Since we started the Secular Alliance of IU in April 2008, it has grown from an idea to an organization, from goals envisioned to plans fulfilled.  As the founder of SAIU, I have enjoyed observing this growth immensely.  Every new member who tells me their story has inspired me to continue on, through the good and the bad.  I would like to thank all of our members, from those who lurk on the listserv and in the forum to those who come to every meeting, for your involvement in our organization.  Without you, we wouldn’t be able to share our secular goals and ideas with the Indiana University and Bloomington communities!  

I wanted to give a quick overview of the past year’s events, and celebrate some of our many successes:

1. Speaker: John Loftus, “From Christian to Atheist”: John Loftus, a native Hoosier, told about 40 people his story of leaving the Christian faith.  Loftus blogs on Debunking Christianity and wrote a book about his journey to atheism.
2. Cardboard Boat Regatta: In the first month of school, SAIU participated in a university-wide boat race.  We built our “HMS Beagle” out of cardboard and duct tape, and two members rowed her across the IU Outdoor Pool.
3. Russell’s Tea Party discussions: For most of the year, the group held weekly discussions on topics including religion, politics, ethics, science, and pseudoscience.  There meetings doubled as opportunities to foster a community and to encourage discussion and critical thinking on a variety of issues.
4. Movie nights: Through the year, movie nights were held about twice a month.  We showed films like Jesus Camp, Saved!, Expelled!, and The God Who Wasn’t There, which covered topics that got people thinking about religious belief in our country.
5. Creation Museum Field Trip: The group went to the infamous Creation Museum to learn what they had to say about religious belief.  As one member said “the trip was alternatively funny and scary,” because it is shocking that people believe these things, but also very sad and disappointed.  We made a video of our trip to inform others about the museum and also document our journey.
6. Wonderlab Volunteer Orientation: A few members went to the orientation for volunteers at Wonderlab Museum of Science & Technology in January, a museum that supports science education and making science accessible to youth.
7. Darwin Day Evolution Teach-in: Three group members gave an educational talk on the arguments against evolution, myths about evolution, and why creationism isn’t true.  This was a great presentation, and was followed by a wonderful discussion.
8. Stone Age Institute Field Trip: The group visited a local institute that studies early human origins and evolution.  There was a presentation on what the institute does and a tour of the grounds.  This is a beautiful, place, just north of Bloomington, and the two directors of the institute were very warm and welcoming to SAIU.
9. Speakers: Annie Laurie Gaylor and Susan Sackett: The Center for Inquiry Indiana helped us to bring these two wonderful speakers to our campus.  These events helped us to gain new members and awareness for our group.
10. Speaker: Hemant Mehta, “Improving the Atheist Image”: Hemant Mehta encouraged atheists to promote a positive image of atheism and nonbelief.  This event was covered twice in the IDS, and helped new members to find our group.

These are just a few of the activities held by SAIU in the 08-09 year.  Overall, I must say that SAIU had a fantastic year.  I will miss being the president of this organization greatly, but I’m happy to say that I’m passing the torch to three wonderful new officers.  At our final meeting, we elected the following people:

Co-Presidents: Joe Hughto (jhughto@indiana.edu) and Ashley Carroll (ashcarro@indiana.edu)
Web Manager: Eoban Binder (ebinder@indiana.edu)
PR Director: We’re still looking for someone to take on this position! Email secular@indiana.edu.

If you’re aching for some atheist community this summer, please contact onlyskybl@gmail.com to learn more about the Atheist Happy Hour, a group that meets on the first Friday of every month in Bloomington for informal socializing.

If you’d like to get involved with some activism, the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign is an active group working to place atheist ads on buses across the state.  They’ve already put ads up in South Bend, Indiana, and are working to raise money to continue their cause.  Learn more at http://INatheistbus.org.

Thank you again for a wonderful year.  I hope you have a great summer, and I look forward to the events our new leaders will bring to the group.

—Sarah Kaiser, Founder and President of the Secular Alliance of IU

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