Please be aware that the U.S. government cybersecurity workforce is seeing a rise in phishing scams related to the COVID-19 government stimulus checks. Please remember: don’t click on links in e-mail, and think before clicking on links in articles, social media posts, or advertising. Be suspicious.

From the Chair of the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee
Please note: the scheduled nomination and election process to fill the upcoming College Senate vacancies will proceed as planned.

Two at-large College Senate positions, one University Faculty Senate position, and one University Faculty Senate alternate position will become vacant on August 31, 2020. All full-time faculty and professional staff members are eligible to run for these seats provided they meet other eligibility requirements (see below).

At-large senators represent the entirety of the college. University Faculty senators are senators within both the Buffalo State College Senate and the SUNY University Faculty Senate. The alternate attends SUNY University Faculty Senate meetings only in the absence of the university faculty senator.

A call for nominations and information about candidates’ statements will be posted on the College Senate website. The call for nominations begins at 12:01 a.m. Monday, April 13, and continues through 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 17. Elections for these positions will run from 12:01 a.m. Monday, April 20, to 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 24.

Senate elections conducted by the schools of Arts and Humanities, Education, Natural and Social Sciences, and the Professions as well as the Professional Staff Caucus (PSC) should be concluded before the College Senate election cycle (April 20).

Eligibility: Current College Senate members who are completing two consecutive terms in their respective positions are not eligible for reelection. For additional information on eligibility requirements, please consult the College Senate bylaws.

Campaigning: The College Senate Elections and Bylaws Committee strongly discourages using college e-mail services for campaigning. Please limit campaigning to the candidate statement posted on the College Senate website, available to the college community on Monday, April 20.

Please note: Individuals running for a senator position in another election may not also run for at-large senator or university faculty senator positions while the other election is being conducted. If the other election concludes during the period when nominations for at-large or university faculty senator are still being accepted, eligible individuals may self-nominate for either position.

If you are interested in being a candidate, please contact Vince Masci, assistant to the College Senate, 878-5139. We look forward to your participation in the vital process of campus governance.

From the Chair of the College Senate
According to Section X of the State University of New York Policies of the Board of Trustees, the faculty of each SUNY college must have bylaws that specify a variety of important matters concerning the shared governance of that college.

In 2019, it was discovered that it was not clear that the Buffalo State College faculty had legitimate bylaws. More specifically, while the Buffalo State College faculty wrote and approved bylaws in the 1970s, at some point between 1977 and 1991, the local practice developed of referring to those bylaws as the “College Senate Bylaws.” This practice gave the impression that these were bylaws of the College Senate rather than bylaws of the college faculty. Moreover, the college faculty made numerous amendments to the 1977 version of the College Faculty Bylaws under the false impression that the bylaws they were modifying were the College Senate Bylaws. Owing to the confusion surrounding the status of these bylaws, at least some of these amendments are not legitimate, since they conflict with stipulations in the Policies of the Board of Trustees.

Upon recognizing the above, the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee worked with the college president and SUNY counsel to devise the following plan. The College Senate’s Bylaws and Elections Committee would construct College Faculty Bylaws that conform with the Policies of the Board of Trustees. In doing so, it would adopt the philosophy that the college faculty intended to change its bylaws in the same ways in which the College Senate Bylaws were amended between 1991 and 2009. Accordingly, the newly constructed College Faculty Bylaws would resemble the current College Senate Bylaws except where modifications were required for compliance with the Policies of the Board of Trustees, would clarify the system of shared governance embedded in these bylaws, or were requested to this system of shared governance by the College Senate or college faculty.

It was further agreed that, once these bylaws were approved by the College Senate, they would be put, as a whole, to the college faculty for approval and, if approved, proceed to the president, the College Council, and the SUNY Board of Trustees for approval and execution.

At its March meeting, the College Senate passed this resolution (DOCX , 66 KB) concerning the College Faculty Bylaws. The college faculty will vote on the approval of the bylaws included in this resolution the week of April 20–24. For further information about these bylaws or this vote, please contact Julian Cole, chair of the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee.

From the College Senate
College Senate Chair Joseph Marren called for an emergency remote Senate meeting on Thursday, March 26, at 4:00 p.m. to discuss and vote on a resolution to allow the College Senate executive committee to speak on behalf of the Senate body regarding issues that affect campus policies, in consultation with appropriate committees. This temporary emergency resolution is due to the COVID-19 situation and will remain in effect for the rest of the spring 2020 semester and summer 2020 sessions. It affects policies that directly relate to curriculum, academics, and student conduct. The meeting was held via Zoom and was recorded. It will soon be posted to the Senate website. Please direct question to Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate, 878-5139.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The April 10 meeting of the College Senate will be held via Zoom videoconferencing in compliance with state and local directives to reduce density during the COVID-19 crisis. All senators are expected to remotely attend and participate in the 3:00 p.m. meeting using the web-conferencing platform. Senators Meg Knowles and Kim Kline will cohost the meeting as technicians, and Senate Chair Joe Marren will oversee the meeting’s business as usual.

The College Senate is committed to continuing its work and supports all mandates for limitations on large public gatherings in an effort to keep everyone safe. Please contact Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate, with questions.

Empire Plan has coronavirus-related benefits available for its members. Empire Plan enrollees have access to the following:

• Cost-sharing, co-pay, co-insurance, and deductible waivers for COVID-19 testing (waivers apply to both active employees and retirees).
• Early prescription refills (one emergency refill of up to a 30-day supply for three prescriptions and one refill of specialty medications during a 90-day period).
• Access to the Empire Plan Nurseline (877-769-7447, option 5), which provides information on COVID-19 and can help members who suspect they may have contracted the virus.
• Access to Beacon Lens, the Beacon Health Options Blog, which provides tips on managing stress and anxiety during the coronavirus crisis.

For additional information regarding any of these benefits, members can contact the Empire Plan at (877) 7-NYSHIP.

Members can also sign up for State Health Department coronavirus e-mail updates by visiting the department's website.

The Civic and Community Engagement Office and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance have suspended their in-person tax services on the Buffalo State campus because of coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns.

However, students can file their taxes for free using software and tutorial videos on the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website. 

The videos provide step-by-step guidance on

• getting started and using the software,
• selecting the right software and creating an account,
• navigating the different sections of the return, and
• getting all the deductions and credits they qualify for.

The NYS Department of Taxation and Finance website also offers other resources and information that includes access to other free tax-filing software options. Please e-mail questions to taxpartners@tax.ny.gov.

In addition, New York State recently announced an extension of the state deadline for personal income tax filings to July 15 to match the extended federal due date.

The Civic and Community Engagement Office and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance have suspended their in-person tax services on the Buffalo State campus because of coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns.

However, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has developed tutorial videos to assist faculty, staff, student, alumni, and community members in filing their return for free in order to continue supporting tax filing during this uncertain time.

The videos are located on the department's website and will provide step-by-step guidance on

• getting started and using the software,
• selecting the right software and creating an account,
• navigating the different sections of the return, and
• getting all the deductions and credits you qualify for.

The NYS Department of Taxation and Finance website also offers other resources and information that includes access to other free tax-filing software options. Please e-mail questions to taxpartners@tax.ny.gov.

In addition, New York State recently announced an extension of the state deadline for personal income tax filings to July 15 to match the extended federal due date. 

To help slow the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of the campus, Butler Library has instituted several changes. Our librarians, staff, and online resources are ready to support your learning, teaching, and research needs virtually.

All updates are posted to the library's COVID-19 page.

What has changed?

• Butler Library is closed.
• Due dates for anything currently checked out, including laptops, have been extended to May 15. Please disregard any overdue notices.
• We encourage users with current loans to hold on to checked-out items.
• Interlibrary loan of print materials is suspended. If you currently have print material, the return date has been extended.
• Only PC laptops are available for loan to support remote instruction and work. Jeffrey Ventura, assistant director of athletics for sports information, has been designated to assist students with computer- and laptop-related hardware needs. Faculty and staff members should submit a Hardware Request ticket and select Coronavirus/COVID-19 on the ticket drop-down menu.
• Archives and Special Collections is not accepting appointments. Some archive materials are available remotely. Please use the Ask Us service for requests and reference questions.

What is available?

• The StudyQuad computer lab remains open with limited hours for those in need of access to technology via swipe access.
• Librarians are available remotely Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m. via our Ask Us service, which includes phone, e-mail, and live chat options.
• Virtual instruction sessions and research appointments are available.
• Librarians will work with you to identify electronic equivalents of library print resources and to provide access to necessary materials.
• All Library digital resources and services are available. Some vendors have provided expanded or complimentary access to electronic resources.
• Interlibrary loan electronic delivery of documents is available.

Please continue to check the library's COVID-19 page for updates to operations, access to remote services, and helpful resources. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will make further adjustments as needed.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we take the necessary measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our community.

Employees can find contact information for retirement plan providers (PDF, 145 KB) for account assistance during the COVID-19 isolation measures. Reference information includes participant contact centers, SUNY custom websites, virtually based meetings with an adviser, educational webinars, and resources specific to current financial market information during the COVID-19 crisis.?