Tom Poole, associate vice provost for educational equity, said the report does not fit the situation in Pennsylvania.

"I think some of the demographics relative to the Hispanic population are probably more accurate in parts of the country where there are higher numbers of Hispanics such as in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California," he said.

Although the report says colleges need to prepare for the influx, Escalet said he believes Penn State is already prepared.

"Our growth has been low but steady, and our services have been able to accommodate the growing number of Hispanic students," he said.

Poole said Penn State has a number of programs that help the university's entire demographic.

"The kinds of programs we have to help first generation, low-income students are the same for everyone regardless of race," he said. "A number of those programs are federally funded and run through our academic advancement programs."

Geri Weilacher, assistant to the associate vice provost for Academic Advancement Programs, said despite the fact that Penn State has not seen a radical increase in the number of Hispanic students, parts of Pennsylvania have.

"We knew there has been an increase in the Hispanic population in southeast Pennsylvania, and we wanted to extend the Penn State commitment to those students," Weilacher said.

In 2001, 21 percent of students were Hispanic in the school district in York, she said. Currently, about 30 percent of students are Hispanic.

In 2002, Penn State introduced the Talent Search program in York to help low-income, first generation students.

"The Talent Search program introduces students to all kinds of careers, helps students prepare for the SATs and maintains a direct line with the students' parents," Weilacher said.

The program is meant to serve 600 students, and currently 40 percent of those students are Hispanic, she said.

A program that directly relates to University Park is the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), Weilacher said. "CAMP serves 35 students a year, and half of those students are Hispanic," she said.

CAMP provides grant money toward expenses and workshops in time management and teaches students how to communicate with professors as well as plan what courses to take.

Weilacher said the federal government funds both programs.

Penn State spokeswoman Amy Neil said that in 2001, the University Park campus was ranked No. 1 in Pennsylvania for the number of bachelor and doctoral degrees awarded to Hispanic students.

However, despite the increase in Hispanic students, there is not a strong demand for a Latino studies program, Weilacher said.

"The size of the population has not yet merited its creation," she said.