New bulletin board provides forum for local racial issues

By REBECCA HOLST
Collegian Staff Writer

Diversity and race relations on campus will be the main topics discussed on a new electronic bulletin board commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and Black History Month.

"Our intent is to provide a forum to discuss issues King addressed, such as freedom, but with a Penn State focus," said Gary Abdullah, coordinator of public information and internal communication for Continuing and Distance Education. "It is a forum everyone has access to, about issues affecting the local community."

But James Stewart, vice provost for educational equity, said the bulletin board has not had the expected response so far.

"We've had a very limited response," Stewart said. "Not many people have taken advantage of it."

The essential goal of the bulletin board, which is a discussion group located on the University's mainframe, is to encourage King's ideas to have an ongoing impact on the community, Stewart said.

Abdullah said the major responses have been from faculty and staff, which has been disappointing.

"We want to focus on Penn State's responses, but the faculty tends to have a bigger picture," he said.

The bulletin board, sponsored by Continuing and Distance Education in cooperation with the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Planning Committee, opened on Jan. 16, during the week of King's birthday celebration.

"We want the bulletin board to be a way for people to talk, share ideas and post articles they find relevant to King and his legacy," Stewart said.

Some of the responses have included requests for more information about race relations, responses to the movie Higher Learning and discussions about King's ideals, Abdullah said.

"One person sent a note saying King's dream has not been fulfilled, giving specific examples of racial problems within the University," he said.

Abdullah continued that he hopes the bulletin board will encourage education about diversity on campus.

"We realize our audience is not as diverse as it ought to be, and through the bulletin board, we are looking to make a positive effort to draw people in," Abdullah said. The bulletin board "is not just a black people's thing," he said.

Dave McGill (graduate-forest resources) said he signed on to the bulletin board because of his interest in diversity.

"You hear about the topic of diversity all over the University, and I want to keep myself in perspective with the issues going on now," he said.

Terri Hayes, a returning adult student who works for Continuing and Distance Education, helps recruit subscribers for the bulletin board.

"I felt like I wanted to generate ideas," Hayes said. "There is an undercurrent of what African Americans feel, and often they have no voice to share it."

The lack of a forum to share ideas also affects people in areas other than the University's community, so the bulletin board has received outside interest.

Abdullah said there has been more interest off campus than on. People have signed on from as far away as Washington, D.C., and New York, but only about 25 people have signed on locally.

Although he has not received many responses, McGill said he will continue to subscribe.

"There's not a lot of activity on it, but I'm looking forward to reading people's contributions," McGill said.

The bulletin board will run until at least the end of March and possibly longer, Abdullah said.

"We'll keep it going as long as there is interest," Abdullah said.