We’ve heard about Samsung televisions that listen to conversations, and many of us have covered the camera lens on our laptops, but we don’t often see tape on people’s phones. This article by Dylan Curran asks, Are your phone camera and microphone spying on you? This information is being given to help you make choices that work for you.

Are you curious about what is being stored about you on public servers? This is a great article from the Guardian, by Dylan Curran.

All members of the Teacher Education Unit (TEU) are invited to attend the Teacher Education Council (TEC) meeting on Friday, April 13, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in the Carmine A. Grande Conference Room, Cleveland Hall 418. Current issues in teacher education and assessment will be discussed.

Dawne Hoeg's presentation, "StitchBuffalo: Finding or Found?" for Artists on the Road: Travel as a Source of Inspiration, has been changed to Thursday, April 26, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Upton Hall 230. Her talk had previously been scheduled for April 19. 

StitchBuffalo uses the textile arts to create opportunities for social inclusion and financial empowerment for refugee women living in Buffalo. Ms. Hoeg will address how this artist's project turned into a 501(c)(3)!

Fidelity will present "Making the Most of Social Security," a free seminar for Buffalo State faculty and staff members, on Thursday, April 19, at 11:30 a.m. in Caudell Hall 110. Lunch will be provided.

Social Security decisions are inherently complex and a critical component of your retirement income plan. Learn how to determine how to use your financial resources to generate income to last the rest of your life.

Topic include

• calculating your benefit,
• your personal situation and claiming options,
• considerations before you claim, and
• steps you can take.

Space is limited. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, call (844) FOR-SUNY or visit the Fidelity website.

SUNY Buffalo State’s Public Administration and Non-Profit Management Division of the Political Science Department welcomes the campus community to a conference celebrating Public Service Recognition Week on Saturday, April 21, in Science and Mathematics Complex. Conference registration will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Panel Discussions
10:00–11:30 a.m. Roundtable Discussion: Immigration Policy in the Trump Administration

12:30–2:00 p.m. Panel 1: MPAs in the Field; Panel 2: Community Development

2:30–4:00 p.m. Panel 3: The Fiscal Stress Experienced by Small- and Medium-Sized Cities in New York State

4:30–5:15 p.m. Keynote: Greg Rabb, MUP, JD, Executive Director, the Rockefeller Institute of Government's New York Municipal Clerks Institute and Professor, Jamestown Community College, SUNY

5:30–6:15 p.m. Reception

6:30–7:30 p.m. Student and Community Member Awards

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and TIAA is offering a series of live webinars on retirement planning and money management. Sign up today through the TIAA website for any of the following presentations:

Tomorrow in Focus: Saving for Your Ideal Retirement
Wednesday, April 11 | Noon
Find out how retirement savings, planning, and the real benefit of time are essential features of retirement investments.

Halfway There: A Retirement Checkpoint
Wednesday, April 11 | 3:00 p.m.
Give yourself a mid-career financial checkup to evaluate your current savings, formulate a plan to help pursue your savings goals, and manage competing financial priorities.

Special Topic: Quarterly Economic and Market Update
Thursday, April 12 | Noon
TIAA’s chief investment strategist will discuss economic and market developments that may affect your retirement savings strategy.

Inside Money: Managing Income and Debt
Thursday, April 12 | 3:00 p.m.
Discover how to make your money work harder by using your cash flow more effectively, developing good saving habits, and better managing debt.

Please join the Student INC.Ubator for this month's member meetings on April 19 and 26 during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in the Student INC.Ubator suite, located in Buckham Hall A107.

Student INC.Ubator membership is free and open to all Buffalo State students. Becoming a member affords students exclusive access to the INC.Ubator suite and other exclusive membership benefits. Membership is officiated after attending three or more meetings or workshops a month. Drop in to our upcoming session or stop by the Buffalo Small Business Development Center (Cleveland Hall 206) to get registered for membership.

For more information or to RSVP for any of our upcoming April sessions, please contact Olivia Harbol or Dhannayia Johnson at smallbus@buffalostate.edu.

The Western New York Blackboard User Group (WNYBUG) has announced this year’s Mini-WNY event on Friday, April 13, at Hilbert College. The keynote speaker will be Kate McLoughlin from Blackboard, who will discuss the Blackboard functionality of Institutional Hierarchy. Additional presentations from area colleges will include "Creating Screen Casting Videos to Enhance Your Course Content," "How Does #EmTechMOOC Benefit Your Campus Community?" and "Online Learners and Their Needs for Support and Success Structures." Check out the full agenda and register for this event.

Lynn Boorady, chair and professor of fashion and textile technology, will present "Bringing Internationalism into the Classroom," observations from her recent attendance at the SUNY Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) conference in New York City, on Thursday, April 26, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 181B.

COIL focuses on the emerging field of “globally networked learning,” a teaching and learning methodology that uses innovative cost-effective internationalization to enhance learning objectives in all sorts of classrooms. Dr. Boorady will discuss how colleges are implementing this new teaching strategy and review her own COIL project, where she worked with colleagues in China, Australia, and the UK to build a project focusing on sustainability in the fashion industry. Please register through the Workshop Registration System.