Universities and colleges are prime targets for scams because of their decentralized budgets, ordering practices, and changing personnel. The SUNY Buffalo State Procurement Department has been made aware of several recent potential scam attempts.

The most common commodities that are scammed are advertising, copier toner, light bulbs, ice-melting products, office supplies, printer cartridges, and chemicals, but scams can involve any commodity or service that exists.

The best way to avoid a scam is to stay informed, remain alert, and question when something doesn't sound right or seems too good to be true.

Common techniques:

• Telephone or e-mail solicitations offering a "special sale"
• Callers asking what kind of copy machine you have in your office
• Companies offering to send you free samples
• Companies offering to ship a product without a purchase order and bill you later
• Companies sending in an actual tear sheet of a real classified employment advertisement with a phony invoice
• Unknown solicitors calling to ask for your shipping address
• Companies shipping goods that were never ordered and then sending an inflated invoice for payment
• Companies using a name similar to a company you deal with, but not exactly the same
• Companies selling items at greatly discounted prices but claiming you need to order now to take advantage of the savings
• Callers who state that the "college's president referred me to you"
• Companies who say they are selling discontinued items at closeout prices
• Callers who ask for your account number or credit card number

If you suspect that you have been contacted by a possible scammer, advise the caller that it would be best to let Procurement Services speak to them and give them the Procurement phone number: (716) 878-4113. Chances are they will not call. If the caller is persistent, please collect as much company information as you can and contact Steve Olsen in Procurement Services, ext. 4113.

Negotiations between IBM and SUNY for the renewal of the SPSS contract were finalized on June 30. The previous license server (spss.itec.suny.edu) will be unavailable beginning Tuesday, July 1. As a result of the terms of the new contract, SUNY is required to change its license server model. Academic and administrative users can no longer point to a single license manager server. ITEC is awaiting license keys from IBM and is working diligently to enable the license servers to provide continuity of the service. As soon as ITEC has the new license servers in place, Computing and Technology Services will work to point campus workstations to the appropriate server. Until both of these steps are completed, SPSS users may experience downtime. We apologize, understanding that this is short notice and disruptive to our end users. Please understand that the contracts team has negotiated the new agreement to best meet the needs of SUNY, and this resulted in a last-minute procurement.

The Registrar's Office website has a tutorial page that includes the following Banner tutorials for faculty and staff members:

• Waitlisting Feature in Banner
• How to Address Registration Restrictions and Overrides in SSB Banner
• Banner Faculty Guide (Updated 7/8/09)
• Faculty and Staff FAQs
• Help for Faculty and Staff
• Entering Final Grades
• Grading in Banner – Tip Sheet

Please join us for a presentation and discussion on a proposed project to address the needs of high-functioning autistic (HFA) adults at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, in E. H. Butler Library 210. The project is a unique residential center that would combine apartment units for HFA adults, companion apartments for family members, a recreation center, and a resource center offering educational and social training and access to postsecondary education. A unique feature of the center would be an on-site indoor fish farm that raises and sells a proprietary breed of the highest quality freshwater Coho salmon, with the profits helping to sustain the project.

Partners from the local business, governmental, and service communities actively support the project. A preliminary site has been identified in Black Rock. Faculty and staff members from the Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education and the Exceptional Education Department participated in some preliminary meetings and are committed to working on the project. Opportunities are available for other campus departments and centers to become involved on a number of levels. 

A meeting will also be held at 5:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210 for community members who are working on or are interested in the project. You are welcome to attend that meeting as well.

RSVP to Diane Mercuri, ext. 3610.

Visit http://devillecommunity.net for more information on the project.

The Daily Bulletin will not be published the week of July 4, from Monday, June 30, through Thursday, July 3. The deadline for submissions for the July 7 issue is 3:00 p.m. Friday, June 27. During the break, readers will be able to submit items for Tuesday, July 8, and beyond. Thank you.

The Professional Staff Caucus will hold its annual PSC Corn Fest on Wednesday, July 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Perry Quad (rain location: Ice Arena). The committee is planning an exciting summer fun country and western theme and a menu that includes Sahlen’s hot dogs, all-you-can-eat corn, and picnic fare.

Bring loose change for the 50/50, raffle baskets, and gift certificates; necklaces will also be available for purchase. Necklace proceeds will go toward the Alzheimer's Association and the PSC Scholarship Fund.

An array of auction items will be available, including theme baskets, gift certificates, and a flat-screen TV. Hurry and get your tickets today. Tickets can be purchased online or from the following individuals:

Josie Adamo, South Wing 530
Kelly Boos, Classroom Building A113
Andrew Chambers, E. H. Butler Library 147B
Paul Bentkowski, Twin Rise 208
Claire Collier, Cleveland Hall 312
Kim Jablonski, Weigel Health Center
Jude Jayatilleke, South Wing 620
Maria Kendzierski, Moot Hall 110
Megan Keogh, Cleveland Hall 214
Debbie Sarratori, Weigel Health Center
Terri Locher, Clinton Center 229

A portion of the proceeds will go toward the PSC Scholarship Fund. If you would like to donate a raffle item or door prize, please call Deborah Sarratori at ext. 6711. The event is sponsored by PSC, UUP, and Chartwells.

Buffalo State will participate in the Taste of Diversity, Buffalo’s annual festival dedicated to celebrating food and arts from around the world, tomorrow, June 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Visit the heart of Buffalo’s West Side on Grant Street between Lafayette Avenue and Auburn Avenue and enjoy global dishes from many countries, including Peru, India, Mexico, and Ethiopia. Entertainment offers something for everyone, including salsa, African dance, jazz, East Indian music, and belly dancing. Don’t miss this opportunity to get to know Buffalo State’s West Side neighborhood and our global neighbors. Please visit our website and like us on Facebook. If you are interested in volunteering for the event, please e-mail the Community Academic Center.

Spot Coffee will be open for breakfast and lunch during the summer, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For lunch today, enjoy fried chicken, mac and cheese, vegetable medley, rice pilaf, spinach salad, mixed green salad, and soup of the day. Get one entrée, two sides, and a fountain beverage for only $8.79. 

Tomorrow, June 27, and every Friday during the summer, Buffalo State Dining is paying it forward with a specialty faculty, staff, and student appreciation discount lunch featuring a cookout in the Student Union Quad from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This will replace the normally featured hot entrée selection at Spot Coffee in the Campbell Student Union Food Court. Select one entrée, two sides, and a fountain beverage from the cookout menu for only $5. This Friday's menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, turkey burgers, barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, pasta salad, garden salad, and watermelon.

Faculty and staff members, save 10 percent on every purchase when you use your Bengal Bucks. For information on how to sign up for a Bengal Bucks account or for a full list of summer hours of operation, please visit our website.

VALIC Financial Advisors will conduct the workshop "Estate Planning" on Tuesday, July 8, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210. Guest speaker Marianne Koenig, Esq., will provide practical information on wills, trusts, estates, and the use of these tools in a financial plan.

Visit VALIC online for additional information and to register. Space is limited. Lunch will be provided.

Online course development training for faculty members who are developing online courses for spring 2015 will begin in September.

The training is a hybrid, or blended, learning experience that includes

• five face-to-face workshops,
• online learning experiences in Blackboard Learn,
• Blackboard Learn workshops, and
• one-on-one meetings with campus instructional designers.

If you are interested in participating in the online course development training, please e-mail bidellgm@buffalostate.edu.

More information can be found on the Instructional Design web page. The online course development training schedule is also available on the Workshop Registration System website.