Part of the reason for this is a common belief that bad morals and bath ethics, violence, irresponsible behavior, all stem from general godlessness. Another reason is that churches are seeing unprecedented fall-offs in membership and attendance, and young people are sorely needed in the pews. Another reason is that organizations that have their origins in churches have been well organized to provide outreach to lonely foreign students and troubled teens traditionally, and they continue to do what they have done for decades: grab aimless college kids and pull them in. Yet another reason is quite cynical: the conservative right needs to battle the liberals, who are typically not religious.
Young college students who have never considered the political aspect of proselytation, or even the subtle intimidation of being invited to prayer meetings, or to a 9-11-memorial pray-in, or a memorial service for this or that, find themselves hauled into these events, even if they feel uncomfortable in an environment that has nothing to do with their beliefs. To counter this, activist atheists who call themselves Secular Students have formed various groups for mutual support in resisting religious advances! One such is the Secular Student Alliance, a group about which I know just as little as you do (though perhaps the little I know probably predates the little you know).
These organizations are, in some ways, just as evangelical as religious groups! This is the problem; I just don't feel comfortable being pushy about atheism. I do like to push back, but mostly I like to be left alone. What would happen if I were to be asked to serve as faculty advisor to a secular student alliance chapter at my school? I would ask to be excused, because I just don't feel energetic enough to have to face militant secularism on a daily basis, though goodness knows I get mad with religion on a daily basis. So I live a contradiction.
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