According to one of the latest Penn State Pulse surveys, 32 percent of students believe the campus climate is supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, an increase from the 20 percent figure recorded in 2000.

Based on these numbers, it's apparent that the Penn State community has become a little more accepting, but there's still room for growth.

The study also indicated about 20 percent of seniors, 18 percent of juniors, 15 percent of sophomores and 9 percent of freshmen surveyed said they are familiar with LGBT issues.

Thirty percent of students surveyed said they became more supportive of issues for these students during their time here.

These statistics also show glimmers of hope: People are becoming more aware of sexual minorities while at Penn State.

Still, these numbers are lower than they should be.

The statistics show that more needs to be done to inform students about the issues that these students face.

Only 9 percent of those surveyed were aware of the LGBTA Support Network, and only 7 percent knew about the LGBTA Student Resource Center.

While these numbers are extremely low, most of the students surveyed were heterosexual students who would probably not need to access those resources.

But more students need to know that they have access to information that will help them understand all sexual orientations.

Heterosexual students -- who made up about 90 percent of those surveyed -- also reported overhearing fewer offensive jokes and derogatory comments on a regular basis than their non-heterosexual classmates.

The discrepancy is probably due to a lack of knowledge of what exactly is offensive to LGBT students.

Cutting down on this kind of subtle intimidation will help to make the campus climate more supportive than it is today.

Students don't need to be activists for the LGBTA cause to help make people in this community feel welcome and appreciated at Penn State.