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Thank you to everyone who helped make Humanism at Yale Week such a great success! From April 5 to April 12, hundreds of Yalies, New Havenites, and people from all across Connecticut attended Humanism at Yale Week events!
Highlights included thought-provoking lectures on mortality and hip hop, a community gathering on sharing the stories of nonreligious people, a meaningful interfaith service project, a panel on what atheists do believe, a packed Practical Humanism discussion on dealing with pressure, and an all-day Humanist celebrant training -- the largest single day training in the history of the Humanist Institute, with participants from more than 5 states! Thank you to all who attended and supported these events. If you have feedback or ideas for next year, please let us know!
As the academic year comes to an end, we'll be winding down some (though not all!) of our programs for the summer in order to step back and plan for the fall. But we still have a lot going on this month that we want you to know about.
Read on for details on our year end celebration, our new Advisory Board, the last Practical Humanism Discussion Group meeting of the academic year, the Race for Mental Health, our new alumni group and reunion weekend open houses, details on summer programs, our recent meeting with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, and much more!
Finally, don't forget: In order to ensure that we're able to continue growing next year, we have to raise enough to fund our programs.
 Next week you can help us win up to $15,000 in prizes during the Great Give. Plus, we have a matching challenge from a donor for next week! More on that below. I hope you'll consider supporting our community as this academic year ends and we prepare to begin an exciting new chapter.
Best, Chris Stedman, Executive Director |
May 5-6, you can help YHC win up to $15,000!
Plus: A matching donor can make your gift go even further
As a 501(c)(3), YHC relies completely on your donations -- with no financial support or benefits from Yale University. Which is why we are participating in the Great Give next week!
If you're able to do so, please donate here between the hours of 8 AM on May 5 and 8 PM on May 6. During this window, your donation will have a much larger impact than it normally would for two reasons:
1. A donor has offered a matching challenge to YHC, and will donate $50 to YHC per new donor (up to $500)!
2. Each donation of $25 or more could help YHC win up to $15,000 in prizes from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
While all donations are of course welcome, only $25 or higher donations will count toward the grant prizes. Donors who are considering giving more than $25 are asked to think about other family members as donors. For instance, a $100 donation could be entered as $25 each from parents and two children. Number of donors is one of the ways YHC could qualify for a grant prize. You could be the donor that wins $15,000 for YHC!
Visit http://bit.ly/GreatGiveYHC to learn more and donate, and please spread the word! We are so grateful for your support.
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Yale alumni: Join us for reunion weekends!
New Humanist alumni group invites you to Open Houses
Humanist Alumni of Yale, a new group formed in 2015, will be holding  Open Houses during both of the approaching reunion weekends! Yale alumni and their friends and families are invited to stop by, have some food and drink, and learn about opportunities to connect with fellow Humanist, atheist, agnostic, nonreligious, or allied alumni and current students. You will also have the chance to learn more about upcoming ways to engage in philanthropic and reflective service initiatives, and to provide input as to what kinds of projects and programs are of interest to Humanist and nonreligious alumni.
Humanist Alumni of Yale strives to forge and sustain supportive relationships between alumni, students, and the community in a variety of ways, and works closely with the Yale Humanist Community. We hope you will come say hello!
Saturday, May 23rd, 11 AM - 2 PM
Saturday, May 30th, 11 AM - 2 PM
Both Open Houses will be held in the Armour Room of Davenport College (248 York Street, New Haven CT 06511). Please email yalehumanistalumni@gmail.com with questions.
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Announcing YHC's Advisory Board!
Joining our Board of Directors and our Yale Faculty Board of Advisers in offering counsel to YHC is our new Advisory Board, made up of non-Yale affiliated academics, authors, and activists who support our mission and values and want to help us in our work by offering advice, ideas, and feedback. While we're still working on putting the board together, we're thrilled to announce the first round of members! They include:
- Alom Shaha, science advocate and author of The Young Atheist's Handbook;
- Anthony Pinn, scholar, director of research for the Institute for Humanist Studies, and author/editor of thirty books;
- Greg McGonigle, Tufts University chaplain and past president of the National Association of College and University Chaplains;
- Jennifer Michael Hecht, poet, philosopher, historian and author of Doubt: A History and other books;
- Juhem Navarro-Rivera, expert on Latino politics and religion and research associate at the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture at Trinity College;
- Kevin Roose, writer, editor, TV maker, and author of The Unlikely Disciple and Young Money;
- Mary Johnson, Humanist activist, author of An Unquenchable Thirst, and a former nun who worked with Mother Teresa;
- Michael De Dora, director of public policy at the Center for Inquiry and president of the United Nations NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief;
- Monica Miller, Assistant Professor of Religion & Africana Studies and Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Lehigh University and author of Religion and Hip Hop;
- Nick Sagan, prolific author, television producer, and son of astronomer Carl Sagan and Pioneer plaque artist Linda Salzman;
- Philip Kitcher, John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and author of twelve books including Life After Faith: The Case for Secular Humanism;
- Reza Aslan, writer and scholar of religions and author of the New York Times bestseller Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth;
- Wendy Thomas Russell, award-winning journalist and author of Relax, It's Just God: How and Why to Talk to Kids About Religion When You're Not Religious.
Click here to learn more about our Board of Advisors!
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What's going on at YHC this summer?
 Beginning this month, we're winding down some of our programs for the summer in order to step back and plan for the fall.
See below for details about which programs are going on hiatus, which ones are running less frequently, and which ones are continuing without interruption. For those of you sticking around New Haven, we hope to see you over the summer!
Continuing without interruption:
- Monthly graduate student, professional, and young adult pub night
- Monthly graduate student, professional, and young adult pubb oard game night
- WTF (Who to Follow?) Discussion Group
- Existential counseling
Less frequent meetings:
- SMART Recovery (no meetings in June or August)
On hiatus:
- Weekly Undergraduate Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics dinner
- Weekly Open Party lunch
- Practical Humanism Discussion Group
- Community Life Committee
- Weekly chat with Maytal and Chris
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You're invited: Year end celebration 5/6!
Yale Humanist Community members and friends have much to celebrate  this year! Please join us for noshes and a glass of beer, wine, or soda to toast all the accomplishments and enjoy each other's company before the summer hiatus.
All are welcome -- but please be sure to RSVP via email to yalehumanists@gmail.com so we can have plenty of refreshments on hand!
What: Year end celebration When: May 6, 2015 5:00 - 6:30 PM Who: Open to the public
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With life's busyness and stress, how do you relax?
Last Practical Humanism meeting of the academic year!
The world can be a very stressful place -- and this can affect our body, mind, and relationships. As students navigate end of the
 semester stress and others deal with stress at home or at work, this meeting on Wednesday, May 6 at 7 PM is all about relaxing. So come in your most comfortable outfit and bring your favorite tea or snack -- we're going to try relaxation techniques and discuss how we can prevent our lives from becoming too stressful.
This will be the last Practical Humanism discussion meeting of the academic year, and the last with our Programs and Counseling Intern Olga Verbeek, who will be finishing her internship this month. So come thank Olga for her great work this year and learn some techniques for dealing with stress. This meeting is free and open to the public. Click here for more details.
What: Practical Humanism Discussion Group
When: Wednesday, May 6, 7 PM
Where: The Grove (760 Chapel Street)
Who: Open to the public
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Last AHA dinner of the year tonight! (April 30)
Tonight (April 30) is the last undergrad Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics dinner of the school year! It will be a great chance to reflect on the year and the summer, and there will be a ritual to bring this year to a close. As always: 6 PM at the back of the  TD dining hall and up the stairs. Even if you haven't come in a while, we'd love to see you!
When: Thursday, April 30, 6 PM
What: AHA Dinner Meeting
Who: Undergraduate students only
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Who -- if anyone -- do you follow? Come discuss!
Who (if anyone) do you "follow"? After this week's engaging events on "following,"come discuss at WTF! WTF is it? This monthly meeting hosted by YHC member Tom Krattenmaker is a space to explore who we "follow" -- the scientists, poets, thinkers, and even religious figures that some of us look to for
 inspiration, guidance, or example. If you're interested, join us on on Tuesday, May 26 at 7 PM at The Grove!
What: WTF Discussion Group
When: Tuesday, May 26, 7 PM
Where: The Grove (760 Chapel Street)
Who: Open to the public
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Get involved in YHC's new STEM initiative!
Are you passionate about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education? We'll be launching a pilot after- school STEM program in Fall 2015! This program will be an opportunity for our graduate, undergraduate, faculty, and community members to get off campus, make connections across the Greater New Haven community, and put our values into action.
What will it entail? Once a month we'll take students and other community members and volunteers to mentor and work with at-risk students in the New Haven area to demonstrate the wonder and possibilities that the STEM fields contain.
We'll be announcing more details soon, so stay tuned! For now, if you want to help ensure this pilot program turns into a permanent one, please consider giving during The Great Give. If you want to get involved in planning, please email Wendy Webber at wwebber@gmail.com.
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Join Humanists in walking & running for mental health
Join YHC and other Humanists from the New Haven and Hartford areas in supporting  the Community Health Center Race for Mental Health on Saturday, May 2, at 8:30 AM. Registration can be done here. The walk is in Hubbard Park in Meriden just minutes from I-691.
This event is a part of the Week of Action, an initiative started by Humanist Rabbi Adam Chalom in response to National Day of Prayer and National Day of Reason. It takes place the week before National Day of Prayer and Reason, and is a way to come together regardless of beliefs to benefit our communities. Please contact Rebecca at Development@CtHumanist.org with any questions.
What: Community Health Center Race for Mental Health
When: Saturday, May 2, 8:30 AM
Where: Hubbard Park in Meriden, CT
Who: Open to the public
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Welcoming YHC's new board members!
Please join us in welcoming the newest members of YHC's Board of Directors: Chelsea Link and Tom Krattenmaker!
Tom Krattenmaker is Communications Director at Yale Divinity School and a writer specializing in religion in American public life.  He is a contributing columnist for USA Today and the author of two books. A speaker at the American Humanist Association conferences in 2010 and 2013, Krattenmaker has received awards from organizations including the American Academy of Religion and Religion Newswriters Association.
Chelsea Link is a Ph.D. student in the History of Science and Medicine  program at Yale. In the past, she has worked as the Campus Organizing Fellow at the Humanist Community at Harvard, and served on the board of directors of the Secular Student Alliance. As an undergraduate, she served as both the President of the Harvard College Interfaith Council and the Vice President of Outreach of the Harvard Secular Society, and she volunteered as a Better Together Coach with the Interfaith Youth Core. Learn more about our Board of Directors here! |
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Stay Connected
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YHC Thank You List '14-'15 Academic Year
Please join us in thanking our many volunteers, speakers, advocates, and friends who gave their time and talent to YHC and helped us exceed all of our goals for this year! Some of the individuals below fall under more than one category, and there are of course many others who have supported YHC or participated in our programs who are not listed below. We apologize to anyone we've unintentionally excluded. Finally, we'll be thanking donors next month, so stay tuned!
Board of Directors (Past and Present) - Miles Lasater
- Paul Chiariello
- Vlad Chituc
- Nat DeLuca
- Aaron Gertler
- Stephen Goeman
- John Hooper
- Tom Krattenmaker
- Ike Lasater
- Chelsea Link
- Dylan Onderdonk-Snow
- David Rand
- Laurie Santos
- David Schafer
- June Schafer
- Deanna Stocker
Faculty Advisers - Paul Bloom
- Yarrow Dunham
- Lance Linke
- Steven Novella
- David Rand
- Laurie Santos
- Stephen Stearns
Speakers - Ryan Bell
- Melanie Brewster
- Michael De Dora
- Jacob Erickson
- Joshua Greene
- Martin Hägglund
- Jason Heap
- Tom Krattenmaker
- Susan Jacoby
- Kevin Jagoe
- Jone Johnson Lewis
- Leighann Lord
- Monica Miller
- Tony Pinn
- Conor Robinson
- Jason Torpy
- Vanessa Zoltan
- Frans de Waal
- Kristin Wintermute
- Bart Worden
Community Advocates and Key Volunteers - Slate Ballard, Christina Kane, and everyone at The Grove
- American Humanist Association
- Connecticut Coalition of Reason
- Connecticut Mental Health Center
- Jacques Lamarre and the Mark Twain House & Museum
- Mark Smith, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
- Lou Mangini, Office of Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro
- Numaan Akram
- Dana Allswede
- Mesha Arant
- Tanya Barrett
- Rachael Berman
- Dan Blinn
- Nate Bresnick
- Kenneth Brewer
- Susan Campbell
- Jeff Chu
- Alex Dakoulas
- Hunter Dudkiewicz
- Joe Esposito
- Chandra Goff
- Robin Hafitz
- Dennis Paul Himes
- Magd Lhroob
- Patrick McCann
- Anita Peters
- Angela Pollard
- Cary Shaw
- Carol Siddall
- Richard Siddall
- Siheun Song
- Fish Stark
- Wendy Webber
- Petter Wehlin
- Rebecca Williams
- Olga Verbeek
Yale Community Advocates - Chaplain Sharon Kugler
- Maytal Saltiel, Ian Oliver, Candice Provey, Omer Bajwa, and the entire Yale Chaplain's Office
- Katie Byrnes and Jamie Cappetta, Saint Thomas More Catholic Campus Ministry
- Craig Canfield, Yale LGBTQ Affinity Group
- Rabbi Leah Cohen, Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale
- Matt Croasmun, Yale Center for Faith and Culture
- Peter Crumlish, Dwight Hall
- Mary Dansinghani, Yale University School of Medicine
- Sarah Henderson, Office of International Students
- Lucinda Huffaker, Yale Divinity School Office of Supervised Ministries
- Kari Henkelmann Keyl, University Lutheran Ministry
- Professor Kathryn Lofton
- Rob and Sarah Malcolm, Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship
- Jennifer Mendelsohn, Graduate Student Life Office
- Julian Reid, Black Church at Yale and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
- April Ruiz, Dean of Calhoun College
- Richard Schottenfeld, Master of Davenport College
- Seon Joon Sunim, Yale Buddhist Life
- Maria Trumpler, Office of LGBTQ Resources
- Professor Patrick Weil
- Audrey West, Acting Associate Dean of Students at Yale Divinity School
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Meeting with Rep. DeLauro's office
We want to offer our sincere gratitude to Representative Rosa DeLauro's office for hosting us for a meeting last week! We presented a letter on behalf of YHC and the American Humanist Association thanking Rep. DeLauro for supporting a recent Darwin Day resolution. We were very grateful for the opportunity to show that there are Humanists at Yale and in New Haven working to build community and contribute positively to the broader Connecticut community, and we look forward to further dialogue!
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New YHC Gear!
Want to wear your Humanism on your sleeve? (Or your laptop, or your...?) Check out our new YHC tees, buttons, and stickers -- and get your own by donating to YHC!
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Get YHC coffee!
Have you enjoyed the coffee at Humanist Haven? Get your caffeine fix with our locally-roasted, small batch, ethical coffee. Proceeds support YHC! Click here to buy.
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Why New Haven needs to have a conversation about Humanism
"Someone I met recently on the New Haven Green told me that... atheism was the greatest cause of evil in the world." Have you ever heard something like that? Be sure to read this New Haven Independent op/ed by our Volunteer Coordinator Wendy Webber
, published at the beginning of Humanism at Yale Week, about why our community needs to talk about Humanism. Check it out and share her message with others!
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Monthly young adult pub night & board game night to continue over summer
YHC's group for graduate students, professionals, and young adults hosts two events every month! The first is a pub night, every third Friday of the month at 8 PM at Firehouse 12. The other is a board game night, every first Sunday of the month at 6 PM. The board game night is BYOB, and we will order food when people arrive -- plan on contributing $5 if you are eating. Both of these will continue during the summer!
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Struggling with addiction?
Weekly YHC support group
Are you struggling with addictive behaviors? We host a weekly SMART Recovery support group meeting every Monday at 6:30 PM in at The Grove. The goal of SMART, which stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training, is to provide quality support and community for individuals struggling with addictive behaviors -- and a nontheistic alternative to twelve-step programs, which rely heavily on God and Christian theology. People of all faiths and beliefs are welcome to attend. Meetings will go on hiatus for June and August, but will meet as scheduled in July. Click here for more information, and for other meetings in the are. |
From our partners
Applied Sentience: April posts from Yale writers
Check out April's posts written for Applied Sentience by Yale-affiliated writers:
by Wendy Webber
Death is hard for all of us to come to terms with. Our death is unavoidable and many times thinking of losing our loved ones is even worse. In this article, Wendy takes an honest look at our mortality and explores dealing with death as a Humanist.
by Paul Chiariello As a society, we're facing new challenges. And while Jesus is an amazing social reformer and role model, does he provide all of the lessons we need today? In this article, Paul explores five lessons where he suggests people should instead ask "WWBD?"
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