Image of PSU changing

By KATE DAILEY
Collegian Staff Writer

More minorities are applying to Penn State. But some say more steps need to be taken to foster a comfortable environment for the students when they arrive on campus.

This year, Penn State received applications from nearly 5,000 minority students, said Ed Escalet, director of minority admissions. He expects about 1,700 of those students to enroll for Fall Semester 1999, up from 1,038 five years ago.

For the past five years, the number of minority applicants at Penn State has been on the rise, Escalet said.

"While the university applicant pool has also increased, the minority numbers have superceded the university numbers," he said.

Although the numbers may be positive, some minority groups on campus still feel Penn State is not doing enough to encourage minority applicants.

Jit Chatterjee, president of Asian Pacific American Coalition, said Penn State projects an image deterring potential minority students.

"Even in videos that you see of Penn State . . . you'll hardly ever see a person of color," he said.

Terrell Jones, vice provost for Educational Equity, said he recognizes the impact Penn State's reputation has on potential applicants, and the administration is continuously trying to promote a more diverse image.

"It's real clear that we would not be successful in recruiting more students of color without changing the image of Penn State University within the community," he said.

Penn State recently has taken a more active role in recruiting minorities by working with parents, sponsoring programs and establishing Penn State's name within minority communities, Escalet said.

Joseph Conway, a guidance counselor at Cheltenham High School outside of Philadelphia, said for many minorities, location is more of an issue than race.

"I don't think most of our kids care if the school is white," he said, adding at most schools across the nation, white students make up most of the populations. "It's more of an issue of urban versus rural."

Conway said many minority students at Penn State, especially black, choose to attend commonwealth campuses closer to urban areas.

"(State College) is cow country, and many of these black kids have come from a big city," he said. "They grew up in an urban area. They're urbanites. And a rural school is a turn-off for them."

But Lurie Daniel, Black Caucus political services chair, said the low percentage of minorities at University Park compared to other Penn State campuses may not be a conscious choice made by the students themselves, but it instead is a reflection of the substandard education many minorities receive prior to college.

"If you're not adequately prepared to succeed at University Park in K through 12, you can't expect to be accepted at University Park because it has higher admission standards," she said.

Escalet said he is committed to increasing diversity at Penn State.

"We have always had the philosophy that the more (minorities) we have," he said, "the better."