The Minority Access and Achievement Program Office was established as the result of an initiative by the state legislature to improve access and success of students from underrepresented ethnic groups at the university and in the professions in Hawaii. The students most underrepresented in higher education in this state are Hawaiian, Filipino, Samoan and other Pacific Islanders, and Indo-Chinese. The goals of this office are to identify the needs of the target population and provide support to meet those needs. PALS links freshmen and transfer minority students with upper division students who serve as peer assistants and mentors, providing academic and personal support. Selected students are provisionally admitted to the University and must complete the summer bridge and academic year components which offers special courses, academic and personal support, and social and cultural activities.
PALS stands for Peer Assistance Linkages and Support.
Pals is a program at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo which assists ethnic minority students. The groups who are the most underrepresented in higher education in the state are Hawaiian, Filipino, Samoan, other Pacific Islanders, and Indo-Chinese. New freshmen students are eligible to participate. PALS matches students with peer assistants, who are upperdivision college students and role models. These peer assistants provide individualized support services to new students on a regular basis.