SpeakOUT and Black Caucus are organizing a "mobilization effort" in response to Monday's discrimination lawsuit settlement between Penn State officials and former women's basketball player Jen Harris.

The rally is set for Friday in the HUB-Robeson Center and will follow an open mic format, allowing students to voice their opinions.

A time for Friday's rally has yet to be determined.

Black Caucus will host another rally at noon Feb. 16 that will include a march to Old Main.

Christina Swomley, SpeakOUT president, said the organization had not come to an official decision regarding its opinion on the settlement.

"We just want to open up dialogue with the student body. We want to see how students feel about what's happened," Swomley said. "We want the administration to take notice about how the student body feels."

Members of the Black Caucus could not be reached for comment by press time.

Penn State spokespeople also did not return calls for comment regarding the "mobilization effort" yesterday.

Harris alleged two years ago that Portland discriminated against her based on perceived sexual orientation, gender and race. The National Center for Lesbian Rights later filed a case on her behalf against Portland, athletic director Tim Curley and the university. The case was bound for trial this summer, but a joint statement released Monday announced that the two sides had settled out of court. Both parties have said that terms of the settlement are confidential.

Penn State may not have to release the terms of the settlement, even if pressed because of the Right to Know Act, Pennsylvania's open-records law. The university is not a member of the

state's system of higher education and thus is not subject to the Right to Know Act and its provisions, according to Melissa Melewsky, a media law attorney with the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

"It seems like a misnomer, but the state system is defined by statute, and Penn State is not one of them," Melewsky said. "I refer to it as quasi-public. It's not private, and it's not all public either. Penn State kind of exists in its own little universe."

Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon refused to acknowledge anything regarding the status of the case or its terms. Neither Portland nor Curley have returned calls seeking comment.

"It's very common for the settlement to remain confidential; that's very common in this country," Mahon said.

According to the statement, Penn State, Portland and Curley disputed Harris' allegations that she was discriminated against on the basis of gender, race and sexual orientation and "denied any liability with respect to the claims filed against them."

However, on April 18, 2006, a university investigation found that Portland was in violation of the university's anti-discrimination policy on the basis of sexual orientation, and she was fined $10,000 in lieu of a one-game suspension and required to attend diversity training.

"If that's what they concluded it makes you wonder how seriously Penn State takes their non-discrimination policy. I'm a little disappointed," said Pat Griffin, the director of "It Takes a Team!" -- an education program for gay and lesbian issues in athletics.

Harris previously alleged Portland questioned her sexual orientation and instructed her to dress in a more feminine manner.

The university report concluded that Portland created a "hostile, intimidating and offensive environment" for Harris.