The lecture halls in Bulger Communication Center have been permanently renumbered to simplify wayfinding for students. All other room numbers in the building will remain the same. New signage is being installed this week. This was a joint effort by RITE, Facilities Construction and Maintenance, and the Registrar’s Office. The new lecture hall numbers are listed below.

Main Floor

Old ? New

West ? 214
North ? 215
East ? 216
South ? 217

---------------

Third Floor

Old ? New

E2 ? 422
S2 ? 423
W2 ? 424
N2A ? 425
N2B ? 426
N2C ? 427
N2D ? 428

The Buffalo State community is saddened by the death of James M. Keech, associate professor emeritus of English, who died August 5, 2018. Dr. Keech joined the Buffalo State community in 1965 and retired in 1998. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two children. A memorial service will be held Sunday, September 23, at 1:00 p.m. at Calvary Episcopal Church, 20 Milton St., Williamsville, NY 14221. Additional information is available online.

Technology Support Services (TSS), a division of RITE, strongly encourages teaching faculty and staff members to test the basic functionality of all equipment and software in their classrooms and labs before Monday, August 27, and to report any issues as soon as they are detected.

TSS has lost several full-time staff members this summer, and these departures will affect the speed with which our team is able to complete service requests, especially those that come in as the fall semester approaches.

Problems can be reported using these services in our client portal:

To report a software problem in your lab, visit Software Issue and Open a Ticket.
To report a hardware problem in your lab, visit Hardware Issue and Open a Ticket.
To report a classroom computer or AV equipment problem, visit Presentation System Assistance and Open a Ticket.

TSS will make every effort to process your request as quickly as possible. Thank you for your cooperation and patience.

Please direct questions to the RITE Support Desk, 878-HELP (4357), Bulger Communication Center 200.

Buffalo State’s Data Analytics Interdisciplinary Unit is excited to present a new course in collaboration with Google for the fall 2018 semester: MAT 241: Computational Tools for Applied Mathematics I. This is the first course in a sequence toward a planned certificate in applied computer science with data analytics applications, a course of study that will help students qualify for employment as machine learning specialists.

The course will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:25 to 4:40 p.m. Prerequisites are high school math and familiarity with computers for personal and school work.

Buffalo State and Google have developed this course to rethink the way traditional applied computer science is taught. The focus of the course goes beyond teaching students how to code; it also teaches data processing and statistical techniques and combines these skills in hands-on, collaborative projects meant to solve real-life problems similar to those solved at Google. Students with an interest in pursuing tech roles will have the added opportunity to connect and network with Google engineers to learn about working environments, challenges, and nuances in working in the industry. A second course in the sequence will be offered in spring 2019, followed by an intensive boot camp, funded by Google, in summer 2019.

Buffalo State is one of only 10 schools collaborating with Google on this program, which is aimed at increasing access to quality applied computer science training through leveraging new technologies and teaching styles. The schools involved in this pilot program were chosen because they have a successful track record of implementing new programs with innovative teaching and learning methods. Google and the collaborating schools are also interested in investigating new economically efficient approaches to reaching more students.

Please encourage interested students to register for MAT 241 this fall semester.

The Drop-In Advising Center in Butler Library has temporarily relocated its service to the Academic Advisement Center in South Wing 100 while the library renovation is underway. Drop-in hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Students are still encouraged to visit their assigned advisers for course selection and to receive their advising PINs, but advisers in the Academic Advisement Center can help with questions about 

• using Banner and Degree Works;
• college policies and processes (withdrawals, pass/fail, major changes, filing petitions, etc.);
• degree requirements; and
• issues that may be interfering with a student's academic performance (and referrals to services/resources that can help). 

University Police will conduct an emergency response training fire drill on campus on Friday, August 17, from 10:45 a.m. to noon. Conducted in concert with the Buffalo Fire Department, the Buffalo State Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Residence Life, and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, the drill will include a mock fire in Tower 2 using fog machines to simulate smoke. Buildings in close proximity to Tower 2—Upton Hall, Science and Math Complex, Moore Complex, and the other towers—may be affected. For this training exercise, you may see fire trucks, police action, smoke, and actors portraying victims in the area of Tower 2. Do not be alarmed. This is a simulated event. 

The goal of this exercise is to train first responders in the event of a fire, shooting, terrorist attack, or other critical incidents on campus. 

If you have questions, please call University Police at 878-6333.

University Police, working with Residence Life and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), will conduct an emergency response training drill simulating an active shooter on Wednesday, August 15, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Neumann Hall.

You may see police action, hear the firing of simulated rounds, and observe actors portraying perpetrators and victims near Neumann Hall. Do not be alarmed. This is a simulated event. 

The goal of this exercise is to train civilians and first responders in the event of a shooting, terrorist attack, fire, or other critical incidents on campus.

Please call University Police at 878-6333 with questions.

Outstanding invoices, signed goldenrod copies of purchase orders (acknowledgment of receipt of goods or services), and travel or employee reimbursements must be delivered to the Accounts Payable and Travel Services Office, Cleveland Hall 414, no later than close of business Friday, August 17.

To expedite payments, please hand-deliver forms to our office.

Please call 878-4117 with questions.

Bengals Dare to Care Day needs your help to be successful. Please sign up to lead a project, assist with registration, or be a volunteer on Saturday, September 15, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Day of Event Assistant (8:00–10:30 a.m.)
We are looking for faculty and staff members who are interested in lending a hand for the following:
• Staff the check-in table (sitting)
• Hand out T-shirts (standing)
• Help with crowd control (standing)
• Be a bus supporter to send the groups out to their projects (standing and some walking) 

Site Coordinator (8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.):
There will be 35–40 community service projects throughout the city of Buffalo, and each project needs a site coordinator to assist with logistics. Please consider signing up for this important job. Your responsibilities would include signing students in to your project, greeting and communicating with your community partner on the day of the event, keeping your volunteers motivated and safe, facilitating a reflection discussion after the project is complete, and being a point of contact with the CCE throughout the morning. In return, you will get to know a great group of community-minded students, meet incredible community members doing great work throughout our city, and receive a delicious lunch when you return.

Please complete the registration form to let us know your interest. 

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 11, 2018, Senate meeting. The College Senate Standing Committee Final Reports for 2017–2018 are also posted on the Senate website.

Podcasts are now 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 also posted to the website after they are presented to the Senate.