The new freshmen faces in student government have increased the overall diversity of those groups, many student government and minority coalition leaders say.
There has been a specific focus by those groups this year to increase minority involvement in student government, including an information session in September hosted by the six branches of student government and six minority and cultural coalitions.
Of the nine new members in the Undergraduate Assembly, seven are "of color," UA chairman and College and Wharton senior Wilson Tong said, referring to black, Asian-American and Latino students.
The number of black UA members increased from zero to three, bringing the total closer to past numbers.
However, female UA representation is the lowest it has been in four years - women occupy eight of the 33 seats, roughly 24 percent.
The Student Committee on Undergraduate Education added 11 freshmen, bringing their total membership to 36, SCUE chairman and College and Wharton senior Zach Fuchs said. Of those 11, two are black and three are Asian American.
Unlike the UA, SCUE added five female members, bringing the total female membership to 17, about 47 percent.
Fuchs said that although last year's committee was less diverse than the current one, the committee is about as diverse as it was two years ago.
"It's just a function of the applicants we get through our door," he said.
Latinos are one group that remains underrepresented, with just two Latino members in the UA and none in SCUE.
This is the first time in the past four years, however, that there has been any Latino representation on the UA.
"We've always been underrepresented in SCUE, and that's something that needs to be addressed," said Latino Coalition chairman and Wharton junior Rami Reyes, suggesting that SCUE look into the issue.
Overall, though, many student government and minority leaders agree that the increasingly diverse bodies are a step in the right direction.
Nominees and Elections Committee chairwoman and College junior Brittany Stark wrote in an e-mail that increased efforts to recruit minority students have been successful. Half of the new NEC members are minorities, she said, including women in that count.
The Class of 2012 Board is among the more demographically diverse of the recently filled positions. Of the 10 members, four are Asian American and two are black. Six of the 10 members are women.
Class of 2012 President and Wharton freshman Jibran Khan said the board represents the class well.
"Even though we're diverse, we still are able to come together as one," he said.
Although having a more diverse student government and specifically more black students on student government is "positive" and "beautiful," raising issues important to the black community is ultimately more important, said College sophomore Everett Benjamin, political co-chairman for UMOJA, the umbrella organization for black student groups.
In fact, he said that if the issues important to his group - like the treatment of Allied Barton security guards and promotion of a more community-service based curriculum - aren't being dealt with, student government may be "the wrong venue" to voice opinions.
United Minorities Council chairwoman, Daily Pennsylvanian columnist and College and Wharton senior Lisa Zhu added that many of the recently elected freshmen are "proud advocates" for their communities.
She pointed to College freshman and newly elected UA representative Adam Hamilton, who "has made it a point to advocate for issues that are important to students of color," like renovations in DuBois College House.
But Zhu pointed out that the groups' work may not be done yet - in the past, retention of minorities in student government bodies has been low.
She suggested the UMC and student government organizations make an effort to act as mentors to those students.
