Check out SASP’s new web page at: http://sac.uky.edu/~mdturn0/sasp.htm.

The greatest pleasure of being a SASP officer is the opportunity to watch an organization grow and evolve. In my 4 years as an officer for SASP, I’ve seen this organization go from a handful of enthusiastic graduate students to a robust entity whose energy keeps increasing. SASP was originally developed in 1977, but its momentum dwindled because communication was so difficult. Modern technology and the inception of the internet have made it simple for SASP to communicate and to flourish. One example of technology’s role in the success of this organization is the executive committee’s first on-line meeting, which took place in cyberspace in December.

During SASP’s December EC meeting, it was decided to restructure the organization of the executive committee. Two committees were added, the Nominations and Web Page Chair and the Convention Chair. The Nominations and Web Page Chair will be responsible for soliciting nominations for officers and conducting the election. They will also maintain the SASP web page. The Convention Chair will act as liaison to the Division 16 Convention Chair and will help organize the SASP mini-convention. For more information on all SASP executive committee positions and nomination information for next year, please visit the SASP web page.

The EC also developed some goals for the remainder of the year. The first goal is to increase the number of Local SASP Chapters. These are SASP student organizations on individual campuses. Information on how to form a local chapter is included in this issue of SASP News. Local chapters are encouraged to submit articles to SASP News so they can share information on activities they are involved in and to give other students ideas for starting or managing their own chapter. Another of SASP’s goals for the remainder of the year is to increase the number of students on the listserve. Information on how to subscribe is also included in this issue. A How-To brochure on applying for and obtaining an internship in the school psychology field is also being developed.

As I have already discussed future plans for the organization, I would like to discuss some past and present SASP activities. SASP has already had a productive first half-year. SASP’s web page address has been changed. It’s new address is http://sac.uky.edu/~mdturn0/sasp.htm. An electronic version of the newsletter was produced and distributed via the listserve, and the research awards application and judging process is underway.

Lastly, I want to encourage SASP members to contact me or the other SASP officers with any questions, or ideas you might have for the organization. Our email addresses are also included in this issue. SASP information can also be found on the web site, which was given above. Matt Turner, SASP’s President-elect did a wonderful job on it, please stop by and check it out.

If you aren’t on the SASP list serve yet, please sign up using the instructions below.

To subscribe:

Send a message to the following address and leave the subject space blank.

In the message area type the following: sub SASP-D16 <First Name> <Last Name>

Example: sub SASP-D16 Jane Doe

When you are subscribed, you will receive messages notifying you that you are subscribed and general information on the list serve.

To send a message to all the people currently subscribed to the list, just send mail to

SASP would like to thank all those who applied for the two $500 research awards. A judging committee consisting of five SASP members will read all proposals and rate each one according to the same criteria. Winners of the awards will be reached personally and will also be announced in the next issue. The judging criteria for the research awards are outlined below.

The following rating criteria will be used:

1. Rationale of Proposal (25 points)
2. Relevance to School Psychology (25 points)
3. Methodology (20 points)
4. Implications of Research (30 points)

All training programs are encouraged to start a student affiliate chapter. Chapters have already been organized at many colleges and universities, but we are hoping to have all of the APA School Psychology Programs represented by local chapters by the spring issue. If your program has not yet organized a chapter please encourage them to do so. SASP asks for one student member representative and one faculty supervisor from each training program. For more information relating to starting a chapter contact Jennifer Beebe, Membership Chair, at clevejen@mindspring.com.

We want to know what is going on in your training program. School Psychology Students are asked to submit articles relating to activities and news from their APA programs. Let us know what is going on. Articles and news should be sent to Michael Cruce at crucem@okstate.edu.

Carla J. Egyed, University of Missouri

Matt Turner, University of Kentucky

Yvonne Godber, University of Minnesota

Rebecca Mandal, University of Southern Mississippi

Jennifer Beebe, Kent State University

Christine E. Mitchell, Illinois State University

David Cheshire, Illinois State University

David Shriberg, Northeastern University

Michael K. Cruce, Oklahoma State University

Graduate students in our program are utilizing the eight-step model plan developed by Keith-Spiegel and Koocher (1985) and discussed in Ethical Conflicts in Psychology (Bersoff, 1999) when considering ethical conflicts. The eight-step model can be applied directly to a problem that is an ethical concern in the field of psychology.

The eight-step model plan is (Keith-Spiegel and Koocher, 1985, pp. 19-20; Bersoff, 1999, p. 128):

1. Describe the parameters of the situation.
2. Define the potential issues involved.
3. Consult the guidelines, if any, already available that might apply to the resolution of each issue.
4. Evaluate the rights, responsibilities, and welfare of all affected parties.
5. Generate the alternative decisions possible for each issue.
6. Enumerate the consequences of making each decision.
7. Present any evidence that the various consequences or benefits resulting from each decision will actually occur.
8. Make the decision.

This model is beneficial to those currently practicing in the field of psychology and those training to be future psychologists. This eight-step plan is important in that it explores all of the dimensions of a problem and aids the user in developing a plan of action.

The eight-step model is useful to students who are training to be school psychologists. The model enables the student to explore all of the ethical concerns, analyze these concerns and come to a conclusion. It is an instrument that graduate students can use to apply their knowledge of the ethical guidelines. It may also be used in even greater detail by applying current state and federal laws that may arise with an ethical concern.

This problem-solving model is a useful tool that both future psychologists and practicing psychologists may utilize. It has been very beneficial in exploring the ethical guidelines and is recommended for anyone involved in the field of psychology.