Minority groups reach out to Penn's 'most diverse' new students

At Tuesday night's Convocation, Penn President Amy Gutmann described the Class of 2013 as one of the school's most diverse. In fact, 44 percent of this year's freshman class is comprised of minority students, up from 40 percent for the class of 2012. Aware of this increasing diversity, many minority groups are doing their best to recruit Penn's newest additions.

In addition to partnering with the Undergraduate Assembly to host late-night New Student Orientation events, many groups have planned separate events to encourage freshmen to join.

College senior, Lambda Alliance chairman and Daily Pennsylvanian columnist Dennie Zastrow attributed Penn's increasing diversity to campus minority groups' recruitment efforts.

"Every year more and more minority students are coming to campus because the word is getting out that Penn has these student groups to support them," he said.

Penn Student Government's Activities Fair on Locust Walk on Tuesday allowed hundreds of student groups, many of them minority groups, to meet and recruit freshmen. And a number of groups are continuing recruitment beyond the fair.

The Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women will recruit freshmen at a "Women's Meet and Greet" at the Penn Women's Center in late September, according to College senior and PCUW chairwoman Rosa Cui.

"One can think of the event as a cross between a social hour and a scaled-down NSO Activity Fair - much less flyers and much more one-on-one conversation," she wrote in an e-mail.

Janice Dow, a College junior and chairwoman of the United Minorities Council, said this year the UMC general body members will have more a defined role in freshman recruitment. The umbrella group for minority student organizations is planning an intercultural and team-based social activity so that recruits and members can mingle, network and strengthen friendships.

Wendy de la Rosa, a Wharton junior and vice chairwoman of the Latino Coalition, meanwhile, noted that this year, freshman recruitment is more personal than in past years. As soon as Latino freshmen are accepted into Penn, LC immediately reaches out by calling students and their families, offering tours of Penn's campus and generally making prospective students feel more comfortable.

After Latino freshmen decide to attend Penn, LC uses Facebook to create groups and answer questions. To meet freshmen and encourage them to join, de la Rosa said, LC hosted a well-attended late-night event with salsa dancing, Latino food and games.

"During our late-night event, one freshman came up to us and said, 'Thank you, I really feel like I have someone to talk to,'" de la Rosa said. "Sometimes, when you see a freshman walking on campus, you can find a connection with them right away. All our other events are really to supplement, but you can't take away that one-on-one connection."

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