Students for Free Thought is looking to expand on campus, and through discussions such as their recent abortion debate with Students for Life, they are doing just that. On Wed., Jan. 18, Students for Free Thought hosted a movie night, during which they showed “American: The Bill Hicks Story.”

Bill Hicks was a comedian who started preforming at age 14, and spent years trying to make his way into the business before being discovered by comedy legend Jay Leno. He battled and won against alcoholism and the preforming industry. Hicks, at heart, was an activist, bent on convincing his audience to not only see his truth, but to find their own.

Timothy Malmar, a senior double major in social sciences and history, found out about Hicks from the inside of a Tool CD. He decided to research the performer further and has been a fan ever since.

“We needed an event to represent what free thought is, and a movie is one of the best mediums to articulate that in an organic way,” Malmar said. “One thing we agree with Hicks on is that people need to stop being fed by the media. This movie tries to confront us with the truth about life.”

Students for Free Thought is also hosting an upcoming Darwin Week to celebrate his birthday and his research. Joel D’ Souza, a junior research psychology major, is spearheading the project. He was also in attendance of the movie night.

“It was an engaging way to expose people, regardless of prior experience,” D’Souza said. “It was a window to things people may not have known. That’s what [Students for Free Thought] is about. We use things like movies to bring attention to the organization and it’s ideas. We’re just looking for the best possible way to coexist.”

Due to their original name, which included the word “secular,” some may have seen the organization as anti-religious. According to the president of Students for Free Thought Daniel Grasso, the group does not have anti-religious goals. They focus instead on accepting all systems of belief, and discussing them.

“Critical thinking and free thought are not things which are meant only for times of isolation,” Malmar said. “They include all of humanity and time. The failing for me at this university is the lack of exchange of ideas, the isolated existence. I want discussions that will change me as a person.”

For more information about Students for Free Thought, contact Grasso at dagrasso@umflint.edu

Natalie can be reached at nbroda@umflint.edu.