We had our very first meeting of UMM Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists tonight. About two dozen people had expressed interest before, so we expected, optimistically, about 20 people to show up. We got there a little early, and people were waiting for us … and then our 20 were there, and then more, and then more, and then more. I had to keep going up to the counter to tell them we were going to have to order a few more pizzas.

Final tally: 60 students showed up. We basically took over the whole restaurant.

Skatje Myers and Collin Tierney are the co-chairs, and here they are addressing the mob.

They did a good job. Everyone settled on a meeting time (Thursday, 7:00 every week — we’ll see if that’s sustainable) and took suggestions for events and speakers and so forth. I’m afraid there was one universal call for one particular speaker to be brought in: RICHARD DAWKINS. It might take a bit more than a bake sale to raise the speaking fees and travel expenses for that one.

If Dawkins ever gets tired of Oxford, I think he’d have standing room audiences every night as he hobo’ed around the country. There was huge demand for his point of view. We also had a contingent of philosophers there; they might have wanted him to come so they could have a good argument.

The attendees like the Out Campaign, too. Here we are posing with our snazzy t-shirts — there was a call for a bulk order of scarlet A shirts. I’ll have to see what we can do about that (hmmm…maybe they can stuff Richard Dawkins in with the order!)

I was very impressed. Maybe Collin and Skatje are just phenomenal organizers, but I suspect there is also a lot of pent-up demand for more godlessness out here in the rural Midwest, just where you might not expect it.