David Hursh, author of The End of Public Schools: The Corporate Reform Agenda to Privatize Education, will speak on Tuesday, February 2, at 4:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center's Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium.

Hursh is a professor of teaching and curriculum in the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education and the author of several books on contemporary trends in public education. He argues that a movement is afoot to privatize education, led by corporations and nongovernmental organizations such as the Gates Foundation. He will sign copies of his book following the lecture. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Buffalo State College School of Education and the University at Buffalo Graduate School.

Waitlists for spring 2016 will be turned off at the end of the second day of classes, that is at 11:59 p.m. today, January 26; however, students who are already on a waitlist will continue to have the opportunity to register for the class if a seat becomes available before the end of drop/add (11:59 p.m. Sunday, January 31). Additional information on waitlisting can be found on the Registrar's Office website.

The Student Life Office will host the Spring Semester Kickoff for Commuter and Transfer Students with information, food, and fun on Thursday, January 28, in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.).

The Spring Commuter Connection Series will take place on the first Tuesday of each month from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. in the Campbell Student Union basement lobby. Each meeting will have a particular theme:

• February 2 (Leadership)
• March 1 (Spring Break)
• April 5 (Jobs and Internships)
• May 3 (Final Preparation)

For more information, please contact the Student Life Office.

Buffalo State undergraduates are cordially invited to submit proposals to participate in the second annual SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC), which will be held at the SUNY Cobleskill campus on Friday, April 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Student proposals are welcome for research poster sessions, oral presentations, and performances of creative work. For further information, please visit the SURC conference website and online submission portal. The deadline for proposals is Friday, February 5.

The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center will host two Alternative Break trip experiences this semester. Information sessions will be held on the following dates:

• Thursday, January 29, 12:30–1:30 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 306 
• Tuesday, February 9, 4:30–5:30 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 113

Below is a short description of each trip experience. More details will be provided at the information sessions.

• Alternative Spring Break: Fighting Poverty, Creating Opportunity in Detroit, Michigan
  March 19–24, 2016
  This trip will give students the chance to volunteer with Cass Community Social Services, an organization that has been providing housing, employment services, and health care to the Detroit community for over 20 years. The deadline to apply is Friday, February 12.

• Alternative Summer Break: Collaborative Approaches to Securing Food for All in Baltimore, Maryland
  May 15–21, 2016
  This trip will give students the opportunity to collaborate with the Baltimore Farm Alliance to end food deserts through the use of urban farms and community gardens. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 4. 

Please note: scholarships and fundraising tools are available to help defray costs.

Three campus community open forums on broad-based fees will take place over the next month. These forums will be held to answer questions from the student body on the fees paid as students in the areas of Athletics, Health, Technology, and Transportation as well as the College Fee. The following forums will be offered. All forums will take place in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall, and all three will have the same information:

• Tuesday, February 2: 12:15 p.m.
• Thursday, February 4: 12:15 p.m.
• Thursday, February 18: 7:45 p.m.

Applications for the Robert J. Elmes Jr. Memorial Scholarship are now available for the spring 2016 semester. All CSEA Local 640 members and their dependent children registered at Buffalo State College for at least 3 credit hours for the spring 2016 semester may apply for the $250 scholarship. Applications were mailed to all CSEA members and must be completed and returned to Mary Codick in Chase Hall 222 by Wednesday, February 3. If you did not receive an application or need a new one, please contact Mary Codick, 878 6121. Thank you and good luck.

Faculty members, now that the fall 2016 schedule is close to being finalized, consider working with colleagues across campus by pairing (or linking) your first-year course with another first-year course outside of your discipline. Paired, or linked, courses are a type of learning community. If you are interested in participating or learning more about this or other models, including the traditional five-course communities and instructor-adviser models, please join Amitra Wall, assistant dean of intellectual foundations, for an informational conversation at 3:00 p.m. Monday, February 8, in Twin Rise 102. For more information, please e-mail Amitra Wall.

The Community Arts Academy, a program of Buffalo State's School of Arts and Humanities, starts January 30. Research-based instruction is provided by Buffalo State faculty and student interns, and provides students with engaging, hands-on experiences rooted in the most contemporary pedagogical approaches. Classes include Early Childhood Music and Movement (birth–age 4), Buffalo Urban Music Project (grades 4–8), Jazz Workshop (grades 6–12), Art around the World (grades K–3), Making Modern Art (grades 4–8), Drawing and Charcoal Portraiture (grades 8–12), Digital Media Design (grades 9–12), and Puppetry for Television. To register, or for more information, please call 878-6326 or visit the Arts and Humanities website.

The Community Arts Academy, a program of Buffalo State's School of Arts and Humanities, starts January 30. Research-based instruction is provided by Buffalo State faculty and student interns, and provides students with engaging, hands-on experiences rooted in the most contemporary pedagogical approaches. Classes include Early Childhood Music and Movement (birth–age 4), Buffalo Urban Music Project (grades 4–8), Jazz Workshop (grades 6–12), Art around the World (grades K–3), Making Modern Art (grades 4–8), Drawing and Charcoal Portraiture (grades 8–12), Digital Media Design (grades 9–12), and Puppetry for Television. Free demonstration sessions will be held Saturday, January 23. To register, or for more information, please call 878-6326 or visit the Arts and Humanities website.