Awave of University press releases in the last month proudly proclaimed Penn's standing in a slew of new rankings.
Yet none of the these rankings had anything to do with the U.S. News & World Report - they all scored Penn on its diversity-friendly environment.
According to the rankings from Hispanic Magazine, Black Enterprise and The Advocate, Penn is the No. 5 school for Latinos, No. 9 school for blacks and the best school for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
The rankings are a sign that Penn has come a long way in making many different groups of people feel comfortable on campus that a century ago was a bastion of homogeneity. It's also a sign that cultural centers like the LGBT Center and La Casa Latina are having an impact. As narrow in purpose as some of them may be, they're places where students who share similar characteristics can meet and connect - and they are places valued by a vast number of students.
But just as administrators shrugged off Penn's recent drop in the U.S. News rankings, administrators and students must look at the rankings with a similarly skeptical attitude.
A number can only say so much.
The rankings may demonstrate, to some degree, how open Penn is to new communities. But someone's quality of life can't be encompassed by a number.
Better integration of different groups of students on campus, more classes on subjects specific to minorities and continued minority recruitment would all help Penn improve its standing with minority groups.
The rankings are a good starting point, but it doesn't mean Penn can stop improving life for minorities on campus.
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