Each fall, millions of college-bound students leave home and leap feet first into myriad campus organizations that are a vital part of college life. Most groups offer students exactly what they advertise. Others claim to be churches, though they have no religious underpinnings. Fla. With so many new organizations, it's difficult for students to know much about them. A favored recruiting spot College campuses have long been a favored place for new religious and secular groups searching for energetic young members.
Students are at a key transition point in their lives and are naturally open to new ideas.
But today, like much of the adult population, more students are searching for deeper meaning in their lives, and for a sense of belonging. Greater numbers of students are arriving on campus with personal problems, prompting universities to expand counseling services. Add increased academic and financial pressures, and some students may be vulnerable to destructive groups. Reaction to these new forces on campus has been cautious. Across the United States, schools have typically offered little or no information about groups that recruit - in part out of concern about First Amendment rights.