Welcome back! It’s a new academic year, and time to change your Buffalo State password. Keep yourself—and your students—safe. Change your password, and remember these best practices (PDF, 414 KB) from SANS, Securing the Human.

This blog post from 2015 covers a few things that we haven’t yet, like phishing through ads (text, image, video) on social media. You’ve seen them flashing: “Win a Free Mac!” Make some time to read this post.

Thank you to those who provided feedback on SANS training. Many people asked about using Office 365 for sensitive information. While our governance committees are working to provide documented guidance to the campus, we publish this information at this time.

Faculty and staff members should never remote in to a campus computer from a public network, such as a hotel, library, or coffee shop. Likewise, you should never place files containing FERPA, HIPAA, or contractually protected information in Office 365. Nor should you carry them on portable media (e.g., phone, USB, or external drive). That said, documents that do not contain FERPA, HIPAA, or contractually protected information can go into Office 365 for use off campus. Examples of this kind of work include committee work, syllabi, writing or reports (that do not have FERPA, HIPAA, or contractually protected information), and de-identified data.

Finally, in the words of Mark Kent, client systems engineering manager, “If the browser prompts you to keep your password when you log into O365, choose No!”

See the security awareness training FAQ page on the RITE Information Security website for more information.

The Department of Justice has a web page devoted to identity theft that covers the definitions of identify theft and identity fraud along with examples of how it can happen. The site also includes information on what you can do if you should become a victim of identity theft.

If you use apps on your phone to interact with the world, you're bombarded with prompts to store your credit card information for easy purchases on the fly, or by enticements to use your mobile phones as your credit card. We store all kinds of information about ourselves inside our apps so that we can engage in the consumer world with ease. At the same time, we're reminded that thieves can steal our identity from our phones, from the network on which our phones are connected, or from the vendors. Awareness is key. Please read this post from the Federal Trade Commission as they continue "Protecting America’s Consumers."

If you are interested in serving on one or more of the eight College Senate standing committees for 2017–2018, please complete and submit the Committee Interest Form to the College Senate Office, Cleveland Hall 211. The form is now posted on the College Senate website. The deadline for submissions is Friday, August 18.

The College Senate Office will forward all information to the committee chairs for review and consideration. Committee memberships are determined solely at the discretion of committee chairs. Not all committees may need members. Please contact Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate, 878-5139, with general questions.

Academic Plan Committee
Chair: Kimberly Kline, Chair and Professor, Higher Education Administration

Budget and Staff Allocations Committee
Chair: Frederick Floss, Chair and Professor, Economics and Finance

Bylaws and Elections Committee
Chair: Amy Rosen-Brand, Associate Director, Student Accessibility Services

Curriculum Committee
Chair: Ann Emo, Chair and Associate Professor, Theater

Faculty and Staff Welfare Committee
Chair: Maria Brickhouse, Coordinator, EOP Academic Center for Excellence

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

Standards for Students Committee
Chair: Amy Wilson, Assistant Professor, Higher Education Administration

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

The deadline to submit applications for the SUNY B-140W Tuition Assistance Program for Summer Session 2017 is Tuesday, August 1.

Staff members may apply for tuition assistance after six months of service; faculty members may apply after one semester of service. The following employees are eligible:

• Full-time Buffalo State faculty members and professional or classified employees.
• Part-time or temporary Buffalo State faculty members and professional or classified employees who are employed at least half time (faculty must teach at least two courses in the semester).
• Full-time Research Foundation employees, provided they work on the Buffalo State campus.

Program funds may be used for courses at SUNY campuses only. Eligible employees may apply for a 50 percent waiver of SUNY tuition for up to two courses a semester, to a maximum of 15 credit hours an academic year. Tuition assistance is limited to regular in-state undergraduate or graduate tuition rates. The level of support may be adjusted when necessary if funding is not adequate to cover applications received.

After submitting an application, employees who decide to drop a class or find it has been covered by another source are asked to please notify Human Resource Management immediately to update their applications.

Please contact Human Resource Management, 878-4821, for applications or program guidelines.

A free tax-smart giving workshop will be held Saturday, July 15, at 1:00 p.m. in Buffalo State’s Carmine A. Grande Conference Room, Cleveland Hall 418. Bruce Reinoso, senior counsel for family wealth and estate planning at Woods Oviatt Gilman, will conduct the workshop. For more information or to confirm your attendance, please call 878-3725 or e-mail voyerpb@buffalostate.edu.

“Members of Parliament in Britain, as well as staff and civil servants, have had their remote e-mail access suspended after technology teams detected signs that someone was attempting to hack into a large number of their accounts.” About 90 accounts with weak passwords were compromised. Read the full story in Data Breach Today.

Michael Spogli, TIAA’s financial consultant, will be on campus to meet with Buffalo State faculty and staff members on Thursday, July 13, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 416. Appointments are required.

Are you saving enough for your retirement? Be sure your investments are properly allocated, that you are saving enough, and that you are on track to meet your particular retirement goals. Mid-year is a great time to review your account or set up a supplemental retirement account. Take this opportunity to meet with our TIAA representative.

Don’t delay. Schedule an appointment today. It’s free and easy: simply visit the TIAA website or call (800) 732-8353.