The Higher Education Administration Department and the College Student Personnel Association of New York State (CSPA-NYS) will cosponsor a Coffee and Conversation event, "Afrofuturism: Exploring the Utility of Science Fiction in Supporting Underrepresented Students," facilitated by Bethany Jacobs, a consultant with Campus Labs in Buffalo, on Wednesday, November 20, at 9:00 a.m. in Rockwell Hall 202.

Dr. Jacobs will share her research on using science fiction to facilitate student learning. She will discuss key concepts of Afrofuturism and explain how this theory, or concept, is useful for underrepresented students to envision themselves in the future, and to recognize that there is, in fact, a place for them. Afrofuturism relies on science fiction as an accessible, nonthreatening genre to engage students in difficult conversations about complex ideas. Students and student affairs educators alike can apply this theory as a lens to reflect on their experiences and discuss both their vision for and role in a more socially just future.

Dr. Jacobs received her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 2014. She was awarded a Marion L. Brittain Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Writing and Communication Program at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her courses at Georgia Tech used multiethnic science fiction as a lens for teaching students effective communication strategies. In this position, she has also organized campus events such as Afrofuturism and Environmental Justice.

Please register online for this free event.

The college community is invited to view the webcast for the 2019 NAFSA Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization on Thursday, November 21, at 3:30 p.m. in Butler Library's Global Lounge (third floor). Buffalo State College is one of this year’s winners and will be featured with President Katherine Conway-Turner. Join us for a cup of tea as we raise our cups to celebrate Buffalo State. For a detailed overview of this event, please visit the NAFSA website.

For more information on events during International Education Week, please visit the International Student and Scholar Services website.

The Center for Global Engagement will host the live webcast "The Role of Higher Education in Resolving Conflict and Its Consequences, produced by the United States Institute of Peace and NAFSA, on Tuesday, November 19, at 10:00 a.m. in South Wing 430. This robust dialogue will highlight collaboration between the field of peacebuilding and higher education to address the modern-day challenges of conflict. This program is offered during International Education week. For more information or a list of other international education week events, please visit the International Student and Scholar Services website.

All Champion brand clothing is 25 percent off during the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore's Champion clothing sale November 11–24. Start your holiday shopping today!

Students are invited to join Michael Lovorn, director of the International Program for Educators, for a presentation on steps to apply for a Fulbright on Monday, November 18, at noon in Caudell Hall 208. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study and research projects or for English teaching assistant programs. This gives students rich cultural exchanges and is a great asset to a student’s resume. 

Light refreshments will be provided. For more events during International Education Week, please visit the International Student and Scholar Services website.

The Global Engagement Office is pleased to invite all students, faculty, and staff to meet Anne Tatarsky, Peace Corps representative from Western New York, and Marcus Boatwright from City Year on Thursday, November 14, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Caudell Hall 209. This session will have a brief presentation on postgraduate service opportunities along with time for questions and answers.

Please contact Tricia Herritt, director of international student and scholar services, with questions.

The Buffalo State community is saddened by the death of Burton E. Dietrich, electronics technician in Instructional Resources (retired), who died November 4, 2019. Mr. Dietrich joined the college in the early 1970s and retired in the mid-1990s. He is survived by five children, nine grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 16, at 11:00 a.m. in Faith United Methodist Church, 1449 Quaker Road, Barker, New York. More information is available online.

The Civic and Community Engagement Office is looking for faculty and staff members to serve in an essential role as trip advisers for one of the 2020 Alternative Break trip experiences. Faculty and staff trip advisers support and enhance the student experience by collaborating with student site leaders during the weeklong trip experience. Trip advisers are not expected to plan or organize the logistics of the trip; however, trip advisers are positioned to assist the student site leaders in carrying out logistics, solving problems, or providing guidance if an emergency arises. The CCE is looking for a faculty or staff trip adviser for each of the following trip experiences:

• Alternative Spring Break: Building Partnerships with Our Refugee and Immigrant Neighbors in Buffalo, New York, March 22–27, 2020
• Alternative Summer Break: Creating Access to Education Success for Youth in Baltimore, Maryland, May 17–22, 2020

For more information or to express your interest in serving as a faculty or staff trip adviser, please visit the CCE website. Questions can be directed to Aurora Schunk, CCE assistant director.

The Buffalo State Softball and Volleyball teams will host a meat raffle on Friday, November 22, at the VFW Pvt Leonard Post, 2450 Walden Avenue in Buffalo. The raffle will consist of meat and veggie style rounds. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.; first raffle spin at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance through the Softball and Volleyball teams or $12 at the door. Discounts are available for tables of eight ($70). Ticket price includes a slice of pizza and unlimited pop and beer. There will also be a 50/50 split and basket raffles large and small. Attendees can bring snacks for their table, but no outside drinks are permitted. If interested, please contact Courtney Smith, assistant women's softball coach, 860-0723. We hope to see you there!

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Space, Time, and the Brain: How Do We Know When We Are?" presented by Buffalo State alumnus William Marks, postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern, today, November 11, from 3:00 to 3:50 p.m. in Technology Building 160. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome.

Dr. Marks's research is focused on integration of temporal and spatial information in the hippocampus. He works in the lab of Takashi Kitamura, assistant professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern. Dr. Marks received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2017 and his M.A. in biology from Buffalo State in 2012.