To accommodate construction of the Jacqueline Vito LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center and subsequent activities at the facility, Lot R-15, a student parking lot, will be taken off-line permanently on Monday, May 8. For more information about this project, please visit the Facilities Planning website. Questions about this project may be e-mailed to vpfm@buffalostate.edu.

Buffalo State faculty and staff members are invited to attend the daylong professional development conference "Discover the Leader in YOU!" on Thursday, May 25, at Finger Lakes Community College in Victor, New York. The $40 registration fee includes coffee and lunch. Please register on the event website.

8:30–9:00 a.m. Coffee and registration

9:00–9:50 a.m. Ice-breakers and networking opportunities

10:00–11:50 a.m. Concurrent sessions

Noon–1:15 p.m. Lunch with keynote speaker Kristina Lantzky-Eaton, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Hilbert College

Hear from Dr. Lantzky-Eaton about the realities of leaving your comfort zone and leaping into a key administrative role. She will share her insight into the decision to take on a new challenge and the processes and surprises involved in making this faculty-to-administration transition.

1:20–3:00 p.m. Concurrent sessions

3:00–4:00 p.m. Wrap-up and happy walk on the outdoor trails (bring sneakers!)

Sessions

• Taking your CV to a résumé              
• Department chair realities
• Finding your mentoring network
• The power of personal branding
• Communication skills for women leaders
• Making the most of LinkedIn
• Networking “where you are”
• Interaction and problem-solving

Karen Clinton Jones, chief diversity officer, serves as Buffalo State College’s campus representative for the NYS ACE Women's Network. Please contact the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, 878-6210, with questions or for more information.

While RITE does not support sugary drinks, this Snapple commercial is a fun example of phishing, how individuals can misread phishing mail and inappropriately respond. Phishing e-mail creators are going to get better at fooling us all. The recent Google Docs event serves as an example. Be vigilant.

When issuing a student a non-passing grade, that is, an E, F, U, I, or N grade, please also report the student's last date of attendance when entering the grade online. This assists the Financial Aid Office in determining whether the student unofficially withdrew and whether the student is able to retain the aid he or she received.

The last date of attendance is the last date the student sat in class, took an exam, handed in homework, or actively participated in an online course. If you are assigning an I or N grade, the last date of attendance is the last date you met with the student to discuss progress in the course. If you have no record of the student attending, do not enter a date. Instead, use the grade of EV, which indicates that the student has failed and never attended the course.

Questions regarding this policy or procedure should be referred to the Financial Aid Office, 878-4902. The grading guide (PDF, 162 KB) may also assist you.

Today's Mexican Fiesta from noon to 1:30 p.m. has been moved to the Campbell Student Union lobby.

Teacher education students, faculty, and staff members are invited to an open house reception, "Hooray for Teachers!" celebrating their dedication, creativity, energy, and passion for education on Tuesday, May 9, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in Perry Quad.

This event is sponsored by the School of Education along with the departments of Career and Technical Education, Elementary Education and Reading, and Exceptional Education. Faculty and staff will be distributing pizza, prizes, opportunities, and smiles!

All students in (or interested in) teacher education are invited to attend.

The SANS May 2017 OUCH! newsletter (PDF, 412 KB) discusses how to talk with children and young adults about information security online. The most important piece of advice: lead by example. This issue's Video of the Month at the end of the newsletter is about setting strong passwords. You may want to watch it with your kids.

No, not whales, beacons. Yes, ultrasonic beacons are helping marketers track consumers. Most people installing apps just say “okay” to every permission. But you may not know that more and more apps are incorporating ultrasonic tones to track you and your habits. The app asks for permission to your smartphone microphone, and you grant permission by saying "okay" when installing it.

Walking through the mall? Different retailers, websites, and advertisements (yes, physical advertisements) emit an inaudible beacon to the app on your phone. The app transmits information about you and your habits: what stores you go into, your browsing habits, what you like and don’t like. The article, featured in Wired, explains how this works. Read the article and check your permissions.

Student Affairs requests faculty and staff participation in assessing campus perceptions of the Greek Life community here at Buffalo State as part of a Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education self-study. Please complete this brief confidential survey. Survey respondents are eligible for a selection of prizes. Thank you.

Friday's Mexican Fiesta from noon to 1:30 p.m. has been moved to the Campbell Student Union lobby because of the weather.