Small businesses on High Street that cater only to the black population of the campus area cannot survive, according to some members of the black business community.Some perceptions about those opportunities were addressed and questioned at the Hale Black Cultural Center Wednesday night at an open forum to address minority businesses opportunities on High Street.”This area is not as diverse as we think,” said Melinda Carter, executive director of the Equal Business Opportunity Commission.While stores only for blacks may not work, the area needs “racially sensitive” stores to provide for the black population, she said.Boyce Safford, vice-president of the Columbus Urban Growth Corp., said he has asked some owners of black oriented stores why they haven’t located to High Street. The response: “My market is not there.”The black population on campus is too small to support many ventures, he said. The area surrounding campus has too small an income to help keep those businesses afloat.Jacques Kemp, member of the City of Columbus Loan Committee, agreed that many minority businesses cannot function with the current Ohio State population.Though opportunities for black ownership of businesses are available on High Street, Safford said they need to cater to the entire population of the campus area.The forum, titled “From Perceptions to Progress: promoting multicultural business opportunities on High Street,” was an attempt to take the next step to getting black businesses into the area, said Carl Rice, moderator for the forum and a sophomore majoring in geography and urban planning.Blacks have traditionally felt uncomfortable in many existing businesses on High Street and this needs to be addressed, he said. Terry Foegler, president of Campus Partners, said High Street doesn’t provide for the needs of minorities or other populations.”High Street is clearly not functioning well,” he said.The Student Advisory Board to Campus Partners sponsored the event.They assembled a panel from the minority business community to cover every aspect of black business so the situation on High Street can be explained, Rice said.