In light of blatantly unacceptable and intolerant actions, all of which have been targeted against minority students on campus, Black Caucus has created a list of demands that will supposedly improve the university's racial climate. The list of demands includes implementing six full-tuition scholarships to be paid to Black Caucus members, building a Martin Luther King Jr. statue at Rec Hall, creating a new administrative position and developing a crisis response team trained to handle racism; a few of their 11 demands have strong merit.

Though the demands request something concrete, what can not be changed remains central to the issue at hand; public opinion, some of which has been ingrained since birth and not likely to change anytime soon. Some of us remember the Village, a sit-in at the HUB in 2001. Demands for more diversity accommodations, including the Africana Research Center, were implemented in an attempt to appease protesters in the face of growing unrest. But four years later, we are faced with a similar situation. By creating a list of demands and declaring ultimatums, nothing will be effectively accomplished. Such unilateral behavior will only hinder a much-needed improvement of racial tensions.

Students will continue to yell obscenities from dorm windows, regardless of how many Black Caucus officers get scholarships. That is not to say that ways to oppose these types of cowardly attacks must not be developed. But what Black Caucus is proposing will only allow the problem to resurface.

Also, many organizations exist in which academic merit should be rewarded, and to single one student group would be a sign of favoritism. What about all the other students who work three jobs and don't receive extra compensation?

What about other minority groups on campus, such as Latino Caucus and the Allies community, who might think university officials are unfairly discriminating against them?

The intent of the demands is understood as one that will make it clear to everyone who lives in the area that acts of racial intolerance are unacceptable and that black students on campus will unite to combat it to the best of their abilities. But careful consideration needs to be given when demands are made.

What exactly are these demands supposed to achieve? If anything, they will only anger students who feel Black Caucus would be getting special treatment.

Many students at Penn State agree that recent events are intolerable, but they will not be willing to meet at the middle ground if the demands are ludicrous, rather than beneficial to our community's racial climate.