The African and African American Studies Interdisciplinary Unit is pleased to welcome John Olszowka, associate professor and chair of the History Department at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, who will present "Race, Hollywood, and the #OscarsSoWhite Controversy" during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) on Thursday, November 10, in Bulger Communication Center West 2.

Dr. Olszowka, an alumnus of Buffalo State (M.A. history, 1992), is a specialist in labor history with a focus on the aircraft industry in the Buffalo Niagara region.

Join your colleagues to explore open educational resources and their impact on higher education at the University of Buffalo’s 2016 Genteels’ Excellence in Teaching Conference, "High Impact Practices for Integrating Open Educational Resources (OER) into University Courses: What, Why and How?" on Friday, November 11, on the University at Buffalo's North Campus, 330 Student Union.

The morning keynote will feature David Wiley, chief academic officer of Lumen Learning, who will describe what OERs are, why they are promising, and how to adopt them in order to significantly improve higher education affordability, student outcomes, and breadth of impact. The morning program will also include breakout sessions, poster sessions, and a vendor showcase. The morning program is free and runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

The post-conference workshop will be held from 1:00 to 3:50 p.m. There is a cost for the afternoon workshop.

To register or for more information, please visit the Genteels' Excellence in Teaching Conference website.

Employees who are enrolled in the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) may select a different health plan for the 2017 plan year during the Option Transfer Period. Employees will have 30 days from the date the 2017 rates are approved and published to change their health insurance carrier. 

The New York State Employee Benefits Division will mail information about the new health plan rates and deadline dates to enrolled employees' home addresses. This information will also be announced in the Daily Bulletin when available. The 2017 "Choices" booklet (PDF, 522 KB), a comparison of the insurance plans, is now available on the Human Resources website.

Representatives from the Empire Plan, BlueCross BlueShield of WNY, and Independent Health will be on campus from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 8, in Butler Library 210 to answer questions about current health insurance plans and anticipated changes in coverage for 2017.

For additional information, please call the Employee Benefits Office at 878-4821.

From the Diversity Program Coordinator
Real Boy, the intimate story of a family in transition, is this month’s feature in the Beyond Boundaries: Dare to Be Diverse Film Series on Thursday, November 17, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center's Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium. Admission is free.

As 19-year-old Bennett Wallace navigates early sobriety, late adolescence, and the evolution of his gender identity, his mother makes her own transformation from resistance to acceptance of her trans son. Along the way, both mother and son find support in their communities, reminding us that families are not only given, but chosen.

Real Boy has screened at more than 50 festivals worldwide and received more than 15 awards. The film will be broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens in June 2017.

This event is sponsored by the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, the Communication Department, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. For more information, please call the Equity and Campus Diversity Office at 878-6210.

Watch the trailer or download the flier (PDF, 341 KB).

Please join us for the panel discussion "Alumni in Film: How Buffalo State Alumni Are Bringing Hollywood to Buffalo" on Wednesday, November 16, at 6:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center's Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium. Panelists will be production designer David Butler, ’84; wardrobe designer Dana Calanan, ’94, '12; writer and director Kyle Mecca, ’13; actor and producer Brandyn T. Williams, ’11; and director of operations for the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission Rich Wall, ’94.

In recent years, more and more filmmakers are making Buffalo a destination to shoot their movies. The event is free, but seating is limited. RSVP online.

This event is sponsored by the Buffalo State College Alumni Association and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. For more information, please contact Pamela Voyer, project associate in Institutional Advancement, 878-3725.

The State University of New York provides employees with the opportunity to save for their retirement through the SUNY Voluntary Savings Plan. Participation in the SUNY Voluntary Savings Plan is a great way to build your retirement savings and reduce current taxes. 

Whether you want to enroll in the plan for the first time, or you are already enrolled but wish to change the amount of your deferral, you can accomplish your goal by filling out a Salary Reduction Agreement form. You can obtain a copy of the Salary Reduction Agreement and information on the plan from the Employee Benefits website or office, Cleveland Hall 410.

ELIGIBILITY
All SUNY employees who receive compensation reportable on an IRS Form W-2 are eligible to participate in the plan. 

Please take a moment to review the plan materials before enrolling, which are available at www.suny.edu/benefits/vsp/. Once you are enrolled, you can review and change the amount of your contributions as often as once a pay period by submitting a new Salary Reduction Agreement form. The exact date your investment allocations will take effect may vary depending upon the policies of the investment provider managing the investment options you chose for plan contributions.

The tax-deferred plans listed below provide a way for you to contribute to a retirement account on a pre-tax basis through payroll deduction. Your contributions plus earnings are not taxed until you withdraw the funds. Usually this will be during your retirement, when your income may fall within a lower tax bracket.

WHAT ARE MY TAX-DEFERRED SAVINGS OPTIONS?
You may choose from several plan options and investment providers through the SUNY Voluntary Savings Plan. The authorized investment providers offer a wide choice of investment options, including stocks, bonds, and guaranteed funds. 

The following plans and investment providers are available:

Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA) Campus Representative:
Michael Spogli: (716) 585-246-4631 or (877) 290-3144, www.tiaa.org/suny

Voya Financial
Campus Representative:
Gary Witten: (716) 626-3926; George Dougherty: (716) 626-3928
(800) 677-4636, https://suny.beready2retire.com

Met Life
Campus Representative:
Jason Bird: (734) 320-0453
(800) 560-5001 (account holders), (844) 298-8899 (new enrollees), www.metlife.com/suny

VALIC Retirement
Campus Representative:
Jeffrey Otterstein: (716) 908-1517 or (800) 892-5558, ext. 89370
(800) 448-2542, (888) 569-7055, www.valic.com/suny

Fidelity Investments (403 (b) (7) Mutual Funds)
Campus Representative:
Kenneth J. Woods: (718) 916-8354 or (844) FOR-SUNY [(844) 367-7869], www.netbenefits.com/suny

NYS Deferred Compensation Plan (457)
Campus Representative:
Mark Wallace: (716) 903-7253
(800) 422-8463, www.nysdcp.com

HOW MUCH CAN I CONTRIBUTE?
For 2017, you can contribute up to $18,000.

If you are age 50 or older anytime in 2017, you can contribute an additional $6,000, for a maximum of $24,000 ($18,000 + $6,000).

If you have worked for SUNY for more than 15 years, you may be eligible to contribute up to an additional $3,000 annually. To do this you must obtain a calculation from your investment provider indicating that you are eligible to defer the additional amount.  Please send the calculation, along with a new Salary Reduction Agreement indicating the annual amount to be contributed, to the Payroll Office, Cleveland Hall 408.

Each participant is limited to the maximum contribution for contributions to all 403(b) and 457 plans; therefore, if you are also a participant in a 403(b) plan or 457 plan with another employer, your combined contributions to that plan and to the SUNY Tax-Deferred Annuity Plan and NYS Deferred Compensation Plan in 2017 are generally limited to $18,000. If you do participate in more than one 403(b) plan and/or 457 plan with other employers, you are responsible for tracking and reporting the amount of all of your contributions to the plans so that the total amount of all your contributions to all plans in which you participate do not exceed the limit. Please also note that the sum of all of your contributions, and those of your employers, to all 403(b) plans and 457 plans that you participate in are generally limited to the lesser of $54,000 or 100 percent of your compensation in 2017.

SUNY employees are able to maximize contributions to both the SUNY Tax-Deferred Savings Plans 403(b) and the NYS Deferred Compensation 457 Plan concurrently.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
If you are enrolling in a plan for the first time, or wish to change your enrollment in the NYS Deferred Compensation Plan (NYSDCP), you must contact NYSDCP directly.

If you are enrolling in a SUNY 403(b) plan for the first time, you must complete the appropriate investment provider enrollment materials in addition to a Salary Reduction Agreement form. Please contact Al Galone, payroll manager, 878-4124 for additional information.

If you are currently enrolled and wish to contribute the same biweekly amount in 2017, no action on your part is necessary unless you are currently contributing additional moneys under the age-50-or-15 year catch-up rule outlined above. Please check your pay stub to be sure your current biweekly contribution (for 403(b) deductions with any investment providers with whom you are investing) multiplied by 26 pay periods does not exceed the allowable 2017 limit.

Please remember that if you made a change mid-year, you must make sure that your current biweekly amount multiplied by 26 is the correct annual amount you want deferred for 2017.

To change the amount you are now contributing, please complete a new Salary Reduction Agreement form and return it to the Payroll Office, Cleveland Hall 408. 

In order for a deduction change to be effective in the first paycheck of 2017, your new Salary Reduction Agreement form must be submitted to the Payroll Office by Friday, December 23, 2016.

For further details, please contact Al Galone, payroll manager, 878-4124.

Each November, enrollees in the NYS Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) may elect to participate or decline participation in the Pre-Tax Contribution Program (PTCP) for the upcoming plan year. During November, current PTCP enrollees may also make changes to their coverage, which affect the NYSHIP deduction for the upcoming plan year, without a qualifying event.

• Change pre-tax status for health insurance deductions
• Change from family to individual coverage
• Voluntarily cancel health insurance

If you are enrolled in the PTCP, your share of the health insurance premium is deducted from your wages before taxes are withheld, which may lower your taxes. Enrollment in the PTCP also restricts changes that can be made to the NYSHIP coverage (e.g., switching to individual coverage) in situations when a qualifying event takes place. Not enrolling in the PTCP allows greater flexibility to make changes to NYSHIP coverage throughout the plan year.

Your paycheck shows whether or not you are enrolled in the PTCP.

• If you are enrolled in the PTCP, your paycheck stub shows Regular Before Tax Health in the Before Tax Deductions section. Your health insurance premium is deducted from your wages before taxes are withheld.
• If you are not enrolled in the PTCP, your paycheck stub shows Regular After Tax Health in the After Tax Deductions section. Your health insurance premium is deducted from your wages after taxes are withheld.

November 1–30 is the only time you can change your Pre-Tax Contribution Program election.

For more information about the PTCP and the allowable coverage changes while enrolled in the PTCP, please refer to the PTCP Change Chart  (PDF, 129 KB) and PTCP Fact Sheet (PDF, 334 KB).

If you wish to change your PTCP selection for 2017, you must file a completed NYS Health Insurance Transaction Form (PDF, 253 KB) (with sections 1–9 and 13 completed) with the Benefits Office, Cleveland Hall 410, by Wednesday, November 30.

No action is required to keep your current PTCP status.

A list of faculty and staff members who are licensed New York State notaries is now available on the Buffalo State website. The list is posted on the Professional Staff Caucus website (PDF, 182 KB) and on the Finance and Management website. A search of the campus website for "notaries" will also bring up the list.

Each November, enrollees in the NYS Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) may elect to participate or decline participation in the Pre-Tax Contribution Program (PTCP) for the upcoming plan year. During November, current PTCP enrollees may also make changes to their coverage, which affect the NYSHIP deduction for the upcoming plan year, without a qualifying event.

• Change pre-tax status for health insurance deductions

• Change from family to individual coverage

• Voluntarily cancel health insurance

If you are enrolled in the PTCP, your share of the health insurance premium is deducted from your wages before taxes are withheld, which may lower your taxes. Enrollment in the PTCP also restricts changes that can be made to the NYSHIP coverage (e.g., switching to individual coverage) in situations when a qualifying event takes place. Not enrolling in the PTCP allows greater flexibility to make changes to NYSHIP coverage throughout the plan year.

Your paycheck shows whether or not you are enrolled in the PTCP.

• If you are enrolled in the PTCP, your paycheck stub shows Regular Before Tax Health in the Before Tax Deductions section. Your health insurance premium is deducted from your wages before taxes are withheld.
• If you are not enrolled in the PTCP, your paycheck stub shows Regular After Tax Health in the After Tax Deductions section. Your health insurance premium is deducted from your wages after taxes are withheld.

November 1–30 is the only time you can change your Pre-Tax Contribution Program election.

For more information about the PTCP and the allowable coverage changes while enrolled in the PTCP, please refer to the PTCP Change Chart  (PDF, 129 KB) and PTCP Fact Sheet (PDF, 334 KB).

If you wish to change your PTCP selection for 2017, you must file a completed NYS Health Insurance Transaction Form (PDF, 253 KB) (with sections 1–9 and 13 completed) with the Benefits Office, Cleveland Hall 410, by Wednesday, November 30.

No action is required to keep your current PTCP status.

Do you want to get base funding for your research project? Do you want to launch your creative ideas that lead to bigger projects? Buffalo State’s Research and Creativity Council (RCC) will conduct the workshop "Preparing an Incentive Grant Proposal" on Thursday, November 17, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 208. Feel free to bring a brown-bag lunch.

The Research Incentive Awards Program, sponsored by the RCC, funds a variety of research projects with the intention of enhancing future proposal submissions to outside agencies. Carol Darstein, director of Pre-Award and Contract Services, will provide an overview of the program, share examples of successful proposals, and offer tips for proposal preparation. Carol DeNysschen, Research and Creativity Council chair and a past recipient of the program, will be on hand to share her know-how in preparing a competitive application.

A successful research incentive proposal is one that is well-prepared, thoughtfully planned, and concisely packaged. The RCC wants to help make your research incentive proposal a success. This program will provide up to one-tenth of the funds (maximum request $7,000) that would be requested from an external sponsor. The funds should be used in a manner that will result in a higher quality submission, for example, preliminary survey research, graduate assistance on literature reviews, or travel expenses to meet with experts in the field. Salary for the faculty or staff member developing the grant is not supported by this incentive. The next competition is anticipated for January 2017.

RSVP to Gina Game, Research and Creativity Council administrator, by Monday, November 14.