Penn State group leaders gathered to discuss diversity, equality and culture at last night's Minority Empowerment Panel.

The event was part of the Awareness Week organized by former Undergraduate Student Government members.

Gavin Keirans, a former member of USG who spearheaded Awareness Week, said the goal of the panel was to hear the perspectives of different groups and unite them.

Representatives from the Japanese Friendship Association, SpeakOut and the Chinese Friendship Association, along with other organizations spoke about their personal experiences with discrimination and diversity.

Nicole Barrett, vice president of SpeakOut, said the LGBTA community is working toward affirmation of differences and not just tolerance.

"We want people to recognize and embrace differences in gender and sexuality," she said.

The discussion also branched off to issues of freedom of opinion, equal op-portunity and mental health awareness.

Former president of USG Nick Stathes said diversity is an issue that primarily has to do with the thoughts and feelings in today's cultures.

"The purpose of a diverse society is to have freedom of opinions, freedom to learn and the freedom to disagree," he said.

Stathes said the best way for Penn State to promote diversity is to make tuition affordable to everyone in Pennsylvania.

Those from lower class families bring experiences that those from the upper class can't, Stathes said. Stathes continued to say that if Penn State lowered tuition, it would allow everyone in Pennsylvania equal opportunity to get higher education.

Stathes also said that by systematically stripping Penn State students of their rights, the university is abandoning diversity.

Jay Bundy, founder and president of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws at Penn State, said that sometimes people aren't free to express their real feelings about topics because of laws and cultural norms.

Identity politics are important at Penn State, Bundy said. In reference to requests made by the Black Caucus, Bundy said if the university doesn't have portraits and statues to represent part of Penn State's student population, some students may feel that the university isn't as concerned with them.

Keirans said he hopes the panel made students more able to fight against apathy.

"There are problems we all deal with and we can better appreciate [the groups'] concerns from their perspective. We all have the same problems," he said.

Bundy, who said he will be posting an audio transcript of the event on his Web site, www.jaybundy.com, told those in attendance to just be who you are and not to let those in authority take away your rights.

"Hatred is about power," he said.