The following Blackboard training sessions and workshops will be held in July. Please register online. All sessions will be held in Bulger Communication Center 104.

Blackboard Learn 9.1: Introduction
This workshop is designed for instructors new to Blackboard Learn 9.1 or anyone who would like a refresher course. We will address the basics of navigation, course tools, and procedures necessary to create new content items. By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to navigate the new learning management system, upload files, create content items, add text, add multimedia, and organize content in meaningful ways.

Tuesday, July 7; 9:00–10:00 a.m.

Blackboard Learn 9.1: Assessments
This workshop focuses on the available assessment tools in the latest version of Blackboard Learn. By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to create, configure, and deploy individual and group assignments, auto-graded tests, discussions, and Turnitin Direct Assignments. Collecting student submissions to manage grades and feedback for each student and the use of rubrics to simplify the grading process will also be covered.

Friday, July 17; 9:00–10:00 a.m.

Blackboard Learn 9.1: Grade Center

The Grade Center in Blackboard Learn is more than just a way to record students' grades. It is a dynamic and interactive tool, allowing you to collect student submissions, record data, calculate grades, and monitor student progress. 

This workshop focuses on the skills necessary to use the Grade Center to manage students' grades for assignments, tests, discussion posts, etc. You can also create grade columns for any activities or requirements you want to grade, such as special projects, participation, or attendance. The Grade Center can be individualized to fit your needs.

Friday, July 31; 9:00–10:00 a.m.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State welcomes director Ellen Goosenberg Kent to discuss her Academy Award–winning documentary Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, on Thursday, June 25, at 7:00 p.m. in the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium.

Crisis Hotline, a 2013 film about the Veterans Crisis Line, received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject in 2015.

Based in Canandaigua, New York, and available around the clock, the Veterans Crisis Line receives more than 22,000 calls each month from veterans of all conflicts who are struggling or contemplating suicide because of the psychological wounds of war and the challenges of returning to civilian life. Crisis Hotline spotlights the traumas endured by America’s veterans as seen through the work of the hotline’s trained responders, who provide immediate intervention and support.

Since 2001, more veterans have died by their own hand than in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, one veteran dies by suicide in America every 80 minutes. While only 1 percent of Americans have served in the military, former service members account for 20 percent of all suicides in the United States.

Goosenberg Kent’s HBO credits include “Wartorn: 1861–2013”; “Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq” and “Talked to Death” (Emmy Award nominees); and “How Do You Spell God?” “Going, Going, Almost Gone! Animals in Danger,” “I Have Tourette’s but Tourette’s Doesn’t Have Me,” and “Happy to Be Nappy and Other Stories of Me” (Emmy Award winners).

Crisis Hotline is presented by HBO Documentary Films in association with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). The film is free with gallery admission. Gallery admission is free for Burchfield Penney members, students, and faculty or staff members of Buffalo State.

More information is available at www.burchfieldpenney.org.

As an extension of NFTA Metro’s CRAM (College Riders Accessing Metro) Pass Program, students taking summer classes at Buffalo State are eligible to purchase a 2015 Summer CRAM Pass for $60.

• The Summer CRAM Pass provides unlimited access from June 1 through August 23, 2015.

• Valid Buffalo State student ID is required for purchase.

• Summer CRAM passes can be purchased at the Butler Library Circulation Desk (lower lobby) Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Acceptable forms of payment are cash, check, MasterCard, Visa, and Bengal Bucks. Discover Card is not accepted.

• Passes are nontransferable; valid college photo student ID is required for use with summer passes.
• Students must follow all standard Metro passenger policies.

Electronic bills (e-bills) are now the exclusive billing method for all Buffalo State student account balances. Paper bills will not be mailed. Students should print their QuikPAY statement if needed. All e-billing notifications are sent to students' Buffalo State e-mail addresses.

Fall 2015
Students registered (or with room and meal plan charges) through July 23, 2015:
Bills are scheduled to be processed and due on August 27, 2015. Students who fail to pay their tuition bill (or defer with approved financial aid) by the due date will be assessed a $30 late payment fee.

Students selecting courses after initial billing and before the start of fall 2015 classes:
Bills for new charges will occur weekly with a due date of August 27, 2015.

Note: Non-payment does not cancel registration or liability. The college reserves the right to cancel registration for returned checks or rejected credit card transactions.

Students who are not planning to attend fall 2015 semester must drop all registration in Banner before September 7, 2015, to avoid financial liability.

For more information, please visit the Student Accounts Office website.

There is still time to apply for the fall 2015 semester. The Graduate School will offer two summer drop-in sessions for prospective graduate students today, July 7.

Afternoon Session: 12:30–1:30 p.m., Classroom Building B106
Evening Session: 4:30–6:00 p.m., Butler Library 210

Buffalo State offers more than 60 distinctive graduate programs to advance your career opportunities. Admission representatives will be on hand to answer questions about the various graduate programs, admission requirements, career options, and more. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to explore your options.

There is still time to apply for the fall 2015 semester. Buffalo State offers more than 60 distinctive graduate programs to advance your career opportunities. The Graduate School will offer the following drop-in sessions for prospective graduate students on Tuesday, July 7:

• Afternoon session: 12:30–1:30 p.m., Classroom Building B106
• Evening session: 4:30–6:00 p.m., Butler Library 210

Admission representatives will be on hand to answer questions about the various graduate programs, admission requirements, career options, and more. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to explore your options.

A Google grant has been awarded to faculty members Sarbani Banerjee (project director), Neal Mazur, Ramona Santa Maria, and Barbara Sherman of the Computer Information Systems Department to host a three-day CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) workshop June 30–July 2 for in-service teachers from Western New York high schools. With the goal of broadening participation in computing, participating teachers will learn various concepts of computer science and strategies for attracting students to computing. If you know of any in-service high school mathematics, science, or technology teachers who might be interested in attending, please encourage them to visit the CS4HS website and register for the workshop.

Committee interest forms will be available on the College Senate website beginning July 1 for those who are interested in serving on one or more of the eight Senate standing committees. The deadline for submissions will be Friday, August 21. Standing committee chairs reserve the right to determine committee membership and make all membership decisions. Not all standing committees may need members.

2015–2016 Senate Standing Committee Chairs
Academic Plan, Jason Grinnell
Budget and Staff Allocations, Frederick Floss
Bylaws and Elections, Kevin Williams
Curriculum, Marc Bayer
Faculty and Staff Welfare, Amitra Wall
Instruction and Research, Scott Goodman
Standards for Students, Heather Maldonado
Student Welfare (vice chair), Amy Rosen-Brand (committee chair is a student senator elected at the first or second Senate meeting each fall)

Weigel Health Center and the Employee Assistance Program are collaborating to provide free nicotine patches to faculty and staff members who are ready to quit smoking. Supplies are limited. Please call Weigel Health Center at 878-6711 and leave your name and phone number. Someone will contact you to set up a brief (five-minute) meeting to assist you in developing a quit plan. We will then provide a free box of nicotine replacement patches. Help us create our tobacco-free campus community.

Value in dollars: $40. Value in terms of your health: priceless.

Supplies are limited. Make the call (878-6711) and ask for Carrie.

The Daily Bulletin will take a holiday break from Monday, June 29, to Friday, July 3. The deadline for submissions for the July 6 issue is 3:00 p.m. Friday, June 26. During the break, users may submit items for Tuesday, July 7, and beyond. Thank you.