Racism surrounds the Penn State community, and some students and administrators say the University may not be doing enough to recognize or combat it.

"Penn State is a microcosm of a larger society" where racism is a fact of life, said Bruce Ellis, the University's acting director of minority admissions and community affairs.

And Ellis said people often do not think ignoring minorities is racism.

Students and faculty may deny racist attitudes but Deborah Hamilton, conflict management specialist, said racism is more prevalent than people realize.

The University has not kept records on race-related incidents for the past four or five years, said Dave Stormer, assistant vice president of University safety and environmental services.

A problem on campus is a disregard for minorities that are here, said Don Jackson, a human rights activist.

Jackson (graduate-administration of justice) said ignoring, rather than blatantly discriminating against minorities, is a subtle form of racism.

Subtle racism occurs most often at the University, Jackson said. Minority students face hostilities in the classroom such as not being called on, he added.

Terrell Jones, deputy vice provost, agreed with Jackson, saying that students are more comfortable with others who are like themselves.

"By and large, students are not very inclusive; they don't reach out," Jones said.

And Jackson said, "The isolation and the location of the University has a lot to do with it."

Many students come here and have never interacted with minorities before, said Michael Mobley (graduate-counseling psychology.)

Mobley said bringing more minorities to the campus could help the situation if the University offered programs where students interact with each other.

The minority population in Centre County has increased during the last 10 years, with some populations doubling, according to the 1990 state Department of Labor and Industry census.

But Ellis said a larger minority population may cause non-minorities to feel threatened.

"Greater numbers of minorities may cause others to feel threatened and act on that," he said.

Jackson and Ellis said they would like to see more University action.

"It is important to let (minority students) know someone does care . . . there need to be platforms and programs where students can come together with the University to talk about issues," Jackson said.

But Jones said the University has been addressing the problem for a number of years. The Freshman Testing Counseling and Advising Program is geared toward dealing with problems of racism, he added.

"The cultural diversty requirements and the developmental training are other steps being taken," Jones added.