From the Chair of the College Senate
The final meeting of the College Senate for the fall 2015 semester will be held tomorrow, December 11, at 2:00 p.m. in Butler Library 210. Please note the one hour earlier start time to accommodate the Campus Holiday Party. The meeting agenda is posted on the Senate website. We will introduce a discussion on academic freedom and applied learning, vote on policy change, and hear about the SUNY Faculty Senate meeting. Please stop in and learn about the newest updates to policies and academic issues on campus and in SUNY.

From the Chair of the College Senate
This fall, the College Senate has talked extensively about enrollment, retention, and housing on campus. The minutes from each Senate meeting are posted on the website, as are reports from committees that are working on these issues (bottom of page).

From the Chair of the College Senate
The final meeting of the College Senate for the fall 2015 semester will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, December 11, in Butler Library 210. Please note the one hour earlier start time to accommodate the Campus Holiday Party. The meeting agenda is posted on the Senate website.

Nominations will be accepted through Thursday, February 11, 2016, for the 2015–2016 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Classified Service. This SUNY system-level award recognizes classified service employees for excellence and superior service to students and the community at large. Members of the Buffalo State community are encouraged to submit nominations for deserving colleagues.

The nomination form and award guidelines are available online. Thank you.

As part of the upcoming asbestos abatement and renovation of the B wing of Buckham Hall, contractors will require a staging area adjacent to the building. A section of lawn and sidewalk, as well as nine student parking spaces in Lot R-13, will be unavailable for use beginning the week of November 30, 2015, and running through May 2016. The west entrance to Lot R-13 is not expected to be affected by this activity.

Questions about this project may be e-mailed to vpfm@buffalostate.edu. For more information about construction projects on campus, please visit the Facilities Planning website.

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Correction: November 30, 2015
The original version of this announcement, posted on November 25, incorrectly stated that the B wing of Buckham Hall was scheduled for demolition.

NYSHIP will continue to offer the Opt-Out Program in 2016 to CSEA, NYSCOPBA, PEF, PBANYS, UUP, and M/C employees. This program allows eligible employees who have other employer-sponsored group health insurance to opt out of their NYSHIP coverage in exchange for an incentive payment. The incentive payment is $1,000 for opting out of individual coverage or $3,000 for opting out of family coverage on an annual basis.

If you are enrolled in NYSHIP and wish to participate in the Opt-Out Program for 2016, you must complete and return the NYS Health Insurance Transaction Form (PDF) and the 2016 Opt-Out Attestation Form (PDF) to Cleveland Hall 410 by Friday, December 18, along with a copy of your health insurance card.

If you currently participate in the Opt-Out Program, you must re-enroll for 2016. If you do not make the election for 2016, your enrollment in the Opt-Out Program will end, and the incentive payment credited to your paycheck will stop. You must elect the Opt-Out Program each year.

The complete Opt-Out Program description, including eligibility requirements and enrollment forms, is available on the Human Resource Management website.

Please call the Employee Benefits Office at 878-4821 with questions or for additional information.

The Buffalo State College Foundation Office and the Accounts Payable and Travel Services Office will be closed Thursday, December 10, for training. Please take care of any business that needs to be addressed with either office by Wednesday, December 9.

Please call the Foundation Office at 878-5304 or the Accounts Payable and Travel Services Office at 878-4117 with questions. Thank you.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The SUNY Investment Fund proposals submitted by the Buffalo State campus are available on the home page of the College Senate website. Please visit the site to learn more about SUNY Excels (the metrics these proposals are being evaluated on) and the Investment Funds competition, as well as a November 5 memorandum (PDF) from the chancellor to the Board of Trustees describing the current standing of these proposals.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The final meeting of the College Senate for the fall 2015 semester will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, December 11, in Butler Library 210. Please note the one hour earlier start time.

Eligible adult children of NYSHIP enrollees may enroll in the Young Adult Option, and current Young Adult Option enrollees may switch plans, during the 2015 Option Transfer Period November 18–December 18. The Young Adult Option allows adult children under the age of 30 to purchase their own NYSHIP coverage at the full-share individual rate. Coverage applies to medical benefits only. Enrollment in the NYS dental and vision plan is not available through this benefit.

For additional information on the Young Adult Option, please visit the NYSHIP website.

Note: Young adult children of NYSHIP enrollees are eligible to continue coverage as dependents up to age 26 under the enrollee's family coverage.