| Campus Inquirer | April 2008 |
Dawkins University Tour a Success!
by Debbie Goddard, Field Organizer One of the most gratifying things the CFI Outreach Department worked on this semester was the Richard Dawkins "The God Delusion" University Tour. Last month, the many hours of contacting, organizing, mailing, promoting, researching, calling, and coordinating with CFI-affiliated student groups finally culminated in two weeks of successful events involving seven different universities! These appearances involved various national organizations, including the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, and a number of university programs. The first stop on the tour was Arizona State University on March 6th, where Professor Dawkins gave a presentation on "The God Delusion" at an event organized by the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. The free tickets for the 3,000-seat auditorium ran out weeks before the event—there were even tickets being sold on Craig's List! Members of the new CFI student group Freethinkers of Arizona State University got involved by handing out flyers and helping manage the book-signing queue. Next, Dawkins went to the San Francisco Bay Area for events at UC-Berkeley and Stanford University on March 8th and 9th. Group leader Yunyun Liu and other student volunteers from Students for a Non-religious Ethos (SANE) organized and managed a spectacular event at Berkeley. CFI San Francisco was also on hand to help with tabling in the lobby, book sales, and crowd management. And what a crowd! There was no trouble filling the 700-seat auditorium. Unfortunately, some people had to be turned away, but many of them stayed to start the book-signing queue. 
SANE volunteers with signed books after the event
The event at Stanford the next day took in an audience of 1700. Hosted by Stanford's Aurora Forum, the program featured a conversation between Dawkins and physicist Lawrence Krauss titled "Against Ignorance: Science Education in the 21st Century." CFI San Francisco tabled at this event as well, in conjunction with the newly-revitalized student group Rational Thought at Stanford (RATS). On Tuesday, March 11th, Dawkins was in Wisconsin to give a presentation on "The God Delusion" to over 1300 people at UW-Madison, hosted by the Distinguished Lecture Series. The long-standing student group Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics at UW-Madison tabled in the lobby at that event. Then Dawkins went to New York City for a presentation at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on March 15th. Cosponsors for the event included CFI New York City, Columbia Atheists and Agnostics, and Atheists, Agnostics, and Freethinkers at NYU. Over 800 people packed the hall, while dozens were turned away at the door. The final stop on the University Tour was the University of Texas - Austin on March 19th. CFI field organizer Lauren Becker and CFI Austin director Jenni Acosta worked closely with Sandra Sythe and the Atheist Longhorns to arrange the event at UT's famous Hogg Auditorium. The line began forming 5 hours before the event and eventually 1200 people filled the Hogg, some from as far away as Oklahoma. Hundreds more had to be turned away.  
Dawkins presents at the Hogg Auditorium | Atheist Longhorns at the t-shirt table
CFI is very grateful to the leaders of the various CFI student groups who co-sponsored these events, as well as to the remarkable generosity of Richard Dawkins and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, for making these events possible.
 Dawkins University Tour T-shirts Available Couldn't make the tour but still want the t-shirt? Here's your chance! These all-cotton pre-shrunk American Apparel t-shirts carry the red Out logo and the Out Campaign website on the front and a list of the universities that took part in the tour on the back. Color: Slate Gray
Sizes: M, L, XL
Cost: $9.00  There are three ways to place an order: - Call (716) 636-4869 ext. 200 to place your order by credit card
- Fax your order with credit card information, quantity and sizes, and shipping address to (716) 636-1733
- Mail a check in with the relevant information to: Center for Inquiry, 3965 Rensch Road, Amherst, NY 14228
Get yours today!
Coming This July: CFI Student Leadership Conference 2008 The Center for Inquiry is pleased to announce our 2008 Student Leadership Conference, to be held July 18-20 at CFI Transnational in Amherst, NY. This conference marks the 12th anniversary of our campus outreach program and will coincide with the opening weekend of the CFI Institute Summer Session and our annual CFI Community Leaders training weekend. The event brings together student and community activists from across North America for a blowout weekend of workshops, networking, lectures, and top-notch entertainment featuring some of the leading minds in the humanist and skeptic movements. Specific details regarding the program will be announced in the coming weeks. You will not be disappointed! We encourage every campus group to send at least one representative (if not more!) and we are keeping the costs down to make sure this is possible. Registration, room, and board for the entire three-day event costs only $35 for interested students. We are also making a limited number of travel and registration grants available, based on need, to make sure every group can send a representative even if they lack the resources to do so. The registration form and grant application can be found here. So, what are you waiting for? Send in your registration today, or email Debbie Goddard at dgoddard@centerforinquiry.net for more information.
Internships Available at CFI Last summer several interns supported CFI staff at various Centers for Inquiry throughout North America. Patrick Kuhl, recent graduate and founder of Students for Freethought at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, sacrificed sleep and sanity to help make the Convocation of Students and Community Leaders at CFI Transnational a success; Mark Smith, rising sophomore at Arizona State University, helped CFI NYC to find new office space and plan a series of student organizing meetings at Manhattan-area colleges; Michelle Abrego of the University of Florida assisted with statewide marketing and publicity at CFI Tampa; John Kotcher, a graduate student at American University, attended congressional briefings and learned much about the legislative process while at the Office of Public Policy at CFI DC; and interns at CFI West regularly assist the Steve Allen Theatre. CFI is looking for student interns to work at these and other Centers across North America. If you are interested in applying for an internship, please contact D.J. Grothe at djgrothe@centerforinquiry.net. Include a brief statement of your academic and other interests, your activities with the skeptic or humanist movements, and why interning at CFI is something you want to do. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the overall growth of the secular community and to strengthen your relationship with CFI. We hope you will consider joining us this summer.
The Center for Inquiry's Camp Inquiry 2008 takes place July 13-19 in Holland, New York. Camp Inquiry is a place where kids can be themselves. We work toward helping youth confront the challenges of living a non-theistic lifestyle in a world dominated by religious belief and pseudoscience. Grounded on the conviction that kids can begin establishing habits of the good and ethical life early on, Camp Inquiry 2008 adopts a three-part focus: The arts and sciences, the skeptical perspective, and ethical character development comprise an integrated approach to this "Age of Discovery." Campers, counselors, and teachers will address key issues around individual identity, forging trusting relationships, establishing a sense of local and global community, and living with respect for the natural world. Teachers, Counselors, and PMT or LPN needed.
Great resume builder. Stipend offered.
Send resume, letter of interest, or questions to: campinquiry@gmail.com.
The Center for Inquiry is Hiring! The Center for Inquiry is looking for an additional field organizer and a web developer, so please help us spread the word. Salary and benefits are competitive. Field Organizer Description:
The Field Organizer will assist in the development of the Center for Inquiry's campus and community outreach initiatives, working in coordination with a staff of five other field organizers. Duties may include event planning, community outreach, print and online newsletter publishing, public relations, supervising support staff and volunteers, website maintenance, and visits to campuses and other speaking venues throughout North America. This position provides competitive salary and health benefits and provides intellectually stimulating work with opportunities for travel, writing, and media appearances. Required Qualifications:
Creative, flexible, and self-directed. Interest in critical thinking and the scientific outlook. Preferred Qualifications:
Background in history of science, science journalism, philosophy, religious studies, or related discipline; Non-profit management experience and/or grassroots or campus organizing experience; Public speaking/debate experience; Familiarity/Proficiency with HTML and other programming languages. How to Apply:
Email cover letter, resume/CV, and writing sample as a text, MS Word, or PDF attachment to djgrothe@centerforinquiry.net or mail to: Center for Inquiry
Attn: D.J. Grothe
PO Box 741
Amherst, NY 14226
Web Developer Description:
A Web Developer for the Center for Inquiry will help to revitalize and maintain the web presence of an international non-profit organization. Responsibilities include: helping to code and implement a custom-built content management system, maintaining the current PHP-based system as well as several static HTML sites, and occasionally designing email messages. Benefits include health insurance, creative freedom, and plenty of learning opportunities in an intellectually stimulating environment. Required Qualifications: - At least one year web development experience
- Thorough understanding of standards-compliant XHTML/CSS and JavaScript
- Basic image editing skills using Adobe Photoshop
- Creative, enthusiastic, and flexible with the ability to quickly adapt to new technologies and challenges
Preferred Qualifications: - Ruby, Python and PHP programming experience
- Expertise with Ruby on Rails or comparable web application frameworks
- Experience using and maintaining SQL databases such as MySQL
- Comfortable at the command-line of UNIX servers
- A history of involvement in the open-source software community
How to Apply:
Email cover letter, resume, and portfolio link to bdillingham@centerforinquiry.net.
Student Report: CFI Indiana/IUPUI Freethinkers Darwin Day Conference
By Susan O'Banion, IUPUI Freethinkers The Center for Inquiry - Indiana and the IUPUI Freethinkers teamed up to hold their third annual Darwin Day conference in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 8th. Despite snow and icy road conditions, more than 175 people attended the event. CFI Indiana holds many events throughout the year including book discussions, lectures, and a Spirit & Place event. The IUPUI Freethinkers is a social and activist group for secular students on the Indiana University/Purdue University—Indianapolis campus. Darwin Day is the biggest event of the year for both groups. Our first speaker was anticipated to be Richard Carrier, author of Sense and Goodness without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism. Unfortunately, Carrier was ill with the flu and could not attend in person. However, he did send a prerecorded slideshow with narration, so we were still able to hear his lecture. Carrier's presentation was titled "Ancient Roman Creationism: Scientific Pagans vs. Armchair Christians." He discussed how various medical experiments and ideas in science were received in the religious political climate of ancient Rome. One of the things he discussed was a set of experiments on kidney function performed by the second century Greek scientist Galen. The next speaker was Dr. John Langdon, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Indianapolis. His talk was titled "Hunters, Gatherers, and Killer Apes: Another Adventure in How Science Works." He led the audience on an interesting journey of how becoming omnivorous may have impacted human development. He spoke about human teeth and what the differences and similarities between our teeth and those of carnivores tell us about our evolution. Our third and final speaker was Dr. Irwin Tessman of Purdue University. Dr. Tessman's talk was "From Darwin to Dawkins, The Source of Moral Values." Dr. Tessman spoke of how true altruism doesn't exist, and he used several anecdotes to illustrate this fact. He also spoke about the evolutionary advantages of certain types of altruism. 
Intelligent Design panel with John Langdon, Irwin Tessman, Sean O'Brien, Craig Gosling
The conference concluded with a panel on "How to Respond to Creationist/Intelligent Design Advocates." Both of our speakers plus two members from the Center for Inquiry sat on the panel and gave answers to questions posed by Reba Boyd Wooden, Executive Director of CFI Indiana. Reba posed the questions as objections that creationists and intelligent design advocates often bring up to matters of science that contradict religion. Susan O'Banion is the Vice President of the IUPUI Freethinkers. She is a junior studying finance and economics at IUPUI.
 Student Report: Robert Orr Comes to University of Guelph
by Katie Kish, University of Guelph Skeptics
On Thursday February 28 our club, the University of Guelph Skeptics (in Ontario, Canada), held a lecture by Professor Robert Orr of the University of Toronto on the Higgs Boson, dark matter, and the fate of the universe itself. It was by far our group's most successful event yet, pulling in just under 100 people who didn't even know there were free cookies! The success of the event did not come automatically to our newly-renovated group. Our new team of enthusiastic executives put in a lot of effort to bring in the crowd. We did the accustomed social networking website invitations, expanding into sites such as The Canon, a University of Guelph-run student resource site. We also got the university's media team to list our event on the University of Guelph events website. The majority of our success in spreading the word can be attributed to contacting other campus groups to which the event would also be relevant. In this particular case the Astronomy and Physics clubs were contacted with ample time to take action. We agreed to co-host the event with the clubs so that they would feel more ownership and obligation toward the occasion. Both clubs sent out all of the event information to their mailing list, reaching far more people than our lone group ever could. To a lesser extent we also involved the Guelph Greens, Critical Knowledge Collective, and a few supplementary groups by simply e-mailing out detailed information about the talk and asking them please to pass it around. Posters were plastered all over the city, from local churches to trendy hipster hangouts. We hit all of the relevant buildings on campus with posters including the science complex building, the residence buildings, and the science floor of the library. On the day of the event we made stand-up signs out of cardboard and placed them along the main student walkway of our campus. Our group decided to undertake our odds with the press, which usually comes as a futile effort; however, this time we ended up being reasonably triumphant as we targeted smaller media outlets. We e-mailed our campus radio station with a public service announcement asking them to e-mail it out to their mailing list. When following up we requested to construct a short advertisement for them to play on-air during the week of the event. Making the ad was quick and painless; any student radio station will have the resources for people to do this. We also made the effort to actually walk into the local newspapers and speak to the editors face to face. This was a much more effective method than simply sending an e-mail that gets pushed to the side in such a hectic business. Not only did the editor want to cover the event but also wanted a short article by Dr. Orr. We also sent the poster for the event to the campus newspaper asking them to print it, and they did so. During our promotional period we learned not to waste our money on Facebook ads—they cost us too much money and we feel as though crediting even three of our attendees to these ads would be an overstatement. We also learned the value of coming up with a budget before the event, as not to go overboard on postering or obtaining frivolous things we could have done without. At the event itself we made sure to talk to as many people as possible to give a positive and social feeling about our group. We made cookies to placate the crowd—free food is always a winner. The reaction to the event was extremely positive. I personally was surprised at the number of people who signed up to ensure they would be told about the location and time of the following week's general meeting. 
Robert Orr answers questions from audience members after the talk
All of our efforts made for an extremely successful event and laid the foundations for a great group in weeks to come. None of them actually took that much time, just the organization to do it properly and a drive for success. Thus far our best idea was creating a position in our group for public relations to ensure that we were approaching all of these things and people appropriately. All in all, it was a relief to see such a great turnout, and we will definitely be putting these efforts into our upcoming events and lectures. Katie Kish is President of the University of Guelph Skeptics in Guelph, Ontario. In conjunction with this group Katie produces the nationally syndicated radio show "Renegade Radio."
CFI Summer Session 2008: The Journey from Religion to Science The Center for Inquiry has a long tradition of providing educational opportunities that help explain the development of the modern worldview, particularly the human journey from dependence on religious beliefs to relying on evidence, inquiry, and evaluation. Summer Session 2008 is a guided tour along this route, raising such questions as: - What are the origins of religion?
- How do we assess the truth claims made by major religions on the basis of their sacred writings?
- Is it possible to be good without God?
- What is modern science telling us about how we come to know ourselves and the world beyond us?
The courses offered in 2008 examine the "future" of the Enlightenment, secular and religious dominion in public policy, "the new atheism," and other topics of vital concern for humanists and nonhumanists alike. For further information, contact Samantha Dornfeld at 716-636-4869 ext. 408 or sdornfeld@centerforinquiry.net. | 
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