Solicit complete dedication to one
philosophy or leader’
Hide its identity or ultimate goal
from new members’
Lise guilt or tear tactics to maintain
loyal tv?
Fofce members into marathon serv
ice hours, exhausting them and less
ening their critical thinking skills’
Encoilrage alienation from family,
friends, or other groups?
AP Photo/WTOL-TV and KCBS-TV
If someone came up to you while you were
reading this and asked you to fork over
your bank account, give up your education,
spend 18 hours a day with the same people
and not have any more contact with your
parents or friends, what would you do?
Probably laugh in the person's face and
walk away. But what if his tactics were dif
ferent? What if he asked you about school
sports, campus issues, your friends and
family? You might be more inclined to give
out your phone number.
When you arrive on campus you’re vul
nerable: away from home, in a new city,
eager to break away from your old life and
try something new. Cult recruiters, trained
to be disarming and friendly, latch onto
students and bring them into an new circle
of friends. Slowly the commitment increas
es, and your schoolwork starts to slip. On
campus friends disappear, and family con
tact is limited. Before you know it, you're
sucked in.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of college
students have been recruited into cults.
Exact figures are hard to come by, but
there are about 3,000 cults operating in
the U.S. Universities are responding to this
threat in several ways. Some schools, such
as UCLA, produce warning pamphlets with
information about avoiding and responding
to cult pressures. Boston University has a
support group for victims. Several schools
have banned certain organizations from
soliciting students. One group, the
Videotape frame of Herff Applewhite, leader of the
Heaven's Gate cult, whose 39 members committed
suicide in 1997.
International Churches of Christ, has been
banned from at least 39 colleges, including
Harvard.
The ICC is a fast growing Christian
evangelical group found across the U.S.
The organization was founded in Boston. A
sub-group within the ICC, called the
Upside Down Club, is a youth-run organi
zation and can be found on many campus
es. New recruits are brought to meetings
and outings before they realize that it is
not a school-sanctioned organization. By
that time, they have made connections
with group members, and it’s difficult to
leave. The emotional strain can be intense,
especially if the recruit feels as though
there’s nowhere else to turn.
Religious cults, although most com
monly discussed in the media, are not the
only high-pressure groups found on cam
pus. Political, business, and social organiza
tions can also meet the criteria for a cult.
These organizations can also require total
devotion, but instead of a religious agenda,
they preach revolution, wealth or superiori
ty. All these groups use the same tactics to
recruit and retain members. •
For a guide to online support groups
and emergency information go to
steamtunnels.net and search for keyword
"Support.”
Weirdest College Nicknames and Mascots
School
Arkansas Tech
Southern Arkansas
UC-Irvine
UC-Santa Cruz
Whittier College (CA)
Oglethorpe (CA)
University of Idaho
Trinity Christian College (IL)
Earlham College (IN)
Pittsburg State (KS)
Southwestern College (KS)
Washburn University (KS)
Western Maryland
Nickname
Wonder Boys
Muleriders
Anteaters
Banana Slugs
Poets
Stormy Petrels
Vandals
Trolls
Hustlin' Quakers
Gorillas
Moundbuilders
Ichabods
Green Terror
School
Wayne State University (Ml)
St. Louis University
Webster University (MO)
Campbell University (NC)
Wake Forest (NC)
Muskingum College (OH)
Franklin and Marshall (PA)
Gettysburg College (PA)
Columbia College (SC)
South Dakota School of
Mines and Technology
Evergreen State College (WA)
Nickname
Tartars
Billikens
Corlocks
Fighting Camels
Demon Deacons
Fighting Muskies
Diplomats
Bullets
Koala Bears
Hardrockers
Geoducks
Source: usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/find/comasct
Read about cults in the news, with FAQs
on how to avoid and identify high-pres
sure groups.
fftCTMUra
A nonprofit news source and archive
dedicated to the “freedom of mind.”
Good source of links, lots of information
on Scientology.
VvIcOVX ■WlVftVIiwI /»•■■■ vWIVv/
Comprehensive list of links to articles on
cults. Based in California, but the infor
mation applies to schools and cults
across the county.
BBamhar* tfimiil mm /afithni /inrfav him]
This evocative site was created by parents
who have lost their children to the Jim
Roberts Group, whose members wander
the U.S. and eat out of garbage cans—
hence their nickname “The Garbage
Eaters.”