Prospective minority students gather on campus

Friday night, the Hall of Flags, adorned with flashing lights and pounding with music, could have been mistaken for the set of MTV's "The Grind" -- except MTV dancers are not usually valedictorians and National Merit Scholars. The Undergraduate Admissions office held its 11th annual Minority Scholars Invitational Weekend which featured dances, shows and programs this weekend. The program -- which was attended by 250 high school seniors from across the country -- was created in order to maintain the University's almost 30 percent minority composition by showcasing what is available to students at the University. "It's important for the students to see that Penn has a diverse community and for them to know that we have support services for all students," Director of the Minority Recruitment Program Clarence Grant said. To exhibit both the social and academic high points of campus life, scholars attended classes, took tours, and participated in programs sponsored by many minority organizations on campus, such as a reggae party and an ice skating social. In addition, all four undergraduate schools held mandatory presentations for the scholars in order to answer questions they might have and inform them of available programs. Besides the scholars who applied early decision to the University, none of this weekend's participants know if they have been admitted, and will not know until their acceptance or rejection letters are sent out April 5. This program is designed to point prospective students towards the University instead of the other schools to which they may be accepted. "When students have four or five acceptance letters, they have to decide," Grant said. "And we're giving them the opportunity to see Penn. These students are highly competitive in our pool." The students participating said they appreciated the program and had fun as well. Diego Velazquez from West New York, a city in New Jersey, attended the program to see what college life is like at the University. In addition to the University, he is trying to choose between Columbia, Georgetown and Brown universities. He said this program gave him a chance to visit and finally visualize the University. "I like it a lot," he said. "The campus is a part of the city and it has the advantages of a campus." He said his favorite activities this weekend included watching the University's first-round NCAA Tournament play in the Palestra and the dance in Houston Hall. Shaheen Zojwalla, from Wallingford, Pennsylvania, came to the University to "find out about the college and see what I would think of it. The campus is beautiful and people are really friendly." She has applied to Harvard University, Stanford University and Swarthmore College, but even after attending the program said she does not know yet which is her first choice. Grant said that students paid their own way to the Philadelphia, but the University helped students who could not afford the trip.

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