Efforts to create a more diverse University community took a big step backwards when the University Student Advisory Board rejected the National Panhellenic Council last week.

In a meeting behind closed doors, USAB rejected NPHC's request for a seat on the board. Although the vote was in favor of NPHC -- 11 to 5 -- the council came one vote short of the two-thirds vote needed for gaining provisional membership.

By not granting NPHC a seat, USAB members not only failed to represent their constituents, but also shirked their duties as student leaders to facilitate education and understanding of different groups in the community.

During the summer, University officials granted NPHC a charter as the sole governing body of the eight historically black Greek organizations at Penn State.

Previously, the Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council governed historically black Greek letter organizations. However, these organizations did not adequately address the unique concerns of black Greeks.

USAB's reasons for rejecting NPHC -- another group will make USAB too large, the council's constituency is small compared to other USAB members', and the council's concerns can be addressed through other USAB members, such as Black Caucus -- are baseless and ludicrous.

An organization with the power to register other student groups clearly deserves a seat on USAB. NPHC currently has 106 members -- not a small number considering black students comprise less than 4 percent of the University's undergraduate black student population.

Furthermore, following USAB's faulty logic, if NPHC's concerns can be addressed through other USAB groups such as Black Caucus, then Panhel and IFC have no place on USAB, since their concerns could be adequately addressed by the Undergraduate Student Government.

The bitter truth is that USAB's decision to deny NPHC a seat was an act consistent with white society's historical treatment of blacks: this action demonstrates another instance of racism at Penn State.

Racism involves not only overt discriminatory acts, but also ignorance and an unwillingness to educate oneself about diverse cultures and lifestyles. By rejecting NPHC, student leaders refused to acknowledge and learn about black Greeks' unique histories.

Penn State will not achieve diversity and a tolerant racial climate until so-called representative student groups, such as USAB, decide to take a proactive stance in creating a unified University.