From the Chair of the College Senate
The final College Senate meeting of the spring 2020 semester will be held Friday, May 8, at 2:00 p.m. via Zoom videoconferencing. Details will be forthcoming. The meeting is by invitation only, and participation is limited. The podcast of the April 10, 2020, College Senate meeting is posted on the Senate website, along with the minutes and all reports from the March 13, 2020, meeting. Please contact Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate, with questions.

From the Chair of the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee
The College Senate elections to fill two at-large College Senate seats, one University Faculty Senate seat, and one alternate University Faculty Senate seat end tomorrow, April 24. The official voting portal will close at 11:59 p.m. Log-in is required.

Candidates’ statements and qualifications are available on the College Senate Elections Spring 2020 website. Thank you for your participation in this year’s election.

The Civic and Community Engagement Office is providing information about ways faculty, staff, and students can be active citizens and support our community during the coronavirus pandemic.

Volunteer with the Buffalo City Mission. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Buffalo City Mission is asking the Western New York community for support. Volunteerism is critical to the core mission of the Buffalo City Mission, and volunteers are needed to help uplift its staff and community members. Please note: Face masks and gloves will be provided. Please visit the City Mission's website to learn more or to volunteer.

The Civic and Community Engagement Office is providing information about ways faculty, staff, and students can be active citizens and support our community during the coronavirus pandemic.

There are unique volunteer opportunities with the Western New York Land Conservancy that are in keeping with social distancing. A land trust is a private, not-for-profit organization that works to conserve land. Usually, land trusts help landowners work agricultural land to protect properties with high conservation values, such as forests or wetlands.

Visit the Western New York Land Conservancy website to learn more or to volunteer.

Experts tell us to ramp up our studying for final exams three weeks in advance. (That's now!) What to do? Make an appointment for free tutoring through the Bengal Success Portal and register for one of our terrific free online Skillshops (30- to 55-minute workshops with topics such as "MLA and APA Citations," "Test-Taking Tips," and "Your Game Plan for Finals.")

You can do this!

Faculty members, please contact Lauren Copeland, tutoring services coordinator, if you'd like a Blackboard Collaborate study skills session for your students.

The Great Lakes Center is pleased to release the spring 2020 issue of its newsletter (PDF, 1.4 MB). This issue focuses on how the GLC is adapting to COVID-19, highlights some upcoming research, and introduces our new research scientist.

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for future editions of the newsletter, please send an e-mail to greatlakes@buffalostate.edu with the subject "Newsletter mailing list add."

The Civic and Community Engagement Office is providing information about ways faculty, staff, and students can be active citizens and support our community during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jewish Family Service has started a “Virtual Hug” project. Print out virtual hug color sheets (PDF, 156 KB) from its web site, color, and place them in the front window of your home to spread some love and cheer to your neighbors! It’s a particularly fun activity for children. Make it a group hug and share a photo of your window on social media. Remember to tag Jewish Family Service.

To learn about other ways to support Jewish Family Service, please visit the organization's Facebook page.

During the COVID-19 shutdown, the Accounts Payable Office will accept Buffalo State College Foundation and subsidiary entity payment requests three ways. All three submission methods still require a completed payment request form, approval by authorized signatories, and attachment of all backup information. 

Three ways to submit payment requests:

Hard copy - submitted via intercampus mail
Scanned - submitted via e-mail at aptravel@buffalostate.edu
Electronic form - submitted via e-mail at aptravel@buffalostate.edu

For electronic payment request forms and further guidance, please visit the Accounts Payable website.

The Buffalo State College community is saddened by the death of Joseph W. Gernatt, trades generalist with Facilities Construction and Maintenance (retired), who died April 18, 2020. Mr. Gernatt joined the college in 1992 and retired in 2019. He is survived by his wife, Carol; two children; and two grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. More information is available online.

The initiation and processing of personnel forms for appointments, leaves, separations, etc., have been updated to allow for electronic signatures and routing (similar to the Position Release Form, in which users type in their name and then e-mail the form to the next office). The Current Employee Change Form and the Faculty and Professional Appointment Form, both available on the Forms web page, may be routed electronically and in accordance with the Authorization Policy for Personnel Transactions (PDF, 150 KB).

Please contact Lydia Kawaler, manager of personnel operations, with questions.