Twenty-six people protesting the university's response to recent racist death threats were arrested Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium at the start of the Blue-White game.

Criminal complaints will be filed against the protesters, who will be charged with criminal trespass, according to the Penn State Department of Public Information. The charges have yet to be filed and the protesters were released, but a Penn State Police Services spokesman said the protesters will receive summons by mail.

The students ran to the 50-yard line at the end of the national anthem, locked arms and huddled on the ground. Police removed the students, dragging some and escorting others who walked off of the field.

A group of about 30 gathered in support of the students as they were being led to the police vans. The supporters chanted and raised their fists in support as each student was taken from the stadium police barracks.

The group was protesting the university's response to death threats that have been mailed to black leaders, athletes and athletes' parents since October. They said they were aiming to inform the Penn State community about the death threats, something some protesters believe the university has failed to do successfully.

"This is a protest against death threats and the university's cover-up of them," Assata Richards (graduate-sociology) said. "The FBI has been on this case for over a year. The university is not doing anything."

Richards said Penn State President Graham Spanier has refused to take initiative on the matter.

Although the university released a statement on his behalf Friday, Spanier was unavailable for comment Saturday. He left at the beginning of the game for an appointment in Washington, D.C. He is expected to return tomorrow morning.

Black Caucus leaders said in a press conference held Saturday evening that not enough has been done by the university to make these threats visible to Penn State students.

"Without this demonstration today, all students would be blind to the fact that students' lives are in imminent danger," Black Caucus Vice President Sharleen Morris said.

Caucus leaders said information regarding incidents of racist mail received by members of the Penn State community, including football players, board of trustee members and athletes' parents, have been withheld from them until recently when the caucus confronted administrators.

"It speaks to the severity of the situation when various members are also being threatened," said Chenits Pettigrew (senior-media studies). "It's important for people to know that these aren't isolated incidents."

Caucus leaders also expressed their concern over the lack of university protocol for these situations. Former Black Caucus President Joseph Dawkins said there should be a set way to handle these situations and that currently there isn't one person or group of people that targeted students can turn to.

"We're not demanding the university to go out of its way to appease us, we're just asking it to do what it's mandated to do . . . to create a welcoming campus climate," Dawkins said.

After the conference, Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said Penn State has brought in several law enforcement agencies and Penn State administrators are continuing to seek out methods to handle the racism issue at Penn State.

"There is not a day that goes by that people aren't looking into the issues that the world faces and that are in the microcosm at Penn State," Mahon said.

Penn State spokesman Steve MacCarthy said the university is trying to promote an attitude of unity and cooperation. Penn State has planned a unity march to start at 4 p.m. tomorrow in front of Old Main.

Dawkins, however, said the march was insulting and said Black Caucus had not been consulted on the university's efforts against racism, which includes the unity march.

"The university only seems to come up with feel-good ideas," Dawkins said.

As Black Caucus leaders continued to discuss their demands of the university to become more proactive when racism occurs, Undergraduate Student Government President Justin Zartman provided his support to the caucus and the "first amendment actions by University Park students," referring to the protesters' demonstration in Beaver Stadium Saturday.

Council of Commonwealth Student Government President Kris Ankarlo said CCSG also supports Black Caucus.

"Their actions have brought these issues of intolerance and hate towards Penn State students to the forefront of the public consciousness . . . and should be commended for their courage," Ankarlo said.

The protest was planned after a threatening letter was sent Friday to a Daily Collegian reporter requesting that he deliver it to a black student leader. In the letter, death threats were made. It also said a black man had been killed in the past week and buried near a wooded area.

"What does it take for people to take this seriously. We pay for our education, and we come here to get this?" Dawkins said.