The University's recent announcement of a 25 percent drop in the number of black high school students applying to Penn State further demonstrates the need for the administration to listen to recommendations from the black community and from the visiting team of social scientists.

The drop in applicants should come as no real surprise.

It may be due in part to recent racial incidents on campus and subsequent protests, along with the perception by many that the administration acts only grudgingly to implement change.

The drop demonstrates that until the Unviversity can prove its sincerity to the black community already here, it will fail to recruit many students still in high school. Until the University community becomes more accepting of people from diverse backgrounds, black students may choose to go elsewhere. This in turn hurts the overall community, as people are denied the opportunity to learn from one another.

The perception of sincerity will improve if the administration follows through with recommendations made by the social scientist team. While the scientists' first visit yielded insightful recommendations, administrators need to read the upcoming second report with special care, since those suggestions will result from meetings with a wide spectrum of groups, most importantly students.

Their input and perceptions certainly will aid the scientists, and the administration should welcome that advice as it begins again to try and boost enrollment and better racial attitudes on campus.

Officials need to recognize they cannot hope to improve the racial situation for black students on campus until they hear that group's concerns and act upon them.

Although the administration may believe it recognizes students' best interests, statistics suggest the opposite. Only 1,400 of the 37,000 students at University Park are black, and the University consistently has failed to meet its 5 percent black student enrollment goal.

The students -- both at the University and those still in high school -- are not to blame. Most high school graduates prefer to study and gain an education in an environment where they believe they are most welcome.

Clearly many black students doubt they will attain that sense of comfort here. And a small handful of black students cannot be expected to educate thousands of other students, faculty and administrators on the black experience.

To improve recruitment of black students, the University needs to listen to and implement the social scientists' recommendations. But it also must continue to seek and evaluate student input, even after the second recommendations are released.

Officials must continue seeking and implementing well-reasoned suggestions to improve the quality of life for black students, which will, in turn, enhance everyone's college experience.