Put in headphones, ignore them, and move on. If you’re spit on or forcibly stopped from moving, get police involved after you’ve detached from the situation.
“What makes you think that they are even students?” never said they were students.
that said most people bugging other people on a college campus for their cause du jour are other students.
I hate people bothering me with a cause or trying to sell something or hustle. have a booth and if I am interested I will stop.
I think it’s beyond silly to give these people fake emails. You’re giving them too much attention and “reward” for their pushiness by engaging.
Put the email you received on junk or spam. You never hear from them again.
I also pushy evangelical neighbors pretended to invite me to a friendly neighborhood BBQ but good thing I was able to read them early and never went. I even have evangelical type walking my neighborhood in droves sat or sun, they come from far away. You are going to deal with them for a long time. Like pests. Very annoying.
The group that operates on my son’s campus are NOT students. They even hold Sunday services in a university auditorium. The chaplain told me the group cannot be kicked off campus since it’s public space. She did call one of their leaders in and tell them not to bother someone if they say “NO.” I’m thankful my son recovered from the delusions he had concerning these people. It was pretty scary for awhile. He was in the hospital for a month. 
He still hears voices that tell him they will take him to heaven, but he just told me he’s learned not to trust them, since they never follow through on their promises! He is still very ill, even on meds.
This post is not intended to make lite of the OP’s situation. When I was in college, we had a couple of outsiders that would regularly get on a soapbox next to the student center and call us all fornicators and saying we were going to hell. It was always an interesting spectacle with the audience going back and forth with the carnival barkers. It was good for a couple of laughs in between classes.
zobroward,
Re: your response to bluebayou, you can’t expel or suspend someone (your comment) unless they are students. So by inference, the indication assumes your expectation is that these pests are students. If they are not, as others said, they might need a permit, and/or could be arrested for assault (spitting), disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace, if they are doing so. If they touch you without permission, that may also be considered assault.
I don’t see any point in contacting a chaplain, one religion doesn’t have any authority over others.
The chaplain’s office would know if the offending group is actually registered or not (not likely). If it is a registered campus group, then the group could face ramifications.
The chaplain’s office may be able to do things like threaten to revoke the group’s permission to use campus space for meetings, if it is a registered group.
jym626…I am not defending these type of people…they pis off too.
but, I am just stating reality. now if someone spits or touches anyone that is a whole other beast. student or non student that is a no go! but being annoying and a member of a “cult” is not a crime.
Our dedication to the first amendment is gauged by how we react when its exercise is an inconvenience.
That said, spitting is not speech, at least not generally.
I don’t understand why everyone is going to such great lengths to avoid naming this “religious” organization, whose identity I for one have no clue about. Certainly it’s in everyone’s best interest to make students (and parents) aware of cults that operate on campuses so they aren’t naively sucked into what they think is a legitimate religious or social group. There are so many posts on CC, particularly in the College Life forum, from miserably unhappy freshmen desperate to find friends. I think these kids are at real risk for being tempted by one of these groups and should be warned about them. And if that convinces a member to post, I say bring it on!
Naming a specific group may be shooting at a moving target. Groups change names, and they may become more or less culty. When I was in college, the group that fit all of the elements of the description the OP mentioned was called CARP, and it was an affiliate of the Unification Church. But there were other groups as well.
I think the last time someone named a group they spammed the board.
Any number of different religious organizations use these same types of tactics - possibly even more than one on the same campus. Listing the name(s) isn’t particularly important. What matters is that the students are given strategies for dealing with the proselytizers.
As a parent I warned my kids about these organizations that are really cults in disguise. But only because I was forewarned so long ago by a passing student. Thank goodness.
Read about what makes an organization a cult.
. Especially religious since they prey on the emotionally vulnerable. Which makes freshmen really “fresh meat”.
The tough part is that kids don’t necessarily JOIN the organization of their own volition. They are brought into a “group of friends”–come talk with us–free dinner–talk and free pizza…it can be very insidious. And when you reject their religious message (maybe after weeks)–they reject you.
And as to names–they keep changing them as mentioned above. And some names are so close to legitimate denominations that if you listed them it would defame others. but they are listed if you google them
This is a public U. Therefore all religious organizations must be located off campus (even if adjacent). Basic separation of church and state. There will be no “campus chaplain”. Harassment like this should be reported to campus police. Also- ignore them. No need to waste your time with them. Again- if they keep bothering you this is reportable. It should be easy to ignore those people. Perhaps you could be the good guy who starts a student organization to protect other students from these predators- line up dorm talks about the dangers.
There are a lot of religious organizations on state university campuses. The “no establishment” clause of the first amendment does not prohibit religious organizations form starting campus clubs and getting the use of school spaces. A prohibition of a student association based on religious content would violate the first amendment.
If the OP can document the harassment (video) he may succeed in getting at least that person disciplined .
I used to get harassed by the Hare Krishna at the airport. Any legit religion should not bombarded you with all these scary tactics.