|  Letter from CFI On Campus Student President Matthew LaClair
I am honored to be the new student president of CFI On Campus. Currently I am finishing my senior year at Kearny High School in Kearny, New Jersey, and will be attending The New School in Manhattan beginning this autumn. During my time as president, I hope to help make our causes more visible, gain support for our issues and expand our membership and the intensity of our commitments. Some of you may have heard of me. I have been involved in battles regarding church-state separation and education. My first issue involved a teacher I recorded because he was preaching his religious beliefs during class, telling us that dinosaurs were on Noah's Ark and that we belong in hell if we do not accept Jesus as our personal savior. This story brought a strong response from the media and various organizations. It generated five articles and two editorials in The New York Times, numerous magazine articles in magazines such as Harpers and Church & State and multiple television and radio appearances, including CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, NPR and Air America. I have been honored to address many organizations and have received awards from the New York Society for Ethical Culture, the American Ethical Union, the Center for Inquiry, the ACLU, the Anti-Defamation League and others. Currently, I am challenging a biased and inaccurate Government textbook. This issue has also drawn attention since the Associated Press broke the story a few weeks ago. I recently wrote an op-ed in The Los Angeles Times regarding this issue, and have appeared on a number of radio programs. I intend to utilize the many good relationships I have made to assist this organization. The Center for Inquiry was the first group to take initiative on the textbook issue by writing an extensive critique of the book. By demonstrating their commitment to these issues, they have in turn gained my, and I hope your, commitment as well. I hope to bring to CFI a new way of accomplishing our goals. Many people in secular movements feel that changing the minds of those who do not listen to reason is impossible. I have observed however, that if you couple perseverance with respect and kindness toward those who disagree with you, you can occasionally change some minds. We are on the side of a great cause. The time is right for us to move it forward, especially among people our age. I hope that everyone involved in CFI’s campus initiative will become active not only by participating in CFI events, but also by becoming active in their local community. Dealing with situations on the front lines is always difficult, but we desperately need it.
CFI Hires New Campus Organizer
The Center for Inquiry has expanded its staff again this month, hiring Dan Riley as a new campus organizer. Dan is a 2006 graduate of Duke University, where he studied political science and religion. Following graduation, Dan has had opportunities to travel the world, work in the legal profession and participate in the Presidential election as a political field organizer. He looks to bring his insights, lessons and experiences to promote and educate people about the Center for Inquiry's mission and worldview. CFI is proud to welcome Dan Riley as the newest member of our growing team. | 
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