As of today, October 28, the Dean of Students Office will transfer stewardship of FERPA disclosure forms to the Registrar's Office. The completion of this form allows students to give others permission to view their academic and financial records. An updated fillable PDF disclosure form (PDF, 127 KB) is available on the Policies page of the Registrar’s website. A process document (PDF, 187 KB) indicates the steps that need to be taken by all parties involved.

Most important, an improvement has been made to the process that allows faculty or staff members to confirm the existence and substance of a student’s FERPA disclosure. The Registrar's Office will enter the pertinent information into the Notes section (located just below the student name) of each student’s record in DegreeWorks. We will, by mid-November, enter the disclosures for the 2016–2017 academic year in this manner. In the future, this information will be added as it is received.

Please update any electronic or paper materials that may reference the college’s FERPA process.

If you have questions, please contact the Registrar's Office, 878-4907.

Open enrollment for the 2017 NYS Flex Spending Account (FSA) ends Monday, November 7. The account offers two benefits: the Health Care Spending Account (HCSAccount) and the Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAAcount).

The HCSAccount allows employees to set aside from $100 to $2,550 annually in pretax salary to pay for health-care expenses not reimbursed by health insurance.

The DCAAccount allows employees to set aside up to $5,000 annually in pretax salary for eligible child care, elder care, or disabled dependent care expenses.

2017 Plan Year Employer Contribution Rates:
If your salary is ... the employer contribution is ...
Under $30,000 ................................................$800
$30,001 - $40,000 ...........................................$700
$40,001 - $50,000 ...........................................$600
$50,001 - $60,000 ...........................................$500
$60,001 - $70,000 ...........................................$400
Over $70,000 ..................................................$300
GSEU Employees only (regardless of salary) .... $600

Employees enrolling in the DCAAccount will not see their employer contribution displayed when enrolling. The employer contribution will be applied to employees’ elections and will be reported on their confirmation letter following open enrollment. When enrolling, employees should enter the full amount they wish to have in their DCAAccount. The full amount includes any employee contribution and any employer contribution for which they may be eligible. 

Employees who do not work 26 pay periods should consider electing a shorter time frame for their deductions so they do not lose coverage while off the payroll. For example, faculty members who are not paid through the summer should elect to have all deductions taken in the spring semester in order to have coverage for all of 2017.

Participants currently enrolled in the HCSAccount or DCAAccount must re-enroll to continue benefits in 2017.

Paperless enrollment is quick, easy, and secure. For program details or to enroll in the FSA, visit www.flexspend.ny.gov or call the FSA hotline at (800) 358-7202.

The November 7 deadline for 2017 enrollment will be strictly enforced.

Open enrollment for the 2017 NYS Flex Spending Account (FSA) ends Monday, November 7. The account offers two benefits: the Health Care Spending Account (HCSAccount) and the Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAAcount).

The HCSAccount allows employees to set aside from $100 to $2,550 annually in pretax salary to pay for health-care expenses not reimbursed by health insurance.

The DCAAccount allows employees to set aside up to $5,000 annually in pretax salary for eligible child care, elder care, or disabled dependent care expenses.

2017 Plan Year Employer Contribution Rates:
If your salary is ... the employer contribution is ...
Under $30,000 ................................................$800
$30,001 - $40,000 ...........................................$700
$40,001 - $50,000 ...........................................$600
$50,001 - $60,000 ...........................................$500
$60,001 - $70,000 ...........................................$400
Over $70,000 ..................................................$300
GSEU Employees only (regardless of salary) .... $600

Employees enrolling in the DCAAccount will not see their employer contribution displayed when enrolling. The employer contribution will be applied to employees’ elections and will be reported on their confirmation letter following open enrollment. When enrolling, employees should enter the full amount they wish to have in their DCAAccount. The full amount includes any employee contribution and any employer contribution for which they may be eligible. 

Employees who do not work 26 pay periods should consider electing a shorter time frame for their deductions so they do not lose coverage while off the payroll. For example, faculty members who are not paid through the summer should elect to have all deductions taken in the spring semester in order to have coverage for all of 2017.

Participants currently enrolled in the HCSAccount or DCAAccount must re-enroll to continue benefits in 2017.

Paperless enrollment is quick, easy, and secure. For program details or to enroll in the FSA, visit www.flexspend.ny.gov or call the FSA hotline at (800) 358-7202.

The November 7 deadline for 2017 enrollment will be strictly enforced.

Open enrollment for the 2017 NYS Flex Spending Account (FSA) ends Monday, November 7. The account offers two benefits: the Health Care Spending Account (HCSAccount) and the Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAAcount).

The HCSAccount allows employees to set aside from $100 to $2,550 annually in pretax salary to pay for health-care expenses not reimbursed by health insurance.

The DCAAccount allows employees to set aside up to $5,000 annually in pretax salary for eligible child care, elder care, or disabled dependent care expenses.

2017 Plan Year Employer Contribution Rates:
If your salary is ... the employer contribution is ...
Under $30,000 ................................................$800
$30,001 - $40,000 ...........................................$700
$40,001 - $50,000 ...........................................$600
$50,001 - $60,000 ...........................................$500
$60,001 - $70,000 ...........................................$400
Over $70,000 ..................................................$300
GSEU Employees only (regardless of salary) .... $600

Employees enrolling in the DCAAccount will not see their employer contribution displayed when enrolling. The employer contribution will be applied to employees’ elections and will be reported on their confirmation letter following open enrollment. When enrolling, employees should enter the full amount they wish to have in their DCAAccount. The full amount includes any employee contribution and any employer contribution for which they may be eligible. 

Employees who do not work 26 pay periods should consider electing a shorter time frame for their deductions so they do not lose coverage while off the payroll. For example, faculty members who are not paid through the summer should elect to have all deductions taken in the spring semester in order to have coverage for all of 2017.

Participants currently enrolled in the HCSAccount or DCAAccount must re-enroll to continue benefits in 2017.

Paperless enrollment is quick, easy, and secure. For program details or to enroll in the FSA, visit www.flexspend.ny.gov or call the FSA hotline at (800) 358-7202.

The November 7 deadline for 2017 enrollment will be strictly enforced.

Scot Abbott, manager of chemical labs at Phoenix First Response, will present "An Alternative to Commercial Instrumentation" at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, November 10, in Science and Mathematics Complex 170. This seminar series is sponsored by the Faculty-Student Association. An abstract of the talk appears below.

Abstract
The availability of commercial instrumentation has made great advances possible in many areas, but instruments have become quite expensive and limiting in the kinds, types, and amount of experimental determinations that can be made. Consequently, in our laboratories we have made many different measurement devices ourselves, and have computerized experiments and built our own instruments. The talk today concerns the major aspects of that activity.

We found the true limitation was not sensors or the measurement device but rather the electronics and software support (“E&S”) of the measurement device. We sought to develop a high-performance, inexpensive “E&S” system, one that required no special programming or electronics support, and which could be widely applied. We have now developed such a system.

The system combines high-performance hardware with software based on Excel to make a high performance, very versatile addition to our lab. We use it to control experimental conditions, run the experiment, take data simultaneously, and generate data post-processing. We have used it for remote instrument control as well.

This approach has given flexibility in hardware selection and strategy of experimentation and data evaluation. It has freed us from most of the constraints of commercial instrumentation and let us routinely take measurements that were heretofore unavailable. This talk will discuss the structure of the approach and illustrate its applicability in gas chromatography, mechanical testing, thermal studies, high-performance relative viscometry, and performance evaluations.

Yuliya Sharkun, director of International Affairs Center at Beijing Jiaotong University, China, will present "International Education in China as a Major Part of International Development and Lead Across Cultures" on Wednesday, November 2, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in Butler Library 208. All are invited. Please tell students about this opportunity.

Study-abroad is one of the most exciting and challenging experiences students can have during their college years. It provides a singular opportunity for them to set themselves apart from others and build valuable new intercultural skills and competencies. This talk will focus on international education in China as a major part of international development and lead across cultures. It will provide a brief survey on knowledge and understanding of other world regions and cultures, the geography and history of China, familiarity with international and global issues, skills in working effectively in global or cross-cultural environments, using information from different sources around the world, ability to communicate in multiple languages, and dispositions toward respect and concern for other cultures and people with a focus on the multicultural education study in China opportunities and benefits.

Please download the informational flier (PDF, 225 KB) for more information.

Color copies of the Banner Student Registration Guide are available in the lobby of Moot Hall outside Moot Hall 210. The guide is also posted online (PDF 304 KB). Please review the brochure and have a copy handy before registration for J-Term and Spring 2017 begins on Wednesday, November 2.

Today’s SUNY Open Access Week webinar, “Starting and Sustaining an OA Publication,” will take place from noon to 1:00 p.m. Academic publishing isn’t just for big publishers anymore. Find out how your SUNY colleagues started their own open access publication, "The Reading Room: A Journal of Special Collections."

This webinar is part of the SUNY Open Access Week 2016 webinar series. To register, or for the full SUNY Open Access Week schedule, please visit the SUNY OA Week 2016 website.

Please join us as we discuss and explore the challenges and benefits of co-teaching on Tuesday, November 15, at 12:15 p.m. in Butler Library 181B. Participating faculty members Angela Patti and Pixita del Prado Hill documented the teaching and learning process through field notes taken during weekly meetings, as well as individually written journal entries. They will provide an overview of the model, report the results of the project, share tools and strategies used during the project, and facilitate discussion about ways to improve co-teaching at the college level.

Light snacks will be provided. Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Please join the Philosophy Department for the second Religious Studies Panel of fall 2016, "Reconciliation of Reason, Revelation, and Spirituality: Is It Possible?" on Wednesday, November 2, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Butler Library 210.

Currently and historically, the relationship between reason and revelation has been viewed as central to many social and political conflicts. This panel will consider traditional and contemporary discussions of this relationship in light of our diverse and globalized society.