| Campus Inquirer | September 2008 |
 The Importance of Free Inquiry
by Dan Riley, Campus Organizer
CFI's 2008 Student Leadership Conference was the largest such gathering in the Center for Inquiry's history. Coming together from all across North America, freethinkers gathered at CFI headquarters for presentations, lectures, and networking. A variety of new projects, such as our campus regional coordinators program, a podcast directed towards college students, and a student Digital Media Outreach Committee, will help bring together the abilities of CFI's expanding grassroots student movement. With our growing connectedness and increased capacity for reaching people comes the increased ability to further our shared ideals. Perhaps the most cherished principle of CFI's perspective on human life is the promotion of freedom of inquiry. For the benefit and progress of humanity, this organization holds that all subjects, from geography to geology, democracy to Deuteronomy, are and should be open to civilized, reasoned examination. Such a philosophy lies at the core of the halls of our academic institutions as well. Our professors, scientists, and intellectuals uphold the enlightened principle that, through clarified articulation, rigorous reflective study, and freedom of information, humanity will attain knowledge, enhance our lives, and further our understanding of the universe. In a world that far too often inflicts us with hurricanes and heartache, malaria and malnutrition, poverty and PTSD, calling upon our best qualities can lift our moral zeitgeists to new heights. Through inquiry, light-filled parts of the world have overcome a historic propensity for slavery, witch hunts, religious persecution, gender discrimination, and racial segregation. No longer, our modern reason has decided, should epileptics seek solutions from the clergy; our current understanding of neuroscience, coupled with our concern for humanity's well-being, dictate that human health and happiness outweigh tradition and dogma. This is a triumph for our species. While throughout the school year many of you will undoubtedly experience moments of relative boredom, it is important to be mindful of the influence that academic research and open debate has upon our world and our lives. The accumulated knowledge of our schools translates into life-saving pharmaceutical drugs, progressive medical procedures, social change, and a fuller appreciation for global cultures, governments, and economics. With modern technology, we live in an ever-shrinking world. Humanity's best mechanism for equipping ourselves with the tools for the present and the future lies in our freedom to inquire and our ability to answer. The newest addition to CFI's Outreach team, Dan Riley has a B.A. in political science from Duke University. He has experience working in the legal profession and as an organizer in a U.S. presidential election.
 A Fresh Start: Guelph Skeptics Take On Orientation Week
by Angela Orshinsky
President & Treasurer, Guelph Skeptics
Orientation week is by far one of the best opportunities for clubs to promote themselves on campus prior to the stress and frustrations of the new semester. The Guelph Skeptics aimed high for our first orientation week event: a barbecue with live music. Our event was not a complete disaster (my biggest fear), but it was not the most wonderful Skeptics event it could have been. A lot of our problems were related to losing one half of our executives either to a new job or to a new school. We also ran into logistical problems resulting from a lack of "straight answers" from our Central Student Association (CSA). However, despite a poor time slot and being scheduled at the same time as a very well funded FREE barbecue with hip hop artists and all, we managed to promote our club well by distributing a good number of free science education DVDs, magazines, and pamphlets. Having our own club pamphlet helped to disseminate our name and purposes as well as those of affiliated organizations including CFI. After some reflection on our event, I would like to provide two tips to campus groups trying to successfully bring together an orientation week event: 1. Keep it simple. Our event was a BBQ and live band event. Organizing such an event might seem fairly straightforward; however, we were completely unprepared for the amount of red tape and the last-minute nature of the CSA organizing committee. I suggest simpler ideas that are just as likely to attract interested students. Why not have a pizza party and Xbox tournament on the large projection screen of a lecture hall? This type of event is not subject to the weather, requires little people power, is CHEAP, and has very little safety risk in the eyes of our student union. Other simple-but-wonderful ideas include a piñata bash (keep it tasteful), an ice cream party (with sprinkles and all the extras), or a movie night with refreshments. 2. Don't be afraid to ask for help. We put out an emergency call for volunteers very close to the event itself. It's a good thing that members responded because more issues than anticipated managed to crop up, and the extra hands made everything run more smoothly. Most of the people who had been reluctant to help in the past because "they were busy" were more than willing to lend a hand once they realized that if they didn't volunteer, nobody would. Finally, I would like to point out that our greatest success may not have been our ability to inform our campus what the Guelph Skeptics are about, but instead our growth together as a team. I learned a lot about some of the other members of the Guelph Skeptics, we managed to have some of the most friendly and educational conversations we've ever had, and we all got sunburn and heatstroke together. I honestly believe that our ability to pull through this very demanding event as a team has made us more capable than ever. I feel that we are well on our way to becoming a sustainable, well-organized, and influential secular and skeptical voice on campus. Angela Orshinsky has been involved with the Guelph Skeptics for the past two years and is currently serving as the President and Treasurer. She is working towards a PhD in environmental biology with special focus on cell biology and physiology of fungi at the University of Guelph.
Time to Update Group Contact Information! It's time to update the CFI campus affiliate database for 2008-2009! If you are a campus group leader, go to the new CFI Campus Group Affiliation Form and fill it out as completely as you can. This information will be used to update the CFI Campus Groups Listing in the coming weeks. New groups also receive a New Affiliate Group box with complimentary issues of Free Inquiry and Skeptical Inquirer magazines, stickers, brochures and pamphlets, videos, and other educational and promotional materials. Even if you have registered a campus group before August 2008, please fill out the new form if your group will be active in 2008-2009. With about 200 active CFI-affiliated campus groups around the world, it's difficult to keep track of current group contact info. Filling out the form is quick, it's easy, and you'll help CFI to best provide resources and speakers where needed. Thank you for helping us to keep our records up to date!
Become a Friend of the Center for Inquiry As a new school year gets underway for many of us, now is a great time to become a Friend of the Center! Your membership entitles you to many benefits including discounted or free admission to CFI events, and it helps to support the continued development of the programs and services offered by the Center for Inquiry.  For just $60 a year, or $20 if you're currently a student, you get: - Free or discounted admission to CFI events
- 10% discount on national events sponsored by CFI and its affiliates (CSH, CSICOP, and CSMMH), including the upcoming CFI World Congress 2009 in Washington, D.C.
- 15% discount on selected Prometheus Books titles
- A colorful CFI vinyl decal
...And you get to feel good knowing you've made a contribution towards science and reason! With your membership you will receive a membership packet, but please allow up to 6 weeks for processing. If you have any questions, please contact our Community Development Assistant Whitney Kemp at 1-800-818-7071 ext. 428.
Upcoming Events Now that the fall semester is here, there are lots of great events being planned on campuses and at Centers and Communities for Inquiry across North America. Check out the new CFI On Campus Events Calendar for more information about these, and other, upcoming events of interest to campus freethinkers and skeptics. Friday, September 19, 7:00 p.m.
Ron Lindsay: "Bioethics and Public Policy: Should We Ban Human Enhancement?"
CFI Transnational, Amherst, NY Friday, September 19, 7:00 p.m.
Tom Flynn: "The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief"
CFI Community of Long Island
Plainview - Old Bethpage Public Library, 999 Old Country Road, Plainview, NY Sunday, September 21, 2:00 p.m.
Dale McGowan: "Parenting Beyond Belief"
IUPUI Freethinkers and CFI Indiana
IUPUI Student Center CE Room A (4th Floor), 420 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN Wednesday, September 24, 8:00 p.m.
John Loftus: "From Preacher to Atheist"
IUPUI Freethinkers and CFI Indiana
IUPUI Student Center CE Room A (4th Floor), 420 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN Saturday, September 27, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
CFI Community of Northeast Ohio conference:
"A Time of Transition," featuring Mark Crispin Miller, Ronald Lindsay, Stuart Jordan, and others
Independence, OH Thursday, October 2, 7:00 p.m.
Food for Thought Lecture Series: Chris Kirk
CFI Austin
Old Quarry Branch Library, 7051 Village Center Drive, Austin, TX Tuesday, October 7, 6:00 p.m.
Greydon Square: "The Musical Stylings of Greydon Square"
Campus Freethought Alliance at UCF
University of Central Florida, Student Union, Pegasus Ballroom GHI, Orlando, FL Tuesday, October 7, 6:30 p.m.
Voices of Reason: C. Welton Gaddy on "Religion in Politics in'08"
CFI NYC, General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen, 20 W 44th St., New York, NY Thursday, October 9
Toni Van Pelt: "The Dangers of Freethinking Women"
CFI at Broward College, Fort Lauderdale, FL Friday, October 10
Toni Van Pelt: "The Dangers of Freethinking Women"
CFI Community of Fort Lauderdale, FL Saturday, October 11
Toni Van Pelt: "The Dangers of Freethinking Women"
CFI Community of Miami, FL Sunday, October 12, 1:00 p.m.
On Global Warming and Climate Change with Geophysicist David Archer
CFI Chicago
UIC Room 613 (behind elevators), University Center East building, 750 S. Halsted, Chicago, IL Sunday, October 12, 12:30 p.m.
Voices of Reason: MAAF Founder Kathleen Johnson
CFI DC, 621 Pennsylvania Ave SE (Eastern Market metro), Washington, DC Tuesday, October 14
Toni Van Pelt: "The Dangers of Freethinking Women"
CFI Community of Naples, FL Wednesday, October 15, 7:00 p.m.
CFI Portland Community Kickoff
Featuring Lawrence Krauss: "Science, Non-Science, and Nonsense: From the Classroom to the Capitol"
CFI Community of Portland, OR Thursday, October 16, 12:00 p.m.
Toni Van Pelt: "The Dangers of Freethinking Women"
CFI Community of Daytona Beach, FL Saturday, October 18, 2:00 p.m.
Ronald Aronson: "Living without God"
CFI DC, 621 Pennsylvania Ave SE (Eastern Market metro), Washington, DC Saturday, October 18, 11:00 a.m.
Toni Van Pelt: "The Dangers of Freethinking Women"
CFI Tampa, FL Sunday, October 19, 7:00 p.m.
Roy Zimmerman
CFI Indiana, Indianapolis, IN Tuesday, October 21
Toni Van Pelt: "The Dangers of Freethinking Women"
CFI Community of Tallahassee, FL Wednesday, October 22, 7:00 p.m.
Ron Lindsay: "Future Bioethics"
CFI Michigan
Women's City Club, 254 E. Fulton, Grand Rapids, MI Friday, October 24, 6:30 p.m.
Dale McGowan: "Parenting Beyond Belief"
CFI San Francisco
World Affairs Council Auditorium 312 Sutter St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA Sunday, October 26, 11:00 a.m.
Texas Freethought Conference
CFI Austin
Saengerrunde Hall (Scholz Garten), Austin, TX Sunday, October 26, 2:00 p.m.
Richard Carrier
CFI Indiana, Indianapolis, IN
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