The Great Lakes Center is pleased to release the fall 2014 issue of our newsletter (PDF). The main goal of these newsletters is to give an update on our activities for the past six months to our friends, our colleagues, and the campus community.

This issue focuses on several new projects in the Niagara River and Lake Erie. WNY PRISM gives an update on its first summer of education, outreach, and invasive species management. We also feature a few articles written by graduate students in the GLES and biology programs.

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for future editions of the newsletter, please send an e-mail to greatlakes@buffalostate.edu with the subject "Newsletter mailing list add." The newsletter is also always posted on our website.

Dietetics major Racquel Praino and other dietetics students will present "Student Nutrition on Campus: Enlightening Students on Healthier Eating Choices," today, November 4, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 210. This free event is designed to encourage, share, and discuss healthful eating and nutrition on campus. Topics include serving sizes versus portion sizes, going out and calorie intake, and healthy eating in the dining hall. Please join us.

Through National Student Exchange, students have the opportunity to study for a semester or an academic year at one of 200 participating colleges or universities at affordable tuition rates. Please contact Christine Frezza, ext. 4328, to schedule a class visit. Provide your students with this possibility for enriching their college experience and let them know about the upcoming information sessions today, November 4, and Thursday, November 6, from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 219. Thank you.

The Buffalo State Rotaract Club now offers SaveAround coupon books. SaveArounds offer huge savings at more than 250 of your favorite local merchants and national brands. The book pays for itself after just one or two coupons. Books are available in more 90 cities nationwide and make the perfect gift, especially for the upcoming holiday season. Popular merchants include Bagel Jays, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dunkin Donuts, Federal Meats, Mr. Goodbar, Niagara Aquarium, Regal Cinemas, and Tim Hortons.

Buffalo SaveArounds are available for $20 and are valid until December 3, 2015. Advance orders will be taken until Friday, November 28. Books will be delivered by Friday, December 5. Money is due at the time of the order and will be picked up by a Rotaract Club member.

If you are interested in ordering, please e-mail the following information to rotaractclub@mail.buffalostate.edu: Name, e-mail address, building and room number, number of books requested, and for what city or cities. Please do not hesitate to e-mail us with any questions. For more information on SaveAround books, please visit www.savearound.com.

Thank you for supporting the Buffalo State Rotaract Club as we support community organizations.

A January Term 2015 flier (PDF) is now available online or in printed format in the lobby outside the Registrar's Office front window in Moot Hall 210. This document contains important information from the Financial Aid Office, the Registrar's Office, and Student Accounts about taking a class during J-Term. Please be sure to print and use this flier as a reference when working with students. Registration for J-Term 2015 begins Wednesday, November 5.

Come and celebrate Mass on the First Friday of each month with Father Pat at 8:00 a.m. in the Newman Center Chapel, 1219 Elmwood Avenue. Stay for a cup of coffee afterward or take a cup to go. Our next Friday celebration will be November 7. All are welcome.

Please join us for the third presentation in our annual Philosophy and Humanities Fall 2014 Faculty Colloquia, "Philosophical Navigation, Cartography, and Pathfinding," presented by Justin Donhauser, lecturer of philosophy, on Wednesday, November 5, at 2:00 p.m. in Bishop Hall 242.

Donhauser will propose a partial taxonomy of ways of doing applied philosophy. More specifically, he will distinguish three approaches and provide examples of recent projects that employ each approach. His hope is to help those in attendance find ways to extend their own research and expertise.

Open enrollment for the 2015 NYS Flex Spending Account (FSA) ends Friday, November 7. The account offers two benefits: the Health Care Spending Account (HCSAccount) and the Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAAccount).

The HCSAccount allows employees to set aside from $100 to $2,500 annually in pretax salary to pay for health-care expenses not reimbursed by health insurance.

The DCAAccount allows employees to set aside up to $5,000 annually in pretax salary for eligible child care, elder care, or disabled dependent care expenses. The DCAAccount employer contribution is available in 2015 for employees who are M/C or represented by CSEA, PEF, UUP, or NYSCOPBA. Pending conclusion of collective bargaining and ratified contracts, the employer contribution may also be available to state employees in other negotiating units. For employer contribution rates, please visit the FSA website.

Participants currently enrolled in the HCSAccount or DCAAccount must re-enroll to continue benefits in 2015.

Paperless enrollment is quick, easy, and secure. For program details or to enroll in the FSA, visit www.flexspend.ny.gov or call the FSA hotline at (800) 358-7202.

The November 7 deadline for 2015 enrollment will be strictly enforced.

Are you interested in using video in your courses? Find out how SUNY ITEC and Buffalo State are using Ensemble Video to drive effective video strategy during this webinar on Wednesday, November 5, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Ensemble is a content management system that allows faculty, staff, and students to upload video files to the web and easily share them with other campus units. Ensemble also makes it easy to archive and find videos posted by campus units and share them on Blackboard, Drupal web pages, and social media networks.

Many colleges and universities are using video to accelerate learning, increase prospective student engagement, improve knowledge sharing, and reduce costs. This webinar will examine how the State University of New York (SUNY) Information Technology Exchange Center (ITEC) uses Ensemble Video to provide cost-effective video streaming infrastructure as a service to the SUNY network. Additionally, you will learn how Buffalo State has deployed Ensemble Video to deliver a scalable and easy-to-use platform to manage its ever-increasing flow of academic digital media content.

In this webinar, you will learn

• how Buffalo State uses video on campus to engage students,
• the benefits of a cost-effective streaming solution for one or many campuses,
• how to define a campuswide or consortium-wide online video strategy,
• to identify the value of integrated video streaming technologies and learning platforms.

Register for this webinar today.

The Grant Allocation Committee (GAC) requests proposals from individuals, departments, and student clubs and organizations for funding of programs, speakers, and events to take place during the 2014–2015 academic year. The deadline to submit applications under this funding cycle is Monday, November 17, for spring 2015 program proposals. The application for funding and complete details of requirements may be found online. In an effort to cut costs and in keeping with our efforts to go green, all proposals must be submitted electronically to marzolkl@buffalostate.edu, with one hard copy delivered to Cleveland Hall 519.

Questions about the GAC may be addressed to Daniel Vélez, associate vice president for student success, ext. 4631.