This statement is tacked on at the end of many Penn State publications, including university-related pages on the Penn State World Wide Web site and many fliers posted at various buildings throughout campus.

Penn State should not make claims that are untrue.

Since last year, Penn State stopped giving Asian and Pacific American applicants a preference in selecting which Penn State campus they attend. Penn State's central enrollment management group decided to do this because Asian- and Pacific-American students at University Park now reflect the diversity of the student population in Pennsylvania.

The university's decision is wrong and unfair. In targeting a specific population on campus, it is not providing either the affirmative action or the equal opportunity it claims to espouse.

The Penn State administration should reinstate affirmative action for Asian- and Pacific-American student enrollment at University Park campus, especially if the administration is still giving the same preferences to other minority groups.

In limiting the numbers of Asian and Pacific Americans at University Park, the administration is incorporating a quota system, which is antithetical to the notion of a racially and ethnically mixed campus. The increase of Asian and Pacific American student numbers is a positive sign that Penn State is slowly becoming more and more diverse. The administration, however, seems to be working backward now that the numbers of Asian and Pacific Americans at University Park meet state percentages.

If the administration can do this to Asian and Pacific Americans, they can and will do this to other minority groups on campus.

To put meaning behind the words "affirmative action and equal opportunity university," Penn State President Graham Spanier should take a stand and give Asian and Pacific American applicants the same affirmative action other minority applicants receive.