Thank you for your interest in supporting Northern California students as they learn about the religions of the world!
We welcome your donations - click here

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco	Mt. Shasta

Sikh Parade, Yuba City

The Religious Studies Student Society (RSSS) is a non-sectarian student group that helps interested students further their studies of religion in an informal, stimulating and fun environment.

Today it is more important than ever for young people to come into contact with the incredible variety of religions found in California and the world. Through education and immersive experiences, RSSS broadens the horizons of its members and fosters wisdom, understanding and tolerance. After graduation, students routinely credit our organization with enriching their view of the world and enhancing their ability to think creatively and consider all sides of the many important issues that concern our planet.

In addition to exploring religious traditions, ideas, and practices in historical and contemporary society, we provide opportunities for students, faculty, and members of various religious communities to share ideas and perspectives in a relaxed and respectful setting. Our membership includes majors, minors, and other interested students from CSU, Chico and Butte Community College. Membership is open to those of any or no religious persuasion.

Our events allow students to learn about the world in ways that simply can't be replicated in a classroom setting.

Your contributions will help us continue our strong tradition of quality events like these in the future:

• Trip to the Yuba City Mosque to meet with the Imam for a discussion of Islam in America
• Trip to the Trappist Abbey of New Clairveaux in Vina for guided meditation, monastic Biblical interpretation and a tour of a reconstructed 1000 year-old Spanish monastery chapter house
• Trip to Mt. Shasta to explore New Age legends surrounding the site and observe a ceremony at Shasta Abbey, a Soto Zen monastery
• Attendance at the festive Yuba City Sikh parade that honors the Sikh sacred scriptures known as Guru Granth Sahib
• Participation in the Bok Kai Chinese festival in Marysville held yearly to honor the Chinese God of Water
• Organization of a panel of students from a variety of religions to discuss their beliefs and explain how their religious tradition speaks to their lives in the modern world
• Overnight trip to the Eastern Orthodox Monastery of St. Herman of Alaska where monks live a strictly disciplined spiritual life
• Attendance at a Wiccan Halloween (Samhain) festival
• Weekend trip to San Francisco to visit the Asian Art Museum, Grace Cathedral, the African Orthodox Church of St. John Coltrane, St. Mary’s Cathedral, a Christian Science Church and the Vedanta Society.

Here are some ways that your contributions can help us:

$12.00 Average admission fee for 2 students to enter a quality museum such as Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

$25.00 Average cost per student for overnight accommodations on educational trips

$500.00 Pay for an out-of-town speaker to present on campus about their field of expertise

$600.00 Rental of bus to transport students around the North State. Besides going to sites of religious importance, we hope to travel to other colleges to meet Religious Studies students there and discuss such questions as:

• The Role of Religion in American Public Life
• The Rise of Fundamentalism
• The Meaning and Relevance of Spirituality in the Modern World
• Religion and Science
• Religion and the Environment
• Religion – Community Builder or Divider?

$4,000.00 Cost to hold a regional conference about these or other related issues
(Tax deductible status can be arranged for larger contributions such as this)

For more information, please visit our RSSS website or the Department of Religious Studies

Please use your credit card or Paypal account to donate on Paypal or send contributions to:

Religious Studies Student Society
C/o Department of Religious Studies
California State University, Chico
CA 95929-0740