With student protests in the HUB-Robeson Center entering a seventh day, the State College Police Department and the FBI are investigating two threatening letters delivered to a black male student in the past five days.

The latest note, containing language that "would be alarming to any person," was slipped under the door of the student's State College apartment sometime between 4:30 and 7:15 p.m. Sunday, State College police reported in a Monday release.

An earlier threatening note addressed to the victim was found Thursday in a campus building.

Police say both letters were carried by hand to their destinations, but the exact text of the notes and the name of the recipient are being withheld.

Protesters in "the village" found out about the latest threats early Sunday evening around the time of a public meeting with representatives from the national chapter of the NAACP, Black Caucus member Nichelle Evans (junior-marketing) said.

"We knew before the police knew," she said, adding students camping out in the HUB were informed soon afterward.

Evans said after reading the notes, she and other black student leaders suspected the same person is responsible for all the recent threats, including the one received April 20 by Black Caucus President Lakeisha Wolf.

The author of the threats warned the victim against seeking refuge in "the village," Evans said.

"This young man is a target," she said.

Monday night, another mass e-mail message was being sent to all members of the Penn State community in an attempt to dispel any misinformation about the racist threats, the protest and the fallout, Penn State spokesman Steve MacCarthy said.

"There are so many rumors. It's just out of control," MacCarthy added.

The e-mail is signed by the three administrators who have negotiated the most with black student leaders to hammer out new diversity initiatives - Executive Vice President Rodney Erickson, Vice President for Student Affairs William Asbury and Vice Provost for Educational Equity Terrell Jones.

No mention, however, is made of the two most recent threatening notes.

Dozens of student supporters continue to occupy the HUB. Posters claim they are awaiting - among other demands - the university's agreement to give the Vice Provost for Educational Equity position more power, including the ability to withhold 2 percent of each college's budget pending realization of diversity initiatives.

But MacCarthy said leaving an estimated $46 million in limbo each year is not a feasible method of ensuring accountability.

On Thursday, the university released "A Plan to Enhance Diversity at Penn State," which MacCarthy said addresses "98 percent" of the students' demands.

"There's nothing more to negotiate," he added.

Ashante Kirby (senior-journalism), a vocal resident of "the village" in the HUB, said despite the impasse over the 2 percent, the new threatening notes have refocused the protesters on safety concerns.

"The last two threats heightened our need for more security and knowledge for people that this is a serious situation," Kirby said. "For me personally, it makes the situation more tangible, more real. We need support from the community and the university."

Rana Norman (freshman-education), also of "the village," agreed.

"We're not doing anything bad. Everything we're doing is peaceful and people are still making death threats at us. I'm amazed," Norman said. "We need to let people know we're doing this for a good reason."

While the protest continues, Ian-Lief Plowes (freshman-business administration) has helped to create an online presence for the students in the HUB.

As of late Monday, the Web site of "the village" (www.geocities.com/psuvillage/) registered more than 10,200 hits since Saturday.

Evans reiterated the protesters' commitment to occupy the student union building indefinitely.

"We are here until this is over," she said.