Discover the digital resources available in Butler Library and beyond to help faculty members create and maintain a web presence for teaching and scholarship during this workshop on Friday, October 17, from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. in Butler Library 181B. This second of a three-part series engages faculty members in the search for and use of e-books and other materials found online. Facilitated by Marc Bayer, scholarly communication librarian. Light refreshments will be served.

Register online through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System.

Jason Benedict, assistant professor of chemistry at the University at Buffalo, will present his research talk "Linkers to Lattice: The Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Diarylethene-Based Photo-Responsive Metal-Organic Frameworks" at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, October 9, in Classroom Building B119. An abstract of his talk appears below. This seminar series is supported by the Faculty-Student Association at Buffalo State.

Abstract
Photochromic technologies have the potential to transform traditionally passive materials into active materials that change their chemical or electronic properties in response to light stimulus. New photochromic materials are being synthesized and reported at an extremely rapid rate, driven in large part by the numerous potential applications for these advanced materials, including molecular switches, sensors, data storage, photomechanical devices, and even biological switches. One of the newest emerging applications for photochromic technologies is the development of photo-responsive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs): highly porous crystalline frameworks capable of undergoing structural reorganization upon application of light. The permanently porous diarylethene-based frameworks synthesized in Jason Benedict's laboratory, the first ever reported, exhibit highly unusual photochemistry and highlight the opportunities and challenges associated these stimuli responsive materials.

Campus House will participate in Dining Out for Life today, October 7. The Buffalo State community is invited to come out and support Evergreen Health Services and Benedict House with this annual fundraising event to benefit local AIDS services organizations. Space is limited. Call ext. 3300 or e-mail campushouse@buffalostate.edu for reservations.

Textbook requests are now due for the spring 2015 semester and J-Term. Please visit our new and improved Faculty Enlight website to submit your book requests. Need help using our adoption site? Join us at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore today, October 7, between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. or tomorrow, October 8, between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. for assistance and information on using Faculty Enlight. Coffee and refreshments will be served.

All Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend a presentation by Nancy Sommers, author of the 2014 common reading, "I Stand Here Writing," at 3:00 p.m. Friday, October 10, the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Tickets are free and available from the College Writing Program. Please call ext. 5451 to reserve a ticket for this event. A public reception for the author in the Rockwell Hall foyer will immediately following the presentation.

In her essay "I Stand Here Writing," Sommers endeavors to clear up the common misunderstanding
students have about personal writing and academic writing, pointing out that personal writing need not
be biographical and academic writing need not be impersonal or difficult to understand. Rather, she
argues, "Being personal means bringing their judgments and interpretations to bear on what they read
and write, learning that they never leave themselves behind even when they write academic essays." An
important essay on voice, ownership of text, and lived experience, "I Stand Here Writing" invites us all
to enter into academic discourse with our whole selves while using writing to discover who each of us is and might yet become.

Nancy Sommers has taught composition and directed composition programs for 30 years. She now teaches writing and mentors new writing teachers at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. She led Harvard’s Expository Writing Program for 20 years, directing the first-year writing program and establishing Harvard’s WAC program. A two-time Braddock Award winner, Sommers is well known for her research and publications on student writing. Her articles "Revision Strategies of Student and Experienced Writers" and "Responding to Student Writing" are two of the most widely read and anthologized articles in the field of composition. Her recent work involves a longitudinal study of college writing to understand the role writing plays in undergraduate education. Sommers is the lead author on the Hacker handbooks, all published by Bedford/St. Martin’s, and is coauthor of Fields of Reading, ninth edition (2010).

TIAA-CREF will offer the following Financial Essentials Workshops at Buffalo State during the month of October:

Tuesday, October 7, Noon–1:00 p.m.
Charting Your Course: A Financial Guide for Women
Evaluate your financial health and set realistic goals.

Tuesday, October 14, Noon–1:00 p.m.
The Starting Line: Why and How Retirement Saving Should Begin Now
Learn the benefits of contributing to a retirement savings plan early in your career.

Tuesday, October 28, Noon–1:00 p.m.
Online Tools: Connect to Financial Clarity
Learn how to use online tools to potentially create a better financial life, now and in retirement.

All workshops will be held in Butler Library 210. Lunch will be provided.

Gain a better understanding of your financial future. Reserve a seat today. Register online or call (800) 732-8353.

Anna D. Jaroszynska-Kirchmann, Ph.D., will present a PowerPoint lecture titled "Polish-Americans Write to the Editor" on Sunday, October 19, at 3:00 p.m. in Butler Library 210. Jaroszynska-Kirchmann is a professor and chair of the Department of History at Eastern Connecticut State University. Much of her writing deals with the post–World War II diaspora and the lives of immigrants who resettled in the United States. Refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to all. Free parking will be available in Lot I-32.

Open enrollment for the 2015 NYS Flex Spending Account (FSA) is Monday, October 6, through 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.

This isn’t a trick, just a wickedly cool event! Buffalo State’s Alumni Halloween Skate is Sunday, October 26, from 2:00 to 3:50 p.m. in the Ice Arena (Houston Gym) at Buffalo State. Enjoy an afternoon of spook-tacular family fun!

The cost is $2 per skater and includes skate rental; sizes range from a child’s 8 to an adult 13. Family and friends who won’t be skating can register free of charge. Refreshments include doughnut holes and cider, and mini-pumpkins will be available for skaters to take home.

Also, members of the Buffalo State Bengals men’s ice hockey team will be on hand to sign autographs and promote their upcoming season, and Benji, the school’s mascot, will make an appearance.

Please dress in “skate friendly” costumes for safety. Helmets are recommended. Arrive a bit early to lace up.

Parking will be available in Lot G-24, accessible from Grant Street.

Don’t be spooked! Register now.

All Teacher Education Unit (TEU) members are invited to attend the Friday, October 10, meeting of the Teacher Education Council (TEC) from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 418. The Executive Council will be selected, committees will be forming, and important information related to accreditation and teacher education will be discussed. Please contact Pixita del Prado Hill, associate professor of elementary education and reading, with questions.