The Schreyer Honors College, which semi-annually hosts pupils from a low-income middle school for boys, is considering partnering up with the Penn State NAACP after transportation problems left the students unable to visit this past fall.

For the past five years, Schreyer Honors College has hosted sixth-graders from the Nativity School of Harrisburg to take them around campus for a day and show them the benefits of staying in school.

Meesha Ahuja, Schreyer Honors College student council president, said many of the pupils from the school do not end up going to college.

"It puts the idea of going to college in their head at a young age, so hopefully it will be something to aspire to," she said.

Carole Cheney, headmistress of the Nativity School, said they were unable to visit this past fall because the school hadn't received the grant for transportation they had applied for. The school sometimes relies on individuals to provide either transportation or the money for it, she said.

"They have a wonderful time," Cheney said.

Most of them have never been exposed to a college campus before, she said.

In the past, they usually take the pupils to the Penn State All-Sports Museum, the Creamery, the planetarium and dining hall for lunch. The pupils also usually listen to speakers, including Penn State football or basketball players. This year, they also plan to include speakers from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Saalim Carter, NAACP education chair, said he wanted to join up with the Honors College for this project to present a unified picture of diversity since the Nativity School has a large minority population.

"The Honors College is not that diverse, and I wanted this project to have a minority influence," he said.

This spring, Carter said he wants to partner six members from the NAACP with the service committee from the Honors College student council and have two minority faculty members and a member of the basketball team speak to the students.

Jordan Cattie, service committee chairwoman for the Schreyer Honors College student council, said she hopes to make college an accessible goal for the students.

"We want to show them academics in a fun way," she said. "We really want to make them feel welcome and excited about college."