The Office for Human Research Protections has updated the regulations governing human participant research. The Buffalo State Institutional Review Board (IRB) has updated its policies and procedures to reflect those changes. To learn more about the changes, and for tips and advice for faculty members working with students on research projects, please visit the Sponsored Programs website.

The 2019 Professional Staff Caucus Corn Fest will be held Wednesday, July 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Perry Quad. This year’s theme is “Game of Gnomes,” and the event is open to the campus community. Tickets are $6 and include fresh corn, a Sahlen’s hot dog or veggie burger (by reservation at the time of ticket purchase), salads, cookies, soft drinks, conviviality, and the DJ stylings of Todd Benzin. We also hold an impressive basket raffle and 50/50 to support our scholarship fund (foundation account no. 311154).

Raffle tickets ($5 per sheet) are available from Terri Locher in Procurement Services, Cleveland Hall 406, 878-4113. Any last-minute raffle donations should be delivered to Terri Locher by Monday, July 15. The raffle drawing will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. this year, and we ask supervisors to be flexible in allowing staff time to visit the raffle. You need not be present to win. 

This year's event will include Game of Gnomes bingo: correctly identify all Corn Fest volunteers by the color of their gnome hats at the event and you may win a gnome. Forms will be available at the tables. Prize gnomes will be distributed later in July.

Corn Fest Ticket Sellers
Sherrie Bernat, Weigel Wellness Center
Kelly Boos, Classroom Building A109
Maria Garrity, Twin Rise Center 206
Deborah Jones, Moot Hall 110
Terri Locher, Cleveland Hall 406
Katie Malik, Cleveland Hall 515
Carolyn Murphy, Moot Hall 110
Carrie Pavis, Clinton Center 221
Tina Wynne, Science and Mathematics Complex 112A

From the Chair of the College Senate
Reports to the College Senate are posted on the College Senate website. The most recent reports are from the May 10, 2019, Senate meeting.

Podcasts serve as the official audio record of each College Senate meeting. If you missed a Senate meeting and want to catch up, podcasts are posted to the Senate's podcasts web page. Senate meeting summaries are posted to the website after they are presented to the Senate.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The College Senate will hold its annual New Senator Orientation for all newly elected senators on Thursday, September 5, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in the Grande Conference Room, Cleveland Hall 418. This annual session, hosted by Joseph Marren, chair of the College Senate, and Slade Gellin, the College Senate parliamentarian, gives newly elected faculty, professional staff, and students an overview of the official rules and basic protocol of College Senate meetings. The College Senate follows Robert’s Rules of Order, as is mandated by its bylaws. Formal invitations will be sent to all newly elected senators in late summer. Attendance is not mandatory but is strongly encouraged. Please e-mail Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate, or phone the office at 878-5139 with questions.

From the College Senate Office
The College Senate Standing Committee Interest Form (doc) is now posted on the College Senate home page for faculty and staff members who are interested in serving on one or more of the eight College Senate standing committees for 2019–2020. The form will be available through Thursday, August 1. The deadline for submissions this year is Friday, August 9.

The forms will enable committee chairs to review a collective list of interested individuals and assemble their committees in accordance with the College Senate bylaws. Committee membership is determined solely at the discretion of committee chairs. Not all committees may need members. Please submit forms by campus mail or e-mail to Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate, Cleveland Hall 211. Please contact the Senate Office with questions by e-mail or phone at 878-5139.

Academic Plan Committee Chair
Jason Grinnell, Chair and Associate Professor of Philosophy

Budget and Staff Allocations Committee Chair
Ted Schmidt, Professor of Economics and Finance

Bylaws and Elections Committee Chair
Julian Cole, Associate Professor of Philosophy

Curriculum Committee Chair
Bhakti Sharma, Associate Professor of Interior Design

Faculty and Staff Welfare Committee Chair
Maria Brickhouse, Coordinator of the Academic Center of Excellence, Educational Opportunity Program

Instruction and Research Committee Chair
Arlesa Shephard, Associate Professor, Fashion and Textile Technology

Standards for Students Committee Chair
Marguerite “Meg” Knowles, Associate Professor of Communication

Student Welfare Committee Vice Chair*
Steve Macho, Associate Professor, Career and Technical Education

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*The Student Welfare Committee chair is a student senator who works with the vice chair.

From the Chair of the College Senate
College Senate meetings for the 2019–2020 academic year will be held on the following dates:

Fall 2019
September 13  |  3:00 p.m.  |  Bulger Communication Center 423
October 11  |  3:00 p.m.  |  Bulger Communication Center 423
November 8  |  3:00 p.m.  |  Bulger Communication Center 423
December 13  |  2:00 p.m.  |  Bulger Communication Center 215

Spring 2020
February 14  |  3:00 p.m.  |  TBA
March 13  |  3:00 p.m.  |  TBA
April 10  |  3:00 p.m.  |  TBA
May 8  |  2:00 p.m.  |  TBA

The College Senate Office is located in Cleveland Hall 211. Joseph Marren, professor of communication, serves as chair of the College Senate for the 2019–2020 academic year. Please stop by the office, call 878-5139, or e-mail Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate, with questions or for general information.

Through Buffalo’s sister city cooperation with Yeongcheon, Korea, SUNY Buffalo State is pleased to host 20 Korean students on campus for our American Language and Culture Summer Program. An important part of this program is providing our guests with American home stays. Through these stays, students are exposed to American home life, experience American culture firsthand, and have an authentic opportunity to practice their spoken English. 

Hosts will provide two meals (Saturday night and Sunday morning), one outing that showcases some aspect of Western New York/American culture, a single bed (students can share a room but not a bed), and transportation to and from Buffalo State. 

Pickup is planned for Saturday, July 27, at 2:00 p.m. in Cleveland Circle. Drop-off is planned for Sunday, July 28, at noon in Cleveland Circle.

To help defray the costs associated with hosting a student, hosts will be offered a stipend of $50 per student.

Please contact Elizabeth Summers, (717) 439-5437, with questions or to become a host.

Today's Bengal Wellness Challenge walking group will move indoors to the Sports Arena because of the extreme heat. Please meet outside the Sports Arena, near the Bengal tiger statue, at noon. If you are interested in picking up a $5 nutritious take-out lunch after the walk, please e-mail Michelle Lockett, who will put your order in at the Bengal Kitchen. Free water bottles are still available for those who did not receive one last week.

Buffalo State Dining's $5 Friday Barbecue resumes this Friday, July 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Student Union Plaza. Purchase your tickets in the Bengal Kitchen any weekday during normal operating hours.

Get your recommended 30 minutes of exercise in today by participating in the Bengal Wellness Challenge. We will meet at the corner of Rockwell Road and Elmwood Avenue at noon today and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through August 7 for a 30-minute walk around the History Museum or Hoyt Lake. If you are interested in picking up a $5 nutritious take-out lunch after the walk, please e-mail Michelle Lockett, who will put your order in at the Bengal Kitchen. Free water bottles are still available for those who did not receive one last week.