Members of the Black Caucus said during a press conference yesterday that Penn State President Graham Spanier "has been uncooperative in meeting with the Black Caucus" to discuss the state of diversity at University Park.

Group member Kristina Garnett said that in the two months since racial slurs were shouted from a dorm room window at Black Caucus President Ed Smith as he walked past Beaver Hall, the university has done nothing to remedy the situation.

About 30 students attended the press conference, held on the HUB-Robeson Center ground floor yesterday morning.

Group members said they are upset because they feel nothing has been done to increase diversity on campus. The group said despite e-mail messages and "hand delivered" letters to Spanier, he has not committed himself to a meeting with the Black Caucus.

"It has been two months since the incident," Garnett said.

"There have been no policies implemented and no action made," she added.

Smith said he and Black Caucus Vice President Gandarvaka Gray have received a letter from Spanier, but the group has not met with him. Smith did not say what the letter contained, and he and Gray did not return repeated phone calls yesterday.

Garnett said she was disappointed with the situation and said the group is not asking a lot of Spanier.

"It's disheartening that our president won't meet to discuss the hate on campus," Garnett said.

Smith said the aim of the rally is to get the university to make changes to its diversity policy.

"We're just going to put pressure on the university," he said. "We want to show the university that people are coming out to protest acts of hate."

University officials said they maintain their stance that diversity is a priority at University Park.

"Penn State has the second largest African-American enrollment out of more than 100 colleges in Pennsylvania," Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said. "In the past decade, African-American enrollment has increased almost 50 percent."

Mahon also said that many offers by the administration to meet with members of Black Caucus have been rejected by the group.

"Vicky Triponey, vice president for student affairs, has tried to schedule more than a half-dozen meetings with Black Caucus leaders since the yelling incident," he said. "Every offer to meet has been rejected by Black Caucus."

Triponey said the university is fostering diversity despite not being able to meet with Black Caucus members.

"It's rather frustrating because we've offered to meet with their representatives many times, and [Terrell Jones, vice provost for educational equity] and I are having productive conversations with other groups," she said. "In student affairs we have all kinds of initiatives underway, from educational programs to efforts in residential halls, to address incidents when they occur."

Jones said the administration is working to meet some of the demands Black Caucus made at its town hall meeting in late February, but he would not comment on which demands were being looked into.

"We're trying to get some of their demands accomplished, but there are some we don't see as necessary," he said.

The group's demands include the attainment of an annual stipend for Black Caucus events, full scholarships for Black Caucus leaders and a change in the housing contract to prohibit acts of racism.

Black Caucus will hold a rally protesting hate and bigotry at noon next Monday on the Old Main steps.

"If we're too radical, then justice is too radical," group member Darryl Watson said. "Let this be the first great testament to our dedication that hate will not live."