Tough Adjustment

These past few weeks here, at Penn State, have been pretty rough for me. Everywhere I go, the conversation, among minority groups, about the discomfort and isolationism on this campus is brought up. This has included Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans, and members of the LGBTQ community. 

Just yesterday, I walked into the Paul Robeson Cultural Center (PRCC) for the first time. For those of you who don’t know, this is the center, in the HUB, right next to the flight of stairs that lead you down to the Student Bookstore. It’s a very warm, welcoming place, so I would definitely walk in and try to socialize with the various minority groups on campus. 

I made my way over to the PRCC because I have recently been feeling as if I do not have diversity within my friend groups, compared to what I have been used to my whole life. Coming from Wyncote, PA, I have always seen people of many colors and backgrounds around me; at Penn State, however, that is not the case. Yesterday, I learned some alarming facts: 80% of the African-American students here end up transferring and dropping out, African-American professors are retiring and taking other jobs elsewhere, and over the last 10 years, the percentage of African American students went from 3% to 5%, even after the government mandated Penn State to recruit more African American students. 

http://sites.psu.edu/andrewspasports/

Hearing this has seriously been making me doubt my enrollment here. I know many of you love Penn State, and that is usually the case with most students. I can definitely see why, as this is a wonderful school that offers so many opportunities. As a freshman, I have already been participating in research, promoted to a Crew Leader at my job, and applied to 5 different internships. I came here because I was offered to be in my major right away, the Schreyer Honors College, and was automatically involved with other clubs and activities like Women in Engineering. The only aspect that I did not like about the school, since the beginning, was that only 3% of the university, or 1200 students, are African American.

So what does that feel like? Just imagine, hypothetically, that you go to a HBCU, or a predominately black college. Now, obviously, you would sometimes feel isolated and miss being around those who share your culture, music interests, and social activities. Think about it: most people feel more comfortable around those who look like them. So of course I wish there were more African-Americans and Hispanics at this university.

I’m not going to lie to you guys and tell you that I haven’t thought about transferring from here. The question is: which is more important, comfort or opportunity? That’s what it comes down to. However, I aim to be optimistic. I am reaching out to various cultural centers and organizations so that I can network and socialize with all types of people. I am hoping that getting more involved with student organizations will facilitate my adjustment here more. 

The feeling of being on the “outside” is very common at a large school like Penn State. I know that some of you guys may feel isolated or lonely in some ways as well, whether it relates to race, or maybe even hobbies and interests. I’d like to know how you guys feel about the lack of diversity at Penn State, as well as personal struggles you go through at the university.