More than 150 Rutgers students stormed the Rutgers Athletic Center basketball court last week to protest comments made by Rutgers President Francis L. Lawrence. The remark connected genetics and aptitude test results of minority students. Along with the protesting students came a storm of controversy and a list of demands still hovering over the Rutgers administration.

The student protest brought past problems to the forefront that Rutgers has had with its racially divided campuses. The current situation represents larger racial tensions at the university's New Brunswick campus. Although the rallying Rutgers students should be commended for standing up for what they believe in, their call for Lawrence's resignation is unnecessary.

Lawrence must remain in his position in order to continue his successes in minority programs.

Lawrence's history shows that he is concerned with higher education for minorities. As a Tulane University administrator, he helped increase the black student population from 1 percent to 10 percent. At Rutgers, he raised millions of dollars for minority scholarships and enrichment programs. He also helped to initiate the construction of an African-American cultural center worth $1 million.

Some of the requests the students have made -- such as dropping Scholastic Aptitude Test scores from admission standards and including minority and women's studies programs in the core curriculum -- are beneficial. But other claims, such as rolling back tuition by $3,000, are unrealistic and unrelated to the issue.

Obviously, Lawrence's actions are more important than one isolated remark he made. Administrators and students should now focus their energy on remedying the underlying tensions at Rutgers.