Student activists at Penn State have long been criticizing the university for fostering what they say is a discriminatory environment.

In the past six years alone, Penn State students have staged a 10-day sit-in, rallied at Old Main on several occasions and repeatedly asserted their disapproval of any inequity or intolerance on campus.

And they aren't planning to stop. Over the past three weeks, members of the Black Caucus have once again called on Penn State to increase anti-discrimination initiatives and accused administrators of ignoring the requests of concerned student groups.

After staging a sit-in with SpeakOut members in Penn State President Graham Spanier's office earlier this month, Black Caucus released a statement demanding a more tolerant campus and announcing its opposition to the proposed senior class gift. The gift -- a memorial park and garden in front of Rec Hall -- pays tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon and Penn State athletics.

According to its statement, the Black Caucus thinks it is insensitive to group together King's memory with Thon and student athletics -- both of which, it said, have a racist history.

"We cannot afford to be idle while enemies of integration and social justice equate Thon (an organization with its own troubled history of racism and racial exclusion) and athletics (contract-oppression of the [Poor and Brown] student to the University), to Martin Luther King, Jr.," the statement read.

Black Caucus President Darryl Watson said while he respects the work of the Four Diamonds Fund, he thinks Thon isn't benefiting as many minority children as it could. He suggested that proceeds be split among various philanthropies.

"It is possible to benefit people of color in other communities who are not currently being benefited," Watson said.

Mary Rowe, Thon family relations chairwoman, said the organization doesn't choose any of the children who are supported by the event.

"Any Four Diamonds family is invited to register for Thon no matter what ethnicity or background they are," she said.

Rowe also said in its entire history, Thon has never turned any family way.

"So as far as [Thon] being racist, it's not, because it's open to anyone," she said.

Watson added that he didn't think the Thon 2007 overall committee is as diverse as the committee has been in the past.

"Some years you see much more participation in the organization from people of color, other years you don't," Watson said. "That should be something that happens every year."

Dan Cocco, Thon communications chairman, said the Black Caucus had never brought its concerns to his attention. He also said anyone who wants to participate in Thon is able to do so.

"We had over 3,000 applications for memberships on committees this year, and we found a place for everybody," Cocco said.

Watson also said he thinks the university tends to gives unfair preferential treatment to Thon.

"The university privileges Thon in so many ways that they don't privilege other student philanthropies," Watson said.

Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said he thinks Black Caucus' criticism of Thon is unwarranted and unspecific. He added no other student group has claimed that the university is treating the organization differently than others.

"I don't see any merit in the vague, general complaints about these great organizations," Mahon said referring to both Thon and athletics.

Jeff Nelson, Penn State Athletics spokesman, declined to comment and directed all questions to Mahon.

Mahon said it was difficult for him to see a broad concern among the student body.

"Out of the thousands of students who have been involved in athletics over the past few years, these types of criticism are rare. Out of the many thousand students who participate in Thon, no one else has brought this type of criticism forth," he said.

The senior class gift committee speaks

Jordan Ford, overall chairman for the senior class gift committee, said the proposed gift is intended to celebrate important events that have occurred in Rec Hall in the past. Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed an audience of 8,000 people in the building in 1965. Rec Hall is also home to indoor student athletic events and was home to Thon for eight years.

Watson said while the proposition is a "good-hearted attempt," he can't see past the "racial insensitivity" of the plan.

Ford said he thinks the Black Caucus' criticism is a result of miscommunication and added that the group never contacted the committee.

"If they would have tried to contact us, we would have been more than happy to meet with them and still are happy to meet with them if they have some concerns with the current status of the gift," he said.

Four members of Commission on Racial and Ethic Diversity (CORED) did express concern about King's inclusion in the park at a meeting with the gift committee early last Tuesday.

Katherine Weatle, co-chairwoman of the student issues management team for CORED, said the group has been trying to commemorate King for two years through senior class gift proposals but has been unsuccessful. Weadle said CORED was also concerned that King had nothing to do with Thon and student athletics and that they didn't want the committee using King's name as a means of collecting funds for the park.

Weadle said by the end of the meeting both groups agreed that the memorial would commemorate many special events held in Rec Hall, including President Dwight Eisenhower's visit to campus, rather than just King, Thon and athletics.

"I think it's a good compromise, and it was the best thing to do. It helps both our agenda to continue working on a commemoration for Dr. King and the marketing strategy for the gift committee," Weadle said.

Mahon said he thinks the Black Caucus may be misinformed about the gift.

"I am under the impression that the senior class gift is more general than they are claiming. They are recognizing the area as an important part of campus and a place where students and visitors to the school have done some great things in the past," he said.

In addition to listing its reasons for opposition, the Black Caucus asked the administration to "cease and desist in the erosion of Dr. King's legacy" by blocking the senior class gift proposal, erecting a statue of King on campus to commemorate his visit and restoring the Martin Luther King, Jr. living option. Penn State eliminated the living option last semester, citing lack of interest.

Despite his frustration with the senior class gift, Watson said issues such as the senior class gift are indicative of an even larger discrimination problem on campus.

In the same statement it released on the senior class gift, Black Caucus listed several incidents of racism on campus and in the State College area it says students have reported to the group. It also encouraged mobilization by all students to ensure change.

March to Old Main

On Feb. 9 members of the Black Caucus joined activists from SpeakOut and Undertones for a sit-in at Old Main where they demanded a meeting with Spanier to discuss tolerance issues at the university and within the community.

The demonstration came in response to the discrimination lawsuit settlement between Penn State officials and former women's basketball player Jen Harris.

Harris filed a lawsuit two years ago against women's basketball coach Rene Portland, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and Penn State after she was dismissed from the team. She sued for discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender and race.

Demonstrators said they were upset that the terms of the settlement weren't released and accused the university of ignoring the larger issue of discriminatory practices at Penn State.

"I've learned that there's no place for me on this campus unless I'm in Beaver Stadium holding a mop or holding a ball," Watson said that afternoon as he and other students crowded into Spanier's office.

Terrell Jones, vice provost for educational equity, and Vicky Triponey, vice president of student affairs, met with the students later that day to address concerns.

During the closed hour-long meeting the groups made several requests, including the hiring of a full-time diversity advocate and increased funding for student diversity groups.

University officials have said during the past few months that they have been working to boost minority enrollment, which was another one of the group's requests. According to the Penn State Fact Book, Penn State's total minority enrollment has increased 2.1 percent within the past five years to 13 percent in 2006.

After the meeting Watson said he wasn't content with the responses from the administrators and that the conversation was "just posturing."

The university responds

The university officially responded to the sit-in in a statement saying that Penn State is "unalterably committed" to diversity and tolerance efforts on campus.

"We most certainly will and do hold members of this community accountable when they are found responsible for violations of our policies regarding discrimination. Additionally, we are resolved to continue our extensive efforts to promote equity and educate our community about racism, homophobia, intolerance, insensitivity and discrimination," the statement read.

The statement also cites several actions the university says it has taken to create a more tolerant campus climate. These actions include the adoption of diversity requirements as part of the general education curriculum, ongoing efforts to promote affirmative action in employment searches, formalization of partner benefits for employees and the addition of "gender identity" in Penn State's nondiscrimination clause.

Mahon said these and the other actions and university policies discussed in the statement are ongoing.

Hours after the university statement was released the Black Caucus sent out an e-mail message postponing the next march on Old Main.

A statement released by the Black Caucus the following day said it was postponing the rally in hopes that the university would schedule a town-hall meeting with Spanier to discuss its concerns.

"What we always seek is open, honest dialogue that sprouts into rehabilitative action and social justice," the statement read.

Black Caucus also released an open letter to the Penn State community along with the statement defending recent actions and statements by the group and encouraging student mobilization.

The open letter admonished Spanier for refusing to hold a meeting. "It seems that there are issues more important than meeting with students who feel voiceless and perpetually left out of the conversation," the letter read.

While Mahon did not rule out a meeting with Spanier, he said that Black Caucus would most likely have more success working with other administrators such as Triponey and Jones.

Mahon said these administrators have more experience with the issues Black Caucus wants to discuss and the group "would be best served trying to continue a dialogue with these people."

Mahon also said a number of administrators in the offices of student affairs and educational equity have offered to meet with Watson to discuss the issues he and Black Caucus have raised.

"The administration will continue to have dialogue with him and to try and help him understand a little more about Thon and intercollegiate athletics and the other vague and general complaints he has made," Mahon said. "But he is probably not going to feel like he has very good answers when the dialogue occurs on the front page of the newspaper rather than face to face."

--Collegian staff writers Andrew McGill and Demetria Giles contributed to this report