ministry program to distribute an edition of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species containing a special introduction misrepresenting the book’s claims. The SSA national leadership is encouraging its campus affiliates to schedule protests, host speakers, write letters to the editor, show films, and distribute the original version of Darwin’s 150-year old masterpiece.

This Week: Austin Dacey On Campus

6-November-2009

The Secular Student Alliance:
Austin Dacey on Your Campus

Student Membership Drive:
Win a $50 EvolveFISH Gift Certificate!

Do your members know what the Secular Student Alliance is up to?
Invite them to subscribe to the eMpirical

Book your travel for Thanksgiving
through our Travel Gateway and support the SSA!

Hello!

Austin Dacey, Ph.D., is a secular philosopher and human rights activist with a new presentation on blasphemy, free speech and the future of human rights. Dr. Dacey developed this timely and notable talk through his work as a United Nations representative during which he participated in the dialogue on free speech limitations related to criticism of religious belief.

Dr. Dacey is also the author of The Secular Conscience and multiple publications in Skeptical Inquirer, Free Inquiry, The Washington Post and Psychology Today. You and your group can learn more about his work and his publications at http://www.austindacey.com/.

Dr. Dacey has contacted the Secular Student Alliance in order to bring his new presentation to campuses across the U.S. We're excited to share this opportunity with your group!

Secular Student Alliance & Secular Coalition for America: Capitol Hill Scholars Program

5-November-2009

The Secular Coalition for America is launching its first-ever Capitol Hill Scholars Program! We're excited to announce this amazing opportunity for our students.

Have you ever wanted to spend a summer interning on Capitol Hill?

Are you looking to boost your resume while defending the values and principles important to you?

Do you want the opportunity to make great professional contacts with important advocacy organizations on Capitol Hill?

Are you interested in earning college credit for promoting public policy that nontheistic Americans care about?

If you answered yes to these questions, consider applying for the Secular Coalition for America’s Capitol Hill Scholars Program.

Here’s how it works:

While we can’t guarantee that you’ll land an internship on Capitol Hill, the Secular Coalition will work with you to get your resume and cover letter through the door to elected offices and do everything in our power to help you land a highly coveted internship on Capitol Hill.

Applicants who are accepted for internships will then officially become part of our Capitol Hill Scholars Program, where we will offer you fantastic learning and networking opportunities and the tools and skills you need to be a nontheist advocate on Capitol Hill.

We also hope to offer a stipend for students who are part of the Scholars Program based on financial need.

If you are interested in this summer internship opportunity, contact Sasha Bartolf, the Legislative Director for the Secular Coalition for America, to begin the process of applying to work on Capitol Hill. You can email her directly at sasha[AT]secular[DOT]org

Support the SSA

WE are young people who...

Talk about ideas seriously.

Live ethical & fulfilling lives without the supernatural.

Think it is more important that we can live together than that we all agree.

See democracy as an ideal worth living up to.

Believe science and reason lead to more reliable knowledge than faith.

WE are members of the

Secular Coalition for America Launches Capitol Hill Scholars Program

19-October-2009

Have you ever wanted to spend a summer interning on Capitol Hill?

Are you looking to boost your resume while defending the values and principles important to you?

Do you want the opportunity to make great professional contacts with important advocacy organizations on Capitol Hill?

Are you interested in earning college credit for promoting public policy that nontheistic Americans care about?

Turn Your Vacations into Donations for the Secular Student Alliance

10-October-2009

So we know it sounds hokey, but you can support the Secular Student Alliance by booking your travel via our travel gateway. You'll pay the same low rates that you would find on the major travel gateways, but a percentage of your purchase price goes to the Secular Student Alliance for us to use to advance our mission. Go ahead and compare rates with the other gateways, and if we have the best price, book it with us and support us.

Be it traveling home for the holidays, going on a great spring break trip, or presenting at a conference, our gateway has all the same services (flights, cars, hotels, cruises, package vacations). Check it out today and give it a try.

October is Sex-Ed Action Month!

20-September-2009

The Secular Student Alliance
Sex Ed Month of Action

Coming Soon:

October 18: National Secular Service Day
Fall Affiliation Renewal
SSA Student Membership Drive

New Leader?
No Longer a Leader?
Click Here and Let us Know!

Support the SSA

Under the Bush administration, school districts received federal money for promoting theologically-based, ineffective "abstinence-only" sex education rather than medically accurate education. The Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act intends to counter this by providing federal funding to support responsible, comprehensive sex education in schools. This education would include age-appropriate, science-based, and medically accurate information about both abstinence and contraception. Currently, there are no dedicated federal funds allocated for comprehensive sex education in schools.

Advocates for Youth has partnered with Choice USA, Law Students for Reproductive Justice, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Planned Parenthood, SIECUS, Sierra Club and Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom to make October a nation-wide Sex-Ed Month of Action. The Secular Student Alliance is cooperating with Advocates for Youth to help promote the Sex-Ed Month of Action.

We encourage our affiliate groups to get involved and hold an event to take action on sex education!

Secular Student Alliance September 2008 - September 2009 Activity Summary

15-September-2009

The past year has been phenomenally successful for the Secular Student Alliance. Our affiliate count has gone up by over 25%. This report details our campus group affiliate support, our conference, our electronic newsletter, and our summer internships. This report is also available in PDF.

Secular Student Alliance Speakers Bureau Encourages Dialogue with Rev. Jonathan Weyer

29-August-2009

The Secular Student Alliance is pleased to announce that we have added the Reverend Jonathan Weyer to our Speakers Bureau. While Rev. Weyer is an ordained orthodox minister, he has an uncommon penchant for fostering dialogue and cooperation between the religious and the nonreligious.

Rev. Jonathan Weyer is a self described religious nutjob who lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife Wendy, three kids and a cat. He is a campus minister at The Ohio State University with the CCO-The Cloister and is an ordained minister with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Along with Ashley Paramore, board member of the SSA, he planned a discussion with Hemant Mehta that won a Multicultural award from the Ohio State University. He loves bringing together believers, nonbelievers, skeptics, atheists, and doubters to discuss why God calls people to a lifestyle of doubt. In his spare time, he loves to write, read and drink hard cider. He also maintains a blog for the Thomas Society at www.thomas2026.wordpress.com.

Atheist Blogger PZ Myers Joins Secular Student Alliance Speakers Bureau

28-August-2009

The Secular Student Alliance is pleased to announce that renowned atheist blogger PZ Myers has joined our Speakers Bureau!

The Speakers Bureau consists of freethought speakers who have graciously offered to speak / present / debate on your campus for free, provided you are an official affiliate of the Secular Student Alliance. Learn more about the Bureau at www.secularstudents.org/speakers.