Student Leadership and Engagement is excited to announce that Homecoming and Family Weekend will take place the week of October 20–27.

All students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families are invited to join us for a week of fun, friends, and celebration of our Bengal community! This year's theme is Bengal Fever and will include a pep rally, march through campus, football game, and more!

More information on this year's schedule of events and registration information can be found on the Homecoming and Family Weekend website.

Please contact Student Leadership and Engagement with questions or for more information regarding Homecoming.

The 2019–2020 “Conversations in and out of the Disciplines” series kicks off Friday, October 25, as Heather Maldonado, assistant provost for academic success and visiting associate professor of higher education administration, presents “Moving toward Equity in Higher Education: Perspectives for Faculty, Staff, and Students to Challenge Norms and Encourage Change.” The talk, followed by a brief Q&A, will begin at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. A short wine and cheese reception will follow. Everyone is welcome.

Please also mark your calendars for the second talk of the fall semester, when Leigh Duffy, assistant professor of philosophy, will present “Is Anything Possible? No! But It Doesn't Matter” at 3:00 p.m. Friday, November 22, in Ketchum Hall 320.

Finally, stay tuned for more information about our upcoming talks this spring, which will include presentations by Fiona Beckett, assistant professor of art conservation; Jevon Hunter, Woods-Beals Endowed Chair in Urban Education in the School of Education, and interim chair of the Social and Psychological Foundations of Education and Adult Education departments; and Kristen Pastore-Capuana, assistant professor of English.

The “Conversations” series was started over a decade ago by Ann Colley, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emerita of English, to “celebrate and draw attention to the research being done in various departments at Buffalo State College.” Over the last decade, colleagues from Anthropology, Art Conservation, Art History, Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Political Science, and Secondary Education, among others, have shared their work with the Buffalo State and Buffalo communities.

Flu vaccines will be available for faculty, staff, and students today, September 18, from 11:00 am. to 1:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205. No appointment is necessary.

Vaccinations will be administered by a registered nurse. Most insurance plans will be accepted (Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY, Independent Health, Blue Choice, MVP, and Medicare Part B). Proof of insurance is required. Employees without a participating insurance plan will be charged $30 for the flu shot.

Participation and acceptance of any insurance is not a guarantee of benefits or payment in full. Co-payments or a deductible may apply. Please call your insurance provider’s member services department with questions regarding coverage.

Empire Plan enrollees may obtain their flu shot from an Empire Plan participating pharmacy without a co-pay or at their doctor’s office (participating provider) for their usual co-pay should they wish to do so.

Please call Employee Benefits at 878-4821 or the member services department of your insurance company with questions regarding your health insurance coverage. The phone number should be on your insurance card.

A second flu vaccine clinic will be held on Thursday, October 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205.

Flu vaccines will be available for faculty, staff, and students tomorrow, September 18, from 11:00 am. to 1:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205. No appointment is necessary.

Vaccinations will be administered by a registered nurse. Most insurance plans will be accepted (Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY, Independent Health, Blue Choice, MVP, and Medicare Part B). Proof of insurance is required. Employees without a participating insurance plan will be charged $30 for the flu shot.

Participation and acceptance of any insurance is not a guarantee of benefits or payment in full. Co-payments or a deductible may apply. Please call your insurance provider’s member services department with questions regarding coverage.

Empire Plan enrollees may obtain their flu shot from an Empire Plan participating pharmacy without a co-pay or at their doctor’s office (participating provider) for their usual co-pay should they wish to do so.

Please call Employee Benefits at 878-4821 or the member services department of your insurance company with questions regarding your health insurance coverage. The phone number should be on your insurance card.

A second flu vaccine clinic will be held on Thursday, October 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205.

From the Director of Equity and Campus Diversity
Please join us for our September Diversity Dialogue Speaker Series on Tuesday, September 17, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall. This month's topic is Hispanic Heritage Cultural Appreciation. For additional information, please contact Michael Heflin, director of equity and campus diversity.

It’s almost time for Bengals Dare to Care Day! Join Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner for this Buffalo State tradition, a morning of volunteering in the community, on Saturday, September 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with a free lunch immediately following. There are many community projects to support, including assisting in local community gardens, painting community centers, and sorting donations at a city homeless shelter. Project leadership and registration helpers are also needed.

It’s fun and easy. Register for this family-friendly event online or by phone at 878-3919. Transportation is provided, and you will sign up for a project on the day of the event. Advance registration is required.

Show your Bengal pride and demonstrate your social responsibility by signing up today!

Join the Professional Development Schools (PDS) Consortium on Tuesday, September 17, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall for the 2019 Teacher Tailgate, an open house gathering of education students, staff, and faculty to extend relationships across academic boundaries and share information and opportunities with teacher candidates.

Teacher Tailgate participants explore international opportunities for educators, teacher education organizations and clubs, certification information, graduate and undergraduate teacher education programs, the employment outlook for educators, and more.

This event is open to all; advance registration is not necessary. Food and prizes will be distributed.

Join the Professional Development Schools (PDS) Consortium on Tuesday, September 17, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall for the 2019 Teacher Tailgate, an open house gathering of education students, staff, and faculty to extend relationships across academic boundaries and share information and opportunities with teacher candidates.

Teacher Tailgate participants explore international opportunities for educators, teacher education organizations and clubs, certification information, graduate and undergraduate teacher education programs, the employment outlook for educators, and more.

This event is open to all; advance registration is not necessary. Food and prizes will be distributed.

Are you interested in learning how to create powerful digital content that doesn't take much time? SUNY OER Services and Lumen Learning invite you to "Learn, Build, and Grow," a data-driven, continuous improvement OER workshop led by David Wiley, chief academic officer of Lumen Learning, on Tuesday, October 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Butler Library Butler 314.

Learn: First we’ll spend 60 minutes in a workshop, learning how to build interactive learning activities that provide students with immediate feedback using H5P. This awesome open-source tool makes it way easier than it sounds! Then we’ll review the results of recent RISE analyses to identify learning outcomes that need improvement in Lumen’s OER-based courses.

Build: We’ll turn you loose to pick a learning outcome students struggle with, and improve existing OER by creating a new interactive activity using H5P. If you get stuck, have questions, or want to share ideas, we’ll be ready to help!

Grow: Earn a certificate for participating and, if your interactive is integrated into a Waymaker course, get access to additional usage and impact documentation you can share with your tenure and promotion committee.

Eat: We’ll be improving OER all day and working up an appetite. Lunch will be provided.

Space is limited; please register early.

The American Red Cross will hold a campus blood drive today, October 3, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the traveling blood donation center stationed in the Student Union Plaza. Call (800) RED-CROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org to schedule an appointment or to learn more. Walk-ins are also welcome.