The Adult Education Department and the School of Education Dean's Office are proud to sponsor the eighth annual Conference on Equity and Social Justice (ESJ), which will take place on campus on Saturday, March 7, 2015. Keynote presenters are Wayne Au, associate professor of educational studies at the University of Washington Bothell and editor of Rethinking Schools, and Lois Weis, SUNY Distinguished Professor of educational leadership and policy at the University at Buffalo.

The 2015 theme, Meaningful Change: Transforming Communities of Practice, celebrates the fundamental dialectic that interweaves theory and action. Conference directors invite proposals that address issues of equity and social justice in the practice of teaching and learning.

Proposals must fit within one of the six conference strands:

• Adult education in communities of practice
• Critical race studies
• Critical youth studies
• Educational reform in the twenty-first century
• Urban education and community partnership
• “Othering"

Presentation proposals are due Sunday, November 30, and must be submitted by e-mail to esjconference@buffalostate.edu.

Full descriptions of each strand and allowable presentation formats are available on the ESJ conference website. Accepted presenters are also invited to submit full papers for a special equity and social justice issue of the peer reviewed Journal of Inquiry & Action in Education (due March 16, 2015) .

Visit the conference website or e-mail program coordinators for more information.

On behalf of the Buffalo State Campus Intercultural Committee, the International Student Affairs Office is delighted to invite all internationally minded faculty, staff, and students to attend our well-known weekly International Social Hour, which allows all international students, scholars, and their friends to meet informally. The next special get-together will take place Thursday, November 20, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Assembly Hall 1 of the Campbell Student Union.

The guest speaker that day will be Bruna Reis, who will present "Do You Know Brazil?"

Coffee, tea and other light refreshments will be graciously shared. Looking forward to seeing you on the 20th.

On behalf of the Buffalo State Campus Intercultural Committee, the International Student Affairs Office is delighted to invite all internationally minded faculty, staff, and students to attend our well-known weekly International Social Hour, which allows all international students, scholars, and their friends to meet informally. This special get-together will take place Thursday, October 30, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Assembly Hall 1 of the Campbell Student Union. The guest speaker that day will be Abdullah Rashed, who will present "What Do You Know about Kuwait?"

Coffee, tea, and other light refreshments will be graciously shared. Looking forward to seeing you on the 30th.

Buffalo State’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America will host a “Meet the PRofessionals” event on Wednesday, October 29, in Butler Library 210. The event, featuring five local PR professionals, will begin at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments, followed by a panel discussion of public relations careers at 7:00 p.m. and speed networking at 8:00 p.m. The event, supported by United Students Government, is free and open to all Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff. For more information, please contact Deborah Silverman, associate professor of communication.

TIAA-CREF will conduct the workshop "Paying Yourself: Income Options in Retirement," on Tuesday, October 28, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in Butler Library 210.

This workshop will help you:

• understand the basic rules that govern the most common retirement accounts,
• gain perspective on when to tap into different assets,
• discover the flexible income choices TIAA-CREF offers.

Gain a better understanding of your financial future. Register online or call (800) 732-8353. Lunch will be provided.

Banner Student Registration Guide (PDF): Color brochures are available at the Registrar's Office, Moot Hall 210, in the lobby.

The Pass-Fail Policy was changed effective fall 2014. The revised policy appears below. The deadline to apply for a Pass-Fail grade for fall 2014 is Friday, October 31.

Pass-Fail Option
The pass-fail option permits any matriculated student to take a course for credit without receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D, E, or EV. Students may enroll in one course each semester or summer on a pass-fail basis. All sessions combined make up the summer semester. A pass (P) grade provides credit but no quality points and is not counted in total hours used to determine cumulative average. A fail (F) grade is treated as a failure although the hours are not used in computing the cumulative average.

A pass-fail credit may be applied toward a degree. Courses required for the student’s major and minor cannot be taken on a pass-fail basis. Courses taken as part of early childhood and childhood education program concentrations and distributions may not be taken pass-fail.

Any course, except English composition 100-level courses and those required for completion of a major or a minor, may be taken on a pass-fail basis. Students must declare their intention to do so by the end of the 10th week of classes in any semester or after two-thirds of a Summer Session or January Term. After receiving the approval signature of the student’s adviser, a declaration of intent must be filed with the Registrar’s Office, Moot Hall, by the published deadline. An instructor may choose to substitute a letter grade for the pass if written consent from the student is received and the form is submitted prior to the end of the semester. Once an application for pass-fail has been submitted, the pass-fail option for that semester has been exhausted. Subsequent filing of a substitution form to receive a letter grade does not allow submission of another pass-fail application for that semester.

Students may not use pass-fail to repeat a course for which a grade of C- or below was earned.

Note: Students are cautioned that the amount of pass-fail work permitted may jeopardize their chances for admission to graduate or professional school or for career placement.

Color posters for spring registration and color fliers for Schedule Planner are being distributed to all academic departments and administrative offices this week via intercampus mail. If your department or office would like additional posters or fliers, please call the Registrar's Office at ext. 4811. Thank you for your efforts in encouraging our students to register for the upcoming January Term and Spring 2015 semesters.

Carlos Jones, chair and associate professor of theater, will present "Whitewashed: The Unconcerned Erosion of the African Moving Body" today, October 24, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. Discussion, wine, and cheese will follow. We urge all interested faculty and staff members, graduate students, and undergraduates to attend.

The Buffalo State Rotaract Club will hold a "spooktacular" Halloween bake sale on Thursday, October 30, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union. Items will be sold for $1 each. All proceeds from the sale will benefit the Buffalo State Rotaract Club and its community and volunteer activities. Please come, share your support, and enjoy some fabulous treats.