Secular Student Alliance
About
Join the Secular Student Alliance as an Official Member
1. Join on RowdyLink by clicking the blue "Join" Button
2. Fill out this form: I want to Join! (Dues are optional)
3. Add yourself to the Secular Student Alliance GroupMe
The Secular Student Alliance at UTSA was founded in the Fall of 2013 but this organization has existed under various names with similar goals since the Fall of 2005. Surrounded by the dozens of prominent religious groups and very vocal pro-life protestors at UTSA, the group was created to provide a voice to nonreligious students on campus.
The Secular Student Alliance national is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the only national organization dedicated to representing atheist, agnostic, humanist and other non-theist students. Our chapter at UTSA also accepts members of any faith or lack thereof who feel very strongly about protecting separation of church and state and freedom of and from religion and want to participate in activism related to protecting those freedoms.
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Free Speech: Pro-science, logic, reason & critical thinking with the freedom to speak one's mind and engage in discussions on any topic
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Freedom to practice or not practice religion without government interference including freedom from laws created to enforce a particular religion's morality or values
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Bodily Autonomy: Freedom to make decisions about your own body, assessed risk and medical procedures without religiously motivated government interference
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Freedom to love and marry according to you and your partner's values, with the same legal rights afforded to any married person without persecution or discrimination from religiously motivated government interference
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Equality: Denounce racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia/transphobia and other forms of bigotry and unfair discrimination
SSA hosts a wide variety of activities for members in addition to weekly meetings including social events and fun outings, community service/volunteering opportunities, activism, and larger campus events such as movie screenings and guest speakers. Interested members will have opportunities to promote secular ethical values, develop leadership and social skills, learn how to engage in civil and productive interactions with those who have different beliefs and become proficient in constructive skepticism and critical thinking skills.
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What is the Secular Student Alliance?
The fastest-growing demographic on college campuses is students without a religious affiliation. Almost 50% of students now identify as nonreligious. The Secular Student Alliance is a national non-profit organization with hundreds of student chapters in high schools, colleges, and universities across the country. For more information go to secularstudents.org
SSA at UTSA now has its own website http://ssautsa.square.site
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Sean Rivera, one of our previous presidents, describes the goals of the SSA at UTSA as a student organization
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Cody Valdez, one of the three SSA at UTSA members who appeared on the LIVE episode of Truth Wanted filmed at the UTSA campus May 13, 2022 explains what SSA means to him. Cody was also featured on an "I'm Secular & I VOTE" campaign for the Freedom From Religion Foundation that included billboards in both Austin and San Antonio.
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Congratulations to our SSA at UTSA chapter for winning the Secular Student Alliance Chapter of the Year 2024! This prestigious honor was bestowed on our chapter at the 2024 SSA National Conference recognizing our chapter as the best out of 237 total SSA chapters for our dedication to advocacy work, including creating the "Voice your Choice" campaign promoting reproductive freedom and our incredible accomplishment of distributing for FREE to the UTSA student body over now 16,000 condoms and 1,500 boxes of Plan B emergency contraceptives during 2024. Two of our officers were honored speakers at the 2024 SSA National Conference, Clara Clasen and Percy Walsh held a workshop on local advocacy to teach other chapters about our methods.
This is the second year in-a-row an award was presented to our chapter at the annual SSA National Conference. In 2023 we received the "Legacy Award" for the SSA at UTSA chapter having been in continuous operation for 10+ years despite numerous challenges, including persevering through covid restrictions and being one of the first chapters to re-establish itself once restrictions lifted.
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If you are interested in the Secular Student Alliance at UTSA we encourage you to check out our social media. Follow our Instagram and we're most active on our GroupMe and Discord
If you would like to receive a weekly email notification of SSA news, upcoming meetings and events join our mailing list.
Support our chapter with member-designed t-shirts, bags, hats and other merch at our SSA UTSA Merch Store
If you have any questions or comments, email us at secularstudents.utsa@gmail.com
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Spring 2025 Schedule
(Tentative, events may be added or changed)
Meetings
Meetings for the Spring 2025 semester will be held on the UTSA main campus on Thursdays at 5:30-7:00pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24) on the 2nd floor of the Student Union building unless otherwise noted. If you can't be there in person, let us know and you can participate via Zoom. After every meeting we have time to play games or do some kind of fun activity to bond and make friends. Come to any meeting at any time during the semester, you don't have to sign up as a member, just show up to any event or meeting and say hi.
Lost? Map to the Student Union Building
Tabling Campaigns
"Voice your Choice" Initiative is about protecting reproductive rights as a church/state separation issue. We feel current reproductive laws are largely being influenced by the religious right's forceful legislation of their religious-based beliefs rather than science or facts, in spite of the objective harm caused by their regressive policies. Originally started in March 2024, it is resuming in 2025 through end of the spring semester. We are giving out free condoms and plan B emergency contraceptives on Thursdays in front of the MH building from 12 to 3pm as part of our campaign to promote safe sex, better sex education and the right to bodily autonomy to make medical decisions about our bodies and be free to determine what's acceptable risk for ourselves, not the government.
If it's an emergency and you need free plan B outside of our tabling schedule email us at utsa@secularstudents.org or you can visit one of the resources listed on the news article about our campaign. If you have an unplanned pregnancy and need information about ALL available options and resources available under Texas restrictions visit fundTexaschoice.org or planCpills.org
"Protect Your Pride" Initiative was originally held at Pride 2024 but will continue through the spring 2025 semester. This initiative educates about the politics surrounding LGBTQ+ equality as a church/state separation issue involving the right to exist, love and marry with the same legal rights afforded to a heterosexual partnership or marriage according to the person and their partner's own moral code when facing the current political atmosphere of religiously motivated political groups being able to legislate their own moral standards and bigotry.
Webinars, Videos and other Media
Visit our website ssautsa.square.site/media to see documentaries, videos, and articles about the rising threat of Christian Nationalism eroding the separation of church and state as an affront to our personal freedoms and democracy, especially in light of the new presidential regime.
Summit for Religious
Events on Campus
Get Involved Fair Thursday, January 23, 2025 from 11am to 2pm, on the Main Campus at the HSU Ballroom and from 4pm to 6pm at the Downtown campus in the Assembly Room 1.338 in the Buena Vista Building. Check-in for volunteers is between 10-10:45am for the main campus and between 3-3:45pm downtown. Come by our table to get some free stickers, buttons, condoms and plan B!
First Official Meeting | What is SSA? Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24), Student Union Building. After the first intro meeting, we have the room until 8:30pm to play games like Cards Against Humanity, Uno or Unstable Unicorns or if you have a group game feel free to bring it to the meeting.
General Meeting Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
Reproductive Rights Fair Thursday, February 13, 2024. 11 to 2pm in Paseo in front of HEB Student Union. Reproductive Rights Fair sponsored by Texas Rising. Many different local organizations and student organizations will be doing different fun activities to promote reproductive rights. Our group will have a button-making table where you can design your own button or keychain in addition to providing free contraceptives.
General Meeting Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
Austin Field Trip & Speaking Engagement Our group has been invited to speak on how we've been advocating for church/state separation through our "Voice your Choice" Initiative supporting reproductive freedom for the Austin Freedom From Religion Foundation organization on Saturday, February 15 at 12:30pm at the Little Walnut Creek Branch of the Austin Public Library. Any SSA member or interested person can come on the trip to attend the meeting and meet the Austin FFRF group. We'll be carpooling up there and going out for lunch as a group afterwards.
General Meeting Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
General Meeting Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
General Meeting Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
Religion in Video Games | The Mothman Cult in Fallout 76 Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
General Meeting Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
General Meeting Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late
General Meeting Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
Film Screening & Discussion Panel on the Politics of Vaccines | "Virulent: The Vaccine War" Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 5:30pm to 8:30pm in the Willow Room (SU 2.02.12) in the Student Union. Measles outbreaks are surging across the country and it’s time to fight back with facts, science, and action!This documentary exposes the history of vaccine opposition, the damage of anti-vax propaganda, and why we CANNOT afford to let this slide. We are hosting a screening of the film starting at 5:30pm followed by a discussion panel at 7pm on the themes in the film such as how current politics have hampered vaccine research and funding, further fueled vaccine denial/hesitancy and distrust in science in general and the impact that has had on public health. The discussion format would be a back and forth informal group discussion with both undergrad and graduate students and professors/researchers from the UTSA department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and the Texas Biomedical Research Institute in an effort to give students the viewpoint of those more knowledgeable about immunology and vaccine research. We will have attendees both in person and over zoom, you may participate either way but we'd love to have you join the discussion in person. https://utsa.zoom.us/
Virulent Trailer
The film will be screened on Thursday, April 17 from 5:30 to 7pm followed by the discussion panel from 7pm to 8:30pm in the Willow Room (SU 2.02.12) in the Student Union.
General Meeting Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
Dia en La Sombrilla Friday, April 25, 2025 from 11am to 3pm in the Sombrilla. We are selling pastries in the shape of female genitalia (Twat Waffles) to help raise money for our group and promote reproductive freedom and sex positivity. The Twat Waffles will come in vanilla, chocolate or blue(berry) flavor and topped with a vanilla glaze, strawberry sauce, whipped cream, penis-shaped sprinkles and a cherry on top.
Arts & Crafts Fair/Bake Sale Thursday, May 1 from 11am to 4pm. Central Plaza. Multi-organization arts & crafts fundraiser sponsored by NeuroDivergent Society at the end of every semester. Last semester participating organizations included the Secular Student Alliance, Poetry Society, SOAR, DAPi, Kurabu Anime Club, Botany Club, American Fisheries Society Hispanic Student Association, Project Sunshine, Bee Campus UTSA and more! Come by our table to help support our group! If interested in participating in the fair as an organization or an artist who would like to donate your artwork to support any student organization of your choice please join the GroupMe for the Fair. If you missed our booth at Dia en La Sombrilla you'll have a second chance to get some of our "twat waffles"
General Meeting Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 5:30pm to 7pm in the Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24). Come for discussion and snacks, stay late for games after.
Fall Officer Elections (tba) Elected officer positions will be voted for online: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Creative Director, Public Relations. We also have non-elected volunteer officer positions where you are granted slightly more permissions than a dues-paying member but have no specific duties, you just help where you can. If you'd like to run for an office or a volunteer position, please email utsa@secularstudents.org
SSA Summer Conference Trip July 16-19, 2025 in Cinncinati, OH
*****Summer Break******
Meetings resume in Fall 2025 semester every Thursday at 5:30pm in Mesquite Room.
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Join the Secular Student Alliance as an Official Member
1. Join on RowdyLink by clicking the blue "Join" Button
2. Fill out this form: I want to Join! (Dues are Optional)
3. Add yourself to the Secular Student Alliance GroupMe
