Gov. Robert P. Casey recently appointed the 25-member Commission on African American Affairs. And Penn State is not on it.

Casey apparently does not think anyone from the state's largest university deserves to be on the panel, and maybe the governor is right.

Penn State has not distinguished itself as a leader on minority issues and tends to brush such problems under the rug.

The University should be insulted, or at least concerned, that it is not represented on the committee, yet University President Joab Thomas does not seem to mind.

"I don't feel slighted because we're not on the panel," Thomas said. Thomas also said he did not know about the panel -- a clear embarrassment for the University's public relations.

Lincoln University, another state-related university, and Cheyney University are represented on the commission. Both are historically black institutions that will surely make valuable contributions, but the commission should also have representation from a school that is still struggling with minority concerns.

And Penn State certainly qualifies. In April 1988, 88 students were arrested after protesting an intolerant racial climate during a sit-in at the Telecommunications Building.

Only 3.5 percent of the University's students are African American, and the University continues to have problems with minority retention.

Fortunately, the commission members are appointed for three-year terms. The University should get involved enough that in three years when the governor picks new panelists, a Penn State representative will be on the list.