From the Chair of the College Senate
New Senator Orientation for all new incoming senators, both faculty and student, will be held Thursday, September 11, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Cleveland Hall 418. It is recommended that new senators attend to become familiar with Robert’s Rules, general protocol, rules on how Senate meetings are conducted, and what is expected of serving senators. The first College Senate meeting of the fall 2014 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, September 12, in Butler Library 210.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The first College Senate meeting of the fall 2014 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, September 12, in Butler Library 210. The complete schedule of Senate meetings for the 2014–2015 academic year is available on the College Senate website. Senate meetings are held every second Friday of the month except in January, during winter recess. Please e-mail Vince Masci, clerk 1 in the College Senate Office, with questions.

From the Chair of the College Senate
New Senator Orientation for all new incoming senators, both faculty and student, will be held Thursday, September 11, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Cleveland Hall 418. It is recommended that new senators attend to become familiar with Robert’s Rules, general protocol, rules on how Senate meetings are conducted, and what is expected of serving senators. The first College Senate meeting of the fall 2014 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, September 12, in Butler Library 210.

From the Vice President for Student Affairs
Our campus is closely monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information on the Ebola virus outbreak in several West African countries, as well as advisories from the New York State Department of Health. Currently, the CDC states that this outbreak does not pose a significant threat to the United States.

The CDC has issued warnings to avoid nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone because of the worsening situation in those countries. An alert to practice enhanced precautions has been issued for travel to Nigeria. In light of this, we will generally not support travel to West Africa at this time.

For more information on the CDC’s monitoring and recommendations, please visit the CDC website.

Some brief facts on Ebola from the CDC web pages:

Ebola virus is the cause of a viral hemorrhagic fever disease. Symptoms include fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, lack of appetite, and abnormal bleeding. Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to Ebola virus, though eight to 10 days is most common. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected symptomatic person or through exposure to objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected secretions. Ebola is not a respiratory disease like the flu, so it is not transmitted through the air. Ebola is not a foodborne illness. It is not a waterborne illness. Individuals who are not symptomatic are not contagious. In order for the virus to be transmitted, an individual would have to have direct contact with an individual who is experiencing symptoms.

The CDC recommends that people who have traveled to West Africa monitor their health after their return. People returning from an affected area who have not had direct contact with the body fluids of symptomatic infected people or animals, or with objects that have been contaminated with body fluids, should monitor their health for 10 days. Those with a potential exposure should monitor their health for 21 days post-exposure. Regardless, any traveler who becomes ill, even with only a fever, should consult a health-care provider immediately.

Buffalo State is aware of a very limited number of campus members (students, faculty, and staff) who may have had reason to travel to the affected countries. We have contacted these individuals and provided them with specific guidance regarding symptoms of the disease and procedures to follow if exposure is suspected.

Faculty and staff members who have concerns about possible exposure should contact their personal health-care providers immediately for guidance. Students should contact or be referred to the Weigel Health Center, (716) 878-6711.

Please call Charles Kenyon, dean of students, at (716) 878-4618 with questions.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The first College Senate meeting of the fall 2014 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, September 12, in Butler Library 210. The complete schedule of Senate meetings for the 2014–2015 academic year is available on the College Senate website. Senate meetings are held every second Friday of the month except in January, during winter recess. Please e-mail Vince Masci, clerk 1 in the College Senate Office, with questions.

From the Chair of the College Senate
New Senator Orientation for all new incoming senators, both faculty and student, will be held Thursday, September 11, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Cleveland Hall 418. It is recommended that new senators attend to become familiar with Robert’s Rules, general protocol, rules on how Senate meetings are conducted, and what is expected of serving senators. The first College Senate meeting of the fall 2014 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, September 12, in Butler Library 210.

From the Associate Vice President for Assessment and Curriculum
The 2014–2015 Undergraduate and Graduate catalogs are now available online. PDF versions are also available for download.

From the Chief Diversity Officer
The Equity and Campus Diversity Office is pleased to announce the continuation of the campus’s Equity and Campus Diversity Minigrants. Consistent with the college’s mission, minigrants provide financial assistance for projects, workshops, and activities that have institutional impact—strengthening Buffalo State’s inclusive excellence toward diversity as described by our mission statement, core values, and strategic plan.

The fall deadline to submit an application is Friday, October 17. Applications must be submitted six weeks in advance of proposed events.

For additional information, please visit the Equity and Campus Diversity website.

From the Vice President for Student Affairs
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Erin R. Alonzo, director of student services at Lone Star College, Fairbanks and Cypress Centers, in Houston, Texas, as SUNY Buffalo State’s associate vice president for enrollment management, effective September 1. Her appointment follows a national search.

Alonzo’s experience stood out among an exceptional group of candidates who came to campus for interviews earlier this summer. She comes to Buffalo State with enrollment management experience in both the public and private sectors of higher education, including experience with financial aid, admissions, and student services offices.

As associate vice president for enrollment management, she will lead the admissions, financial aid, and registration processes at Buffalo State.

Alonzo was responsible for all student service departments at Lone Star College, Fairbanks and Cypress Centers, two branch locations serving more than 20,000 students. Her responsibilities included admissions, advising, registration, placement testing, financial aid, tutoring, the business office, international student admissions, and the call center. She has a master of business administration from Indiana University Kokomo and a bachelor of science in business management from SUNY Geneseo.

Before joining Lone Star College, Alonzo served as director of operations and technology in the office of admissions at St. Bonaventure University; as director of admissions at Ancilla College in Donaldson, Indiana; as assistant director of admissions at Indiana University Kokomo, in Kokomo, Indiana; and as a student development adviser at the University of Texas-Pan American, in Edinburg, Texas.

Buffalo State greatly appreciates Bradley Fuster’s outstanding service as interim associate vice president for enrollment management. His strong leadership in a highly competitive enrollment environment has contributed to our success in reaching our enrollment targets for fall 2014.

We also recognize and appreciate the outstanding efforts provided by Carmela Thompson, who, as director of admissions, will continue to provide exemplary leadership for recruitment and enrollment of undergraduate students in years to come.

Buffalo State extends sincere thanks to these individuals and to all the staff in the enrollment management area who have provided extraordinary service during this difficult year.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
To facilitate move-in activities for our Learning Communities students, a portion of Lot R-1 (formerly Lot A: Rockwell Road) (PDF) will be off-line from Sunday evening, August 17, through Monday evening, August 18. The north side of Rockwell Road between Porter Hall and Cleveland Circle will not be available for staff parking during this period. Thank you for your patience as we welcome our residential students.