Information about each group is available on the Divison of Student Affairs' Index of Students Organizations Web site, www.clubs.psu.edu.

Hamdan Yousuf, president of the Muslim Student Association, said religious activities provide a haven for otherwise strained students.

"What religion provides for the Muslim students is a way to relax from the stress," he said.

Christian groups on campus offer services ranging from the traditional church atmosphere to contemporary worship featuring rock bands.

Father Matthew Laffey, director of the Catholic Campus Ministry, said freshmen are exposed to new experiences in college and have to make the decision to go to church.

"I don't think it's a hard transition, but given the pulls of the world, questions arise," he said.

The United Campus Ministry represents eight different protestant denominations on campus and offers many small groups and Bible studies.

"For us it's not about going to church," the group's Director and Campus Minister Bruce Martin said. "We don't compete with Sunday Morning services. We promote students in their faith development."

The Penn State Campus Crusade For Christ (CRU) is a local chapter of a national network of campus ministries whose service projects have sent students to the Gulf Coast and conferences throughout the region.

"Our purpose is to give every student at Penn State a channel to know Jesus Christ," Director Tim Henderson said. "We want to take the initiative to make people feel welcome."

St. Paul's United Methodist Church holds activities for students, including Thursday night dinners, Bible studies and noon luncheons after church services.

"Fall comes and it feels like home again; everyone is back," pastor Thomas Jacobs said.

For freshmen, one source of spiritual probing on campus is Gary Cattell, more commonly known as the Willard Preacher.

Cattell is an Orthodox Christian who preaches to students on the steps of the Willard Building between classes, sometimes telling them that they are going to hell.

"My impression is that most students have combined the Christianity they've grown up with with pop culture," Cattell said.

He encourages students not to follow the crowd and to continue with their faith in college.

"Don't buy everything your professor tells you -- challenge what you hear," Cattell said.

For those from a Jewish background, the Hillel: Foundation for Jewish Campus Life offers an organization that provides, as Hillel Executive Director Tuvia Abramson said, a "home away from home."

Abramson said Hillel gives a social, cultural, educational, and political backbone to those students who want to become involved in the Jewish community.

Even students questioning their faith or exploring the philosophical aspects of faith can find a spiritual organization.

Nolan Doroski, president of the Atheists/Agnostics Association, stressed that his group is more about discussion of all beliefs than it is about condemning the thoughts of other people.

The association's meetings vary in format, ranging from speakers and discussions to a round table meeting with other religious groups.

"Anybody who is curious about the subject is encouraged to come," Doroski said.

However, not all freshmen who come from a religious background at home keep it up at college.

"Never even been to church since I've been in college," David Ly (senior-electrical engineering) said.

clubs.psu.edu