US: Atheist students protest exclusion by Duquesne

20 November 2011

Holding signs that said 'We don't bite' and 'Support reason', about 20 students from three universities gathered last week to protest Duquesne University's refusal to recognise a proposed secular student group, write Kaitlynn Riely and Ann Rodgers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have secular, or atheist, student organisations. Last month, Duquesne senior Nick Shadowen petitioned his student government to create a similar society. "Anyone who has been paying attention to current events or the news recognises that religion is a serious topic, and I think it's the job of any university to allow open debate about serious issues, and to have a real debate you need two sides."

Duquesne, a Catholic school, already has Jewish and Muslim student groups, Shadowen said, adding: "I don't see why they should draw the line at non-theistic students." But Duquesne's student government did draw the line, rejecting his petition last month.
Full report on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette site

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