William T. Wood, Esquire, Chair
Del. Emmett C. Burns Jr.
Ms.
Araceli G. Carrigan
Ms. Maitland W. Dade, Staff
Del. Sharon
Grosfeld
Ms. Nina Hopkins
Mr. Warren Kelley
Dr. Eric P.
Kafka
Ms. Joan Marionni
Ms. Sowmya Murthy
Sen. Paul G.
Pinsky
Ms. Patricia Rausch
Mr. Andrew A. Rittler
Sen. Ida
Ruben
Hon. Charles B. Saunders, Jr.
Ms. Roberta J. Thomas (resigned
June 7, 1999)
Mr. Franz C. Wilson
Executive Summary of the Report by the Task Force to
Study the Effects of Cult Activities on Public Senior Higher Education
Institutions
This Executive Summary summarizes the content of the Report of the Task
Force to Study the Effects of Cult Activities on Public Senior Higher
Education Institutions including findings of fact and recommendations. This
Executive Summary provides a basic outline to orient the reader to the
activities of the Task Force. It is recommended that the full Report be read
by all interested parties for a full and complete understanding of the work
product of the Task Force.
Joint House Resolution 22 established this Task Force. The Task Force
adopted a Mission Statement which is as follows:
"To determine the extent to which there are groups whose activities on
the campuses of USM institutions ,St. Mary's College, or Morgan State
University are, intentionally or innocently, inappropriately:
- causing demonstrable physical, psychological or emotional harm to
students:
- interfering substantially with the educational mission of the
institution and/or
- violating institutional policies and/or federal, state or local laws
and to make recommendations concerning courses of action that might be
pursued by individuals or institutions to assist in the prevention and/or
resolution of those problems."
There after, the Task Force met 11 times from May 25, 1999 through
September 15, 1999 at various locations. The Task Force heard testimony from
56 witnesses and received 91 documents into evidence during the proceedings.
All proceedings were recorded on audio tape. The tapes and all exhibits are
on file at the Maryland General Assembly Library and Information Services,
90 State Circle, Annapolis Maryland, 21401 and may be reviewed in conformity
with applicable policy.
The Task Force examined the legislative intent behind the drafting of JHR
22 after hearing from a member of the General Assembly of Maryland who is
also a Task Force member and who was very involved in the legislative
process. It was determined that the Mission Statement noted above fully and
completely complied with the legislative intent of JHR 22. The Task Force
decided not to attempt to define the world "cult" mentioned in JHR 22. The
focus from the inception was determined to be whether any groups,
irrespective of type or nature, are causing harm to students, parents,
faculty or administration, and if so, what recommendations, if any, should
be made by the Task Force.
The Task Force reviewed the requirements of the Maryland Open Meetings
Act and adopted Roberts Rules of Order regarding conduct to attempt
meetings. The Task Force also established an "open forum" to be a part of
all Task Force meetings. Although not required by the Open Meetings Act, the
Task Force created a one-hour segment at all Task Force meetings for all
interested persons to address the Task Force, so long as their testimony is
"reasonable and relevant" in order to allow the public to participate in the
process. It was also determined that all proceedings would be open to the
public, whether required by the Open Meetings Act or not.
The Office of the Attorney General for the State of Maryland briefed the
Task Force on the requirements of law with respect to all aspects of the
Task Force business. The Attorney General also briefed the Task Force, as
did other expert professionals, regarding relevant U.S. Supreme Court cases
pertaining to constitutional freedoms and liberties. The Attorney General
advised the Task Force that individuals wishing to give anonymous testimony
could lawfully do so by speaker phone or in person concealed behind a
screen. However, no speaker chose either of these options.
At the conclusion of the meetings, the Task Force voted to circulate the
proposed report to all USM Presidents and Chancellor Langenberg for review
and written comments before the final report was issued. The reviews have
taken place, written comments were considered and the Task Force has made
the following:
FINDINGS OF FACT
1. The complexity of the problem is enormous, for example, there is
conflict in terminology, many divergent views, constitutional issues and in
some instances, the intervention can exacerbate the problem.
2. The extent of group activities causing harm is statistically very
small when considering the enormous number of students attending USM
institutions, Morgan State University and St. Mary's College. This is based
upon a wide range of group activities causing harm reported from these
institutions varying from no problems to some problems. However, when
interaction with a group causes harm to a student, that harm can be very
severe.
3. There are a wide variety of groups involved on USM campuses, Morgan
State University and St. Mary's College. Recruitment and approaches by all
types of groups are a common place occurrence.
4. Group activities can escalate into a problem, for example,
recruitment can lead to inappropriate immersion into the group.
5. Constitutional issues are extremely important, including freedom of
religion, speech and assembly.
6. The level of group activities on campus is known to students but is
known to a much lesser degree by administrators.
7. Resources on the campuses are not always fully prepared or known to
students or parents.
8. Education is the most promising solution to prevent harm to
students.
Based upon these findings, the Task Force makes the following:
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Commend the University of Maryland, College Park administration for
developing an effective training program for the Resident Assistants and
recommend that other institutions with reported problems consider using its
program and materials as a model.
2. Require USM institutions, Morgan State University and St.Mary's
College to assess the training needed for heightened institutional awareness
of potential problems of destructive groups. Each institution should have
the responsibility and the authority to determine the definition of harm
relevant to the activities of such groups. The Task Force wishes to emphasis
that this recommendation is for each institution to assess its training
needs. There should also be a regular forum for interested members of each
campus community (advisors, counselors, residential staff and chaplains,
etc.) to exchange information relating to student complaints about outside
groups.
3. Policies for Resident Assistants and campus professionals regarding
the recruitment of students and the consequences for violations of said
policies should be clear. A summary of Resident Assistants responsibilities
should be posted in dormitories together with a mechanism for reporting
complaints.
4. Each institution should create and maintain a concise description off
resources with office titles and telephone numbers and make them widely
known and available on campus for students with problems regarding
interaction with groups.
5. Provide a central resource on each USM campus, Morgan State University
and St. Mary's College to accumulate complaints concerning group activities
or actions and make the information available to students, parents, faculty
and administration. Groups who are identified in such complaints should be
named and clearly identified so concerned persons may evaluate the
complaints themselves following their own individual standards. This entire
program should be evaluated to ensure compliance with all applicable laws
and institution policies. The Attorney General's Office should provide
general guidance and be consulted on specific applications of this
provision.
6. On each campus, the Office of Student Affairs, or its equivalent,
should issue an annual report documenting complaints received and actions
taken, if any, taking into consideration the information received from these
central resources. This report should be in the form of a summary of the
number of complaints and the reader referred to the central resource for
remaining information available. The Attorney General's Office should
provide general guidance and be consulted on specific applications of this
provision.
7. The Board of Regents and governing boards of Morgan State University
and St. Mary's College should review institutional policies dealing with
access to campuses from outside groups to determine if they should be
strengthened.
8. Require registration and clear guidelines for any and all group snot
sponsored by an institutional agency or program coming onto campus involving
themselves with students at USM, Morgan State University and St. Mary's
College.
9. Create an educational program for incoming students and ongoing
education programs thereafter through graduation as necessary to assist
students in assessing their decisions whether to join groups and how to
recognize destructive behavior that may be affecting them. In connection
with this recommendation, the Task Force wishes to help students make
informed choices in their decisions to participate in groups or activities.
In the review of the available literature, the following list of behavior
characteristics were found to be often repeated. The Task Force cannot speak
to the validity of these characteristics. They are simply offered as
suggestions an individual may wish to keep in mind when considering
involvement with a group. These characteristics are: Deception, Isolation
and Alienation from Family, Time Commitment, Financial Commitment,
Elimination of Competing Pursuits and Priorities, Manipulation, Harassment,
Abandon Educational and/or Career Goals, Surrender of Personal Authority,
Absolute Obedience to Leaders, Retention Techniques, Physical and/or
Emotional Abuse, Exploitation, and Blackmail.
10. Require that each institution assess its own resources to satisfy
these recommendations and seek outside expertise on how to implement these
recommendations where necessary.
11. Request that the Board of Regents at the University System of
Maryland and the governing boards of Morgan State University and St. Mary's
College each establish a policy to follow up to ensure that these
recommendations are implemented and periodically monitored for compliance.
This policy should include the establishment of one advisory committee for
these institutions to verify compliance with these recommendations. The
Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland and the governing
boards of Morgan State University and St. Mary's College should appoint this
advisory committee and every effort should be made to appoint persons who
have knowledge of the subject matter. This advisory committee should not
attempt to direct or control institutional compliance, but instead, should
advise each institution of any departure(s) from these recommendations and,
where necessary, communicate such concerns to the institution's governing
board.
A complete outline of all Task Force activities may be referenced by
reading the full body of the Report of the Task Force to Study the Effects
of Cult Activities on Public Senior Higher Education Institutions. Minutes
of the meetings and all exhibits and recorded testimony of all witnesses are
available for review and inspection as stated above.
It is noted that, at its September 15, 1999 meeting, the Task force
agreed that its work was concluded and voted to forward its Report and
Executive Summary to the Governor, the President of the Maryland Senate, the
Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Department Of
Legislative Services to fulfill the mandate of JHR 22. All exhibits and
Other documentation related to Task Force deliberations have been forwarded
with the Report and Executive Summary to the Maryland General Assembly
Library.
Respectfully submitted,
William T. Wood, Esq.
Chairman
