All are welcome to join Buffalo State's intercollegiate Moot Court team. The first organizational meeting will be held Thursday, September 5, at 12:15 p.m. in Classroom Building B228. Moot Court is an appellate argument competition that pits teams from universities across the country on a hypothetical legal controversy. This year's case involves issues surrounding the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches with the search of cellphone records without a warrant and the Sixth Amendment right to confront an accuser with the exclusion due to hearsay.

Even if you have no knowledge of what these rights entail, this is your opportunity to sharpen your argumentation and oral presentation skills in a supportive team atmosphere. No background knowledge is needed. Please join us on Thursday and we can all get started together!

Please direct questions to Dr. Yacobucci, associate professor of political science.

The Empire KnowledgeBank (EKB) E-learning Program allows UUP-represented employees to access e-learning products provided by Enterprise Training Solutions Inc. through the EKB license. Employees can access thousands of e-learning courses, e-books, and short course videos for opportunities to enhance their professional and career development for certification preparation and continuing education in a variety of areas. The EKB license can be accessed anytime, anywhere with an Internet connection and is provided at no expense to the campus or the employee.

The collection of EKB e-learning products includes courses in the following areas:

• Business and professional development
• Project management
• Leadership
• Manager essentials
• Supervision
• Decision making
• Technical subjects, such as cloud/virtualization, ITIL, security, software development, and web

This program is offered through the NYS/UUP Joint Labor-Management Committees and will available through March 31, 2020.

Program guidelines and applications for a KnowledgeBank license can be found on the Governor's Office of Employee Relations website. There is no application deadline. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please note the following schedule of Teacher Education Council meetings for fall 2019. All meetings will be held in the Grande Conference Room, Cleveland Hall 418:

• Friday, September 13, 1:00–2:30 p.m.
• Friday, October 11, 1:00–2:30 p.m.
• Friday, November 8, 1:00–2:30 p.m.
• Friday, December 13, noon–1:30 p.m.

The Academic Commons Advising Center is currently experiencing severe staffing shortages. We hope these shortages will be temporary, but during this critical first week of the semester, please do the following to ensure that all students receive the help they need, when they need it: 

If you encounter students who have questions about their schedules, report that their adviser is out, or are just not sure where to go for help, please do one of the following:

Option 1 (Best Approach): Have students e-mail advise@buffalostate.edu with their name, their question, and a contact number. This e-mail address is checked around the clock and will allow us to most effectively triage student needs to get them to the correct staff member in as little time as possible. We strive to reduce student stress and avoid making them visit several locations. 

Option 2 (Second-Best Approach): Recommend that students visit the Drop-In Advising Center in South Wing 220. During the first week of classes, the Drop-In Advising Center will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Advisers in the Drop-In Advising Center answer all student questions to the best of their ability. In many situations, however, they must follow up with another person or office. (For example, if they see a transfer student, that student may need to visit his or her department.) That is why it is better, if possible, to first ask students to e-mail advise@buffalostate.edu with the necessary background information. Generally, we can give students a quicker, more complete answer, and it also helps minimize wait times.

Other advising questions can be directed to the Academic Commons main line at (716) 878-5223. Faculty and staff members who have feedback about strategies for improving advising services for students are welcome to e-mail Aimee Woznick, director of the Academic Commons.

Please tell students about the following resources available to them through the Dean of Students Office:

Milligan’s Food Pantry
As many as one in five college students experiences food insecurity, which means they do not have access to the food they need to live active, healthy lives, much less keep up with their studies. Milligan’s Buffalo State Food Pantry aims to assist our students in need.

Students can place a food pantry order online and pick up their order in Campbell Student Union 311 Monday–Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Links for Milligan’s Food Pantry are available on the Dean of Students website under Student Resources.

The pantry is open to currently enrolled students only. Students must bring a valid Buffalo State ID to pick up their order. 

If you would like to donate to Milligan’s, please call the Dean of Students Office at 878-4618.

Student Emergency Relief Program
Open to all students, the Buffalo State emergency fund helps students facing emergency situations in the short term to help them graduate from college in the long term. The fund is provided through a joint effort by the Gerstner Family Foundation and the Heckscher Foundation for Children.

Emergency Relief Program grants (up to $2,000 maximum) may not be used to cover costs of tuition, books or supplies required for attendance at Buffalo State, credit card debt, cable bills, or legal representation. The emergency must be an unforeseen event, and the need for funds must be unexpected; the emergency cannot be a chronic problem or anticipated expense.

Examples of emergencies (non-exhaustive): homelessness or threat of eviction, medical emergency, natural disaster, domestic violence, theft, or loss of employment. Examples of expenses (non-exhaustive): overdue rent, utilities, clothing, furniture, medical expenses, backup child care, backup transportation, or replacement of stolen items needed for school. Examples of expenses that are not eligible (non-exhaustive): tuition, books, credit card debt, cable bills, or legal representation.

The fund will be administered by the Dean of Students Office and the emergency relief coordinator. Students may apply once a year (January 1–December 31) while classes are in session. Applications can be made only during the fall or spring semester. At least one face-to-face meeting with the student is required as part of the application process.

More information, including applications and guidelines, is available on the Student Emergency Fund website.

The Early Undergraduate Research Opportunity (EURO) Program, which provides lower-division students with the opportunity to serve as a research assistant under a faculty mentor, is now accepting applications for the fall 2019 semester. Stipends of $1,000 are provided for students, with an additional $200 available for supplies. Students must be classified as freshmen or sophomores with no more than 60 earned credit hours at the time of application.

More information and the online application portal link are available on the Undergraduate Research website’s EURO page. Applications should be received by Monday, September 16, for full consideration.

The Registrar’s Office has posted the graduation application deadlines for the 2019–2020 academic year (PDF, 103 KB). Students must have a minimum of 102 earned credit hours to apply for graduation.

Please encourage students to review their Degree Works audit to make sure all requirements are being met. Late applications will be made available at the Registrar’s Office after each application deadline. Applying late may delay the awarding of a degree.

Instructions on completing the online application for graduation in Self-Service Banner are available on the Graduation Preparation web page.

Please contact the Registrar’s Office, Moot Hall 210, 878-4811, with questions.

Waitlists for fall 2019 will be turned off at the end of the second day of classes—that is, 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, August 27. After this deadline, students will no longer be able to add themselves to a waitlist; however, students who are already on a waitlist will continue to have the opportunity to register for the class if a seat becomes available before the end of drop/add (11:59 p.m. Monday, September 2).

Additional information on waitlisting can be found on the Registrar's Office website.

The Early Childhood Music and Movement program will hold free demonstration classes for children from birth through age 5 on Saturday, August 31. To register, please visit the Music Department website. The 10-week spring session begins Saturday, September 7.

$6 Fridays in the Bengal Kitchen begins today, August 23. Come and join us for some tasty food at a great price! Don't worry: new this year, $5 Friday coupon books are available in the Bengal Card Office and Bengal Kitchen. Ten meals for the price of nine! Stop over and pick up your book to start saving today.