RISE
PAGE 10
INTERVIEW
IT'S COMPLICATED
AN INTERVIEW WITH RAMON GUZMAN
BY MATTHEW LAMAS
When looking at the racial climate at Penn State, there is a lot to analyze. We sat down
with 2016 Senior Class President Ramon Guzman, Jr., and well - it's complicated.
How do you feel about the racial climate at Penn
State?”
This question evoked an array of responses from
Ramon Guzman, a senior majoring in education
policy, ranging from his personal experiences at
Penn State as a Latino man to his accomplishments
as an individual and as a student.
As the executive director of the senior class gift
campaign, Guzman shared that he was the first man
of color to lead this project. He went on to explain
that it’s not that students of color can’t succeed
taking on these projects, but that there’s simply not
enough of these students seeking the opportunity.
The reason? “Well, it’s complicated,” Guzman
explains.
“It’s not that the minority community is a minority at
all.
“
What’s happening is that certain communities
become minoritized. ”To further explain,Guzman
stressed that we must empower various sectors of
the student body to further build on themselves
with involvement and leadership. More specifically,
minority recruitment.
When looking at sheer numbers, Penn State lacks in
the recruitment of diverse students. According to
the University Budget Office for the fall of 2014, just
under 2,500 students who attend the University Park
campus identify as Latino/Hispanic and just 1,802
identify as Black or African American.
So what about minority recruitment? Does this have
an effect on how Penn State and students of color
align themselves with the university? Guzman thinks
yes.