Then went his money, the student-job wages he had been sending to his family, in El Salvador. He says members convinced him it would be better spent on the church. They made me feel so bad about myself and so confused that I was afraid to leave. For many schools, high-pressure groups remain a dirty, little secret, Some administrators worry, that warning students about them is like admitting there is a problem, and that may scare some families away. Also, many schools are hesitant to ban problem groups from registering as student organizations for fear they will be charged with violating First Amendment rights to freedom of religion.
Opponents say that's missing the point.
We can't, and don't even want to, criticize or control anyone's faith, says Dennis DiPlacito, a housing director at the University of California, Irvine, who conducts cult-awareness workshops on campus. But we have a right to criticize and control how groups approach and treat people on our campus. Other, nonreligious groups with cultish aspects flourish on campuses. All that differs is the vocabulary. One former cult member, who asked not to be named, spent six years in a political group called the Western Farm Workers' Association.