Please join the Newman Center at Buffalo State for a reflection on the season of Advent with Sister Marie Schober, SSMN, an experienced Ignatian spiritual director, on Wednesday, December 2, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. All are welcome.

The Newman Center is located at 1219 Elmwood Ave, across the street from the Burchfield Penney Art Center. For more information, please call 882-1080 or e-mail newmancenter@buffalostate.edu.

Weigel Health Promotions invites the Buffalo State community to wear red on Tuesday, December 1, in support of World AIDS Day. Help us turn the campus red to bring awareness for HIV and AIDS.

We also wish to take this opportunity to remind students that the Weigel Health Center offers free rapid HIV testing. The entire appointment takes about 20 minutes and consists of just a finger prick. Students receive test results at the same appointment. Call the Weigel Health Center at 878-6711 to make an appointment.

For more Weigel Health Promotions programs, please check out our newsletter and follow us on social media. You can also watch us in action on our YouTube channel. Please contact Paula Madrigal, wellness and prevention coordinator, 878-4719, with questions or for more information.

The Exceptional Education Department, Buffalo State Best Buddies, and the Student Council for Exceptional Children invite you to join the Buffalo State Orange Crushers to help us raise money for the New York Special Olympics during this year's Polar Plunge on Saturday, December 5, at 2:00 p.m. at Woodlawn Beach in Hamburg, New York.

This wild, crazy, and fun event is a great way to show your Buffalo State colors. Anyone can register for our team, so bring your friends and relatives to help us reach our goal of 50 plungers and $5,000 in donations. We have won the College Team Award for fundraising for the past three years. Please help us continue that tradition.

To register or to donate to the Buffalo State Orange Crushers, please visit our website.

Free busing will be available for those who need transportation. We will gather in the parking area in front of Cleveland Hall at 11:30 a.m. and leave for the plunge at noon, returning at about 3:00 p.m. Reservations and travel forms are required if you plan to ride the bus. For reservations or more information, please contact bestbuddiesbsc@gmail.com.

We look forward to showing our Buffalo State commitment to our community by Freezin' for a Reason— again! Thank you for your support.

The campus community is invited to attend the annual Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner for International Students and Scholars on Friday, November 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the Bulger Communication Center lobby.

Interested Buffalo State families are welcome to attend and bring with them dishes to be shared.

For more information, and to confirm your attendance, please e-mail the president of the International Student Organization (ISO), Louis Guillermo.

Buffalo State College and Weigel Health Promotions will celebrate the Great American Smokeout with a full week of events. Held on the third Thursday in November, the Great American Smokeout is a nationwide event sponsored by the American Cancer Society to encourage tobacco users to give up smoking.

Monday, November 16
11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Campbell Student Union Lobby
Tabling for the Great American Smokeout begins. We will have a carbon monoxide (CO) monitor at the table all week; stop by to give the machine a try. Smokers, whether regular or “social smokers,” will be surprised at the lasting effects of tobacco.

From Monday through Thursday, guess the weight of the cigarette butts in the glass case (in the Student Union by the entrance to the grill and ice cream). Like our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram and look for the photo of the cigarettes to register your guess. The actual weight will be announced on Friday, and the person with the closest guess will win a prize.

Tuesday, November 17
11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Campbell Student Union Lobby
An activity at the Weigel Health Promotions table will show how much money is spent on tobacco use. We will also continue to have the CO monitoring and guessing of the cigarette butt weight.

Wednesday, November 18
11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Campbell Student Union Lobby
Visit the table today and get your picture taken with fun props during the Tobacco-Free Photo Project. Bring your friends for a photo op, guess the weight of the cigarettes, and try out the CO monitor.

Thursday, November 19
Today is the Great American Smokeout!
11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Campbell Student Union Lobby
Great American Smokeout information and activities. Last chance to try out the CO monitor and guess the weight of the cigarette butts to win the prize.

Chartwells will be cooking up some delicious Smokeout smoked foods in support of the event. Look for these options in the dining hall.

6:00–7:00 p.m.
Ketchum Hall 118
Horizon Therapy Dog. Therapy animals are an excellent way to relieve stress, whether it’s from quitting tobacco or approaching the end of the semester. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Friday, November 20
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Ketchum Hall 111
Tobacco-Free Policy workshop, designed to educate students, faculty, and staff about Buffalo State’s Tobacco-Free Policy. Participants will also have the opportunity to become a tobacco-free ambassador.

If you or someone you know is looking for information about how to quit tobacco, our table and events can be a great resource. You may also make an appointment at the Weigel Health Center by calling (716) 878-6711 to learn about resources to help you quit, including nicotine replacement therapy.

For more Weigel Health Promotions programs, please check out our newsletter and follow us on social media. Please contact Paula Madrigal, wellness and prevention coordinator, 878-4719, with questions or for more information.

The Zeta Zeta Chapter of Tau Sigma National Honor Society at Buffalo State will hold a fundraiser on Wednesday, November 18, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Panera Bread, 765 Elmwood Avenue (across from Globe Market). Buffalo State's chapter of Tau Sigma, a national honor society for transfer students, inducted its first cohort in April.

Panera will donate a portion of the proceeds to Zeta Zeta based on the number of guests who make purchases using our flier. Please download and print the flier (PDF) or stop by Moot Hall 118 to pick up a printed flier and bring it with you to the fundraiser. You must turn in the flier when you purchase your food in order for the group to get credit

Please help our transfer students raise funds for activities for the group. Thank you for supporting Tau Sigma. Please feel free to share this announcement with others on campus.

The Institute for Community Health Promotion (ICHP) is accepting donations for the U.S. Marine Corps' 2015 Toys for Tots campaign. Please bring new, unwrapped toys to either the Center for Health and Social Research (CHSR), located in Classroom Building A203, or the Center for Development of Human Services (CDHS), located in the Pierce Arrow Building, 1695 Elmwood Avenue. We will collect toys now through Friday, December 11. The donation boxes will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The mission of the Toys for Tots program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation's most valuable natural resources—our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

ICHP is proud to support this worthy cause. Last year, we collected about 250 toys. Let's see if we can beat this mark. For more information, please call Rob Skutnik at CHSR, 878-6137, or Latisha Robinson at CDHS, 796-2079 ext. 234.

Thanks for your support!

Students from all over the world enroll at Buffalo State, and an important part of their orientation is the opportunity to learn firsthand about our cultural patterns, economic and political outlooks, and everyday language skills. These experiences can assist them in class discussions and in their social relations with other students. It also gives them a better understanding of the American culture they will take back with them to their home countries.

The American Host Family Program is designed to give an international student a family with whom he or she can visit, enjoy an occasional meal, celebrate holidays, participate in community sporting and cultural events, and gain insight about our country and culture. The program also gives host families the opportunity to learn about another country’s culture, holidays, and language. (It is important to note that it will be up to the host family and the student to discuss when and how often they will meet.)

International students are often far from home and do not see their families for months or even years. Some students may find the transition from their home country to our country very difficult. Being without their families and friends and adapting to a new culture and a new school can be difficult in many ways. The warm support of an American family can help alleviate their fears and frustrations.

We hope that your family will be interested in participating in this program.

Please contact Jean Gounard, director of international student affairs, 878-5331, to join the Buffalo State American Host Family Program.

Get 25 percent off sweatpants and sweatshirts from November 9 through 22 during the Barnes & Noble Fleece Sale. Stock up for the holidays!

The Buffalo State Rotaract Club will hold its annual Thanksgiving bake sale on Thursday, November 19, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union. The event will benefit the club's charity of choice at the end of the semester and will feature a wide variety of treats, including vegan and gluten-free options, all for $1 apiece.

Sellers will also be traveling throughout campus, so if you can't make it to the Union, please e-mail rotaractclub@mail.buffalostate.edu with your office location, and we will be happy to stop by. Raffle tickets are also being sold for $1 each that will be entered in a drawing for a winter-themed gift basket that will include a Save Around coupon book, as well as a variety of baking items. Please join us Thursday in the Student Union and show your support for your school and community.