The SUNY Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) will host an information and recruitment session on Tuesday, November 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 161. SUNY LSAMP helps underrepresented Buffalo State students (African American, Latino, or Native American) who major in or intend to major in STEM fields prepare for graduate study. Students who participate in this program are provided with paid research opportunities and faculty mentors, along with workshops and activities to aid with graduate school preparation. Please inform any student you feel qualifies for this program.

For more information, please call the LSAMP/McNair office at 878-3411 or e-mail Jennifer Johnson, program coordinator.

From the Chair of the College Senate
All meetings of the College Senate are now being recorded live and posted to the College Senate website via podcast. Senate meeting minutes and summaries will continue to be distributed to the Senate with the monthly Senate packet and posted to the College Senate website.

All vendors and individuals who do business with the State of New York must be registered in the NYS Vendor file or submit a completed Substitute W-9 form (PDF) to the Accounts Payable Department for processing. Forms can be obtained by phone at 878-4117 or on the Accounts Payable website.

Any payment or reimbursement request must include a detailed description of the goods or services being provided and the business purpose of the purchase. Purchase requisitions that require a purchase order for goods or services must include a quote from the vendor. Any shipping charges must be included on the requisition as a separate line item. Estimate shipping charges if necessary. Any change to the original order, such as availability or price, must be reported to Procurement Services immediately. Any requests for increased funding must come from the authorized signatory on the account. When goods or services are received, please forward the signed, dated goldenrod (as well as any invoices) to Accounts Payable, Cleveland Hall 414. If an order must be canceled, contact the vendor and Procurement Services immediately. Submit the original goldenrod to Accounts Payable indicating that the order has been canceled. A change notice will be filed to cancel the PO and replenish your account. Please see the Accounts Payable website for complete details.

Purchases of food or beverages are subject to more stringent guidelines. The Food and Beverage Allowability Chart outlines permissible funding sources for events that include food or beverages. See the Food and Beverage Policy for details.

Please contact Paula Mis, assistant to the director of Accounts Payable and Travel Services, 878-4117, with questions.

Do you want to deliver online courses that make students forget they aren't in a physical classroom? Please join us for a Blackboard Innovative Teaching Series (BITS) webinar, presented by Naveen Ramnanan, customer success advocate for Blackboard North America Higher Education, on Wednesday, November 2, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Top takeaways from the session:

• Multiple ways to share content
• Diverse tools for promoting active learning and student engagement
• Online classroom roadmap development

This is a must-attend webinar for higher education professionals, including faculty, instructional designers, and academic technology professionals. Don't miss this free professional development opportunity to increase instructor efficiency and improve student outcomes.

Register for the webinar or better yet, join us in Bulger Communication Center 120 at 2:00 p.m. for a screening with your colleagues.

Alumni and friends of Buffalo State are invited to join faculty, staff, and students for the eighth annual Veterans Day Silent March on Thursday, November 10, at noon. The Silent March honors those members of the Buffalo State community who have served in any branch of the United States military or allied forces.

Marchers include past and present service members, their spouses and dependents, and first responders. Please assemble at 11:45 a.m. at Chase Hall. The march proceeds from Chase Hall to the Plaza in front of the Campbell Student Union at noon. The memorial ceremony will begin in the Plaza at 12:10 p.m. with the firing of a blank cannon round. The 2016 Military Service Scholarship recipient will be presented during the ceremony. A brief reception will be held after the ceremony in Butler Library 210.

This annual event is presented by the Alumni Association and Continuing Professional Studies, which houses the Veteran and Military Services Office.

Virus, trojan, ransomware: all these fall under the umbrella term malware. Malware is software that is nefariously installed on your devices (e.g., desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, etc.) and used to perform malicious actions. Learn to protect yourself by reading this newsletter from the SANS institute (PDF, 410 KB).

Join Butler Library and members of the Buffalo State Affordable Learning Materials Initiative (ALMI) to view the webinar “SUNY OER Services: What They Can Do for You” from noon to 1:00 p.m. today, October 26, in Butler Library 134. Come to the library to watch and discuss this webinar with colleagues. Cookies will be provided.

SUNY OER Services is a new initiative to provide support to SUNY faculty who want to incorporate open educational resources into their courses. This webinar will provide an overview of SUNY OER Services as well as an overview of open educational resources in general.

This webinar is part of the SUNY Open Access Week 2016 webinar series. For the full SUNY Open Access Week schedule, please visit SUNY OA Week 2016’s website.

The Weigel Health Center is coordinating with Rite Aid to provide a flu clinic for students today, October 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union. We encourage all students to receive the flu vaccine.

Insurance companies who might cover the vaccine at this clinic are Independent Health, Cigna, Aetna, CVS/Caremark, Merck/Medco, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Medicare Parts B and D, Empire, and Fidelis. Students must present a valid health insurance card. For all others, the cost will be $32.99 cash or check for the flu injection.

The student flu clinic is arranged through Weigel Health Center. Please contact Debbie Sarratori, assistant director of medical administration, 878-6711, with questions.

Please come and show your support at this year's Dietitian Education Program Health Fair on Tuesday, November 15, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall (second floor). The fair will feature a wide variety of local vendors and community members who have volunteered their time to share healthful lifestyle choices and tips with our Buffalo State family. We will have free chair massages; Teavana samples; and information from the WNY Celiac Support Group, the Food and Drug Administration, the American Diabetes Association, and more. And don't forget your pocket change to buy tickets for our basket raffle. All proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank of Western New York. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please encourage promising freshmen through juniors to attend the McNair Scholars Program information and recruitment reception tomorrow, Thursday, October 27, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 175. This event will give students the opportunity to meet with program staff, advisory board members, and current McNair scholars to discuss the benefits of participating in the program as well as the application process. For more information, please call the McNair office at 878-3411 or e-mail Jennifer Johnson, program coordinator.