The Palo Alto  University Latino Student Organization (PULSO) is the new Latino student group of Palo Alto University. We are committed to expanding multicultural awareness within the student psychological community through education, collaboration, and service.  We welcome students of all cultural backgrounds who are interested in expanding their multicultural awareness and professional competence. As most of you will see in your practicum sites and in your future careers, Latinos are a growing number especially in California. The 2010 U.S. Census data showed that over the last decade the Latino population grew from 35.3 million to 50.5 million, accounting for more than half of the nation’s population growth. Latinos now make up 16% of the total U.S. population and 23% of the population under age 18.

Unfortunately, Latinos have the lowest high school and college completion rates of any racial or ethnic group.

• In 2000, Latinos registered a 23.8 percent high school dropout rate, the highest of any major racial or ethnic group (ages 16 to 24), compared to 7 percent for non-Hispanic whites.*
• 36% percent of Latinos high-school graduates ages 18 to 24 enrolled in colleges and universities, compared to 44 percent of non-Hispanic whites.*
• About 12 percent of Hispanic adults currently have a bachelor’s degree, compared with 30.5 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

What these statistics demonstrate is that even though 36% of Latinos are going to college, very few of them are actually graduating.

*National Center for Education Statistics, Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics.

Our goal is that collectively we will bring more representation to Latinos in higher education and specifically in the field of Psychology where Latinos are few in numbers.  Statistics show that Latino college graduates in the social sciences opt for Social Worker or Master's level programs, but Latinos still rarely pursue doctorate degrees. We hope to work together to promote the educational and professional advancement of all Latino students, including the undergraduates at PGSP through mentorship.

Please contact Pulso@paloaltou.edu if you are interested in joining this group!

Students for Ethnic and Cultural Awareness (SECA) is a student organization at PAU that is open to anyone interested in ethnic and cultural issues. The goals of SECA include the articulation of ethnic and cultural issues, needs and interests; the availability of a support system; the recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse students and faculty; the expansion of clinical and research training in multicultural issues; the increase of cultural awareness and acceptance of diversity at PAU; and the enhancement of students' overall graduate school experience.

SECA publishes a newsletter, Dialogues, as a way for students to share their thoughts and experiences. Some of the pieces including in the newsletter were about conferences that students attended related to multicultural issues, and reactions to movies shown through SECA.

SECA also collaborates with PAU’s Pacific Research Forum to establish and award an annual certificate and monetary award for Excellence in Multicultural Research for Ph.D. and Psy.D. students presenting at the forum. The goal is to provide a reward and encourage the inclusion of culturally related topics in research at PAU. The students in SECA have also created a Multicultural Book List, posted on the PAU library website, to encourage students to read different types of literature based on various related topics. SECA has also developed and regularly contributes to a collection of books and media in the PAU library that serve as cultural competence resources to the PAU community.

SECA has also planned several movie nights where students get together to watch a film or documentary with a particular theme. These movie nights have been planned for Black History month, the Chinese New Year and other important events. Last year SECA also planned and sponsored the event, “Breaking Boundaries”. For this event Ph.D. and Psy.D. students were paired in dyads and asked to review the ADDRESSING framework, a multicultural identity tool, with each other. SECA held initial and debriefing sessions in a group setting so students could meet each other and share their dyadic experiences with the entire group.

Please contact Seca@paloaltou.edu if you are interested in joining this group!

Student Association for Sexual Orientation (SASO)  is a student group dedicated to increasing awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and related (GLBTI) issues. The group is open to all students, faculty, administration, and alumni at PAU regardless of sexual orientation. The group plans activities on campus, allowing people of diverse sexual orientations to come together and learn from each other. SASO sponsors campus parties, brown bag speakers, social outings, and other activities. The group provides a clearinghouse of information available to all members of the PAU community, including a special collection of books and media in the PAU Library. Area of particular concern are the education of future therapists in GLBT issues; providing a professional and social network for people with an interest in these issues; increasing opportunities for students through grants, fellowships, scholarships, and internships related to GLBTI treatment concerns.

Please contact Saso@paloaltou.edu if you are interested in joining this group!

MSRC
Current evidence-based practices of suicidology lack integration with knowledge regarding cultural variations in suicide, increasing risk for misdetection or mismanagement of risk in diverse populations. The goals of the Multicultural Suicide Research Center are to advance the field of multicultural suicidology through projects investigating suicide assessment, prevention, and management.

Examples of current MSRC projects include the Cultural Assessment of Risk for Suicide project which aims to create and test a brief evidence-based clinical tool (CARS; the Cultural Assessment of Risk for Suicide instrument) for culturally-competent suicide risk detection that complements and improves existing assessment procedures for use with African American,Asian American, Latino, and LGBTQ populations. Students will be closely involved in the process of modifying and testing this tool.

The MSRC is a collaborative research group led by Drs. Bruce Bongar, Peter Goldblum, and Joyce Chu. Students apply to and are matched with 1 of the 3 primary advisors, but have access to all 3 faculty members. In addition, all MSRC students work collaboratively as a group.