Minority Scholars Weekend begins tomorrow

As the annual Minority Scholars Weekend approaches, the minority community is pulling together to encourage prospective students to attend the University. Since the visiting students have not yet been admitted, the weekend serves as a crucial time for them to make decisions about college. Current minority students said the the weekend is especially important in generating minority growth at the University. College sophomore Jamillah Hoy, a former Minority Scholar, said she found her best friend and roommate during the weekend two years ago. "It's such a special weekend because prospective minority students have a chance to connect with minority students at Penn on a one-to-one level," Hoy said. She explained that before she attended Minority Scholars Weekend, she was reluctant about coming to the University, but the students she met made her feel like she would belong. "Everybody goes out of their way to answer any questions the students might have," Hoy said. "They need to know that Penn isn't the place for everybody." Wharton sophomore Eric Lee explained that as much as the minority community makes an extraordinary effort to make the prospective minority students feel at home, honesty is still an important factor throughout the weekend. "We don't try to make students think that the student community at Penn is one big happy family," Lee said. "We let them know that like any other place, minorities do face conflicts," he said. "However, we try to emphasize the fact that we have the resources and the strength as a community to make changes." La Asociacion Cultural de Estudiantes Latino Americanos President Jorge Leon, a College senior, said that while the weekend is a time for the students to become acquainted with the University's minority community, it also provides exposure to all aspects of Penn life. "It definitely makes a difference for students to come stay with us on the Latino Living-Learning Program floor in High Rise East," Leon said. "It enables them to realize that we are part of a unique community but that many of us do other activities as well." Leon added that he hoped that the minority students would leave on Tuesday with a positive feeling about the University's diversity. "The weekend provides a chance for them to learn what Penn is all about," he said. "And if they don't get into Penn, their weekend experience will hopefully have convinced them to definitely pursue college, no matter what." College sophomore Sharon Yang stressed the fact that the weekend enables students to see various sides of the University community. "The structure of the weekend allows students to see that minority life is important here, but that it does not need to overwhelm them," Yang said, adding that the program shows prospective students that they can have a multi-faceted identity. "Minority Scholars Weekend is another avenue through which diversity is maintained and can continue to grow," Yang said. The weekend includes events such as a party sponsored by the Social Planning and Events Committee and the United Minorities Council, a variety of campus and Philadelphia tours and a panel discussion about the University's minority organizations.