From the Chair of the College Senate
Two action items will be addressed at the next meeting of the College Senate on November 14: limits on the number of credit hours that can be taken by undergraduate students on academic probation (Standards for Students Committee, Elizabeth Stevens, chair) and revision of the Writing across the Curriculum criteria in Intellectual Foundations (Instruction and Research Committee, Andrew Nicholls, chair). Both motions can be found on the College Senate Web site.

Campus constituents interested in voicing their opinions about these motions are encouraged to contact senators. The list of senators, by representative groups, is also available on the College Senate Web site.

From the Vice President for Institutional Advancement
The Buffalo State College Alumni Association welcomes nominations from faculty and staff for the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award, presented annually at Commencement. This prestigious honor is awarded to alumni who meet the following criteria: (1) significant achievement and recognition in their field or profession; (2) dedication to community service, civic affairs, and volunteerism on a local, state, national, or international level; and (3) demonstrated ongoing support for and loyalty to the college and its mission.

A maximum of three awards may be presented each year (no posthumous awards are given). All nominations are active for three years, including the initial year of nomination. Recipients must also be able to attend the Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16, 2009.

This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize an outstanding graduate who has demonstrated significant career and service achievements that have really made a difference in our world. The deadline for 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award nominations is Friday, December 12, 2008; however, nominations are accepted year-round. For a nomination form or a list of past recipients, call the Alumni Affairs Office at 878-6001 or visit the Alumni Affairs Web site. Nominations also may be submitted electronically.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management

Introduction
Buffalo State electronic resources (including such services as e-mail, Internet access, and file and print services) are made available to employees to facilitate the official work of the college. These electronic resources are provided for employees and persons legitimately affiliated with the college for the efficient exchange of information and the completion of assigned responsibilities consistent with the mission of the college.

The use of campus electronic resources by any employee or other person authorized by the college must be consistent with this electronic resources policy and other applicable policies.

Principles of Acceptable Use
Buffalo State users of campus electronic resources are required:

• To respect the privacy of other users: for example, users shall not intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files or data belonging to other users unless explicit permission to do so has been obtained.
• To respect the legal protection provided to programs and data by copyright and license.
• To protect data from unauthorized use or disclosure as required by state and federal laws, and SUNY and college regulations.
• To respect the integrity of computing systems: for example, users shall not use or develop programs that harass other users or infiltrate a computer or computing system or damage or alter the software components of a computer or computing system.
• To safeguard their accounts and passwords. Accounts and passwords are normally assigned to single users and are not to be shared with any other person without authorization. Users are expected to report any observations of attempted security violations.

Unacceptable Use
It is not acceptable to use Buffalo State electronic resources:

• For activities unrelated to the college mission.
• For activities unrelated to official assignments or job responsibilities.
• For any illegal purpose.
• To transmit threatening, obscene, or harassing materials or correspondence.
• For unauthorized distribution of NYS data and information.
• To interfere with or disrupt network users, services, or equipment.
• For private purposes such as marketing or business transactions.
• For solicitation for religious or political causes.
• For unauthorized not-for-profit business activities.
• For private advertising of products or services.
• For any activity meant to foster personal gain.

E-mail Privacy and Access
E-mail messages are not personal or private. E-mail system administrators will not routinely monitor individual staff members' e-mail and will take reasonable precautions to protect the privacy of e-mail; however, program managers and technical staff may access an employee's e-mail:

• For a legitimate business purpose (e.g., the need to access information when an employee is absent for an extended period of time).
• To diagnose and resolve technical problems involving system hardware, software, or communications.
• To investigate possible misuse of e-mail when a reasonable suspicion of abuse exists, or in conjunction with an approved investigation.

Staff members are prohibited from accessing another user's e-mail without his or her permission.

E-mail messages sent or received in conjunction with college business may:

• Be releasable to the public under the Freedom of Information Law.
• Require special measures to comply with the Personal Privacy Protection Law.

All e-mail messages including personal communications may be subject to discovery proceedings in legal actions.

Management and Retention of E-mail Communications
Applicable to all e-mail messages and attachments:
Since e-mail is a communication system, messages should not be retained for extended periods of time. If a user needs to retain information in an e-mail message for an extended period, the message should be transferred from the e-mail system to an appropriate electronic or other filing system.

Applicable to records communicated via e-mail:
E-mail created in the normal course of official business and retained as evidence of official policies, actions, decisions, or transactions are records subject to records management requirements under the New York State Arts and Cultural Affairs Law (Article 57-A) and specific program requirements.

The college has developed electronic letterhead to be used for the electronic distribution of official college documents (records). The letterhead is available atwww.buffalostate.edu/collegerelations/x550.xml and should be used in Word or e-mail documents that are to be distributed in electronic format only. Questions regarding electronic letterhead usage should be directed to the College Relations Office: Cleveland Hall 307, 878-4201, or collrel@buffalostate.edu.

Examples of messages sent by e-mail that typically are records include:

• Policies and directives.
• Correspondence or memoranda related to official business.
• Work schedules and assignments.
• Agendas and minutes of meetings.
• Drafts of documents that are circulated for comment or approval.
• Any document that initiates, authorizes, or completes a business transaction.
• Final reports or recommendations.

Some examples of messages that typically do not constitute records are:

• Personal messages and announcements.
• Copies or extracts of documents distributed for convenience or reference.
• Phone message slips.
• Announcements of social events.

Record Retention
Records communicated using e-mail need to be identified, managed, protected, and retained as long as they are needed to meet operational, legal, audit, research, or other requirements. Records needed to support program functions should be retained, managed, and accessible in existing filing system outside the e-mail system in accordance with the appropriate program unit's standard practices.

Users should:

• Dispose of copies of records in e-mail after they have been filed in a record-keeping system.
• Delete records of transitory or little value that are not normally retained in record-keeping systems as evidence of college activity.

Agency Rights
Pursuant to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (18 USC 2510 et seq.), notice is hereby given that there are NO facilities provided by this system for sending or receiving private or confidential electronic communications.

The college reserves the right to log network use and monitor file server space utilization by users and assumes no responsibility or liability for files lost due to violation of file server space allotments.

The college reserves the right to remove a user account or device from the network.

The college will not be responsible for any damages that result from the use of campus electronic resources. This includes the loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by negligence, errors, or omissions. Use of any information obtained is at the user's risk.

Enforcement and Violations
This policy is intended to be illustrative of the range of acceptable and unacceptable uses of the electronic facilities and is not necessarily exhaustive. Questions about specific uses related to security issues not enumerated in this policy statement and reports of specific unacceptable uses should be directed to the associate vice president for computing and technology services. Other questions about appropriate use should be directed to your supervisor.

The college will review alleged violations of the Policy on the Use of Electronic Resources on a case-by-case basis. Clear violations of the policy that are not promptly remedied may result in termination of network access for the person(s) at fault and referral for disciplinary actions as appropriate.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management 
Representatives from Community Blue, Independent Health, Univera, and the Empire Plan will be on campus from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Thursday, December 4, in E. H. Butler Library 210 to answer questions about health insurance plans and anticipated changes in coverage for 2009.

Staff members from the Employee Benefits Office also will be present to assist employees in making changes to health insurance coverage. Attendees may have their cholesterol and blood pressure checked; learn about the benefits of massage therapy; learn how to maximize dental and vision care benefits from representatives of the CSEA and UUP Benefit Trust Funds; and obtain information about the Employee Assistance Program and meet EAP coordinators. Call Human Resource Management at 878-4821 with questions.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
This year’s annual period in which employees may voluntarily cancel their health insurance coverage or voluntarily decline coverage for their dependents is November 1–November 30. A form is required to make this change.

Note: Unless you have a qualifying event, the 10-week waiting period still applies to enroll for health insurance for the first time, or to add previously eligible dependents to your coverage.

Please call Human Resource Management at 878-4821 with questions.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
Each year, employees who are enrolled in the New York State Health Insurance Program may select a different health plan by completing change forms in the Human Resource Management Office. Employees may choose from the Empire Plan or one of the three health maintenance organizations: Community Blue, Independent Health, or Univera.

Employees will have 30 days from the date the 2009 rates are approved and published to change their health insurance carriers. The New York State Employee Benefits Division will mail information about the new health plan rates and deadline dates to enrolled employees’ home addresses. “Choices,” a comparison booklet of the insurance plans, will be available in the Human Resource Management Office by mid-November. Please call 878-4821 to receive a copy.

From the President
Letters notifying UUP employees that they have been awarded a discretionary salary increase for 2008 were mailed on Tuesday, October 28. UUP employees who did not receive an award letter and who self-nominated are reminded that they may appeal the decision by November 5, 2008, as follows:

Appeal Process

• The preliminary list of discretionary awards will be shared with vice presidents, deans, directors, and department chairs on the date discretionary award recipient letters are mailed to employees.
• Any eligible faculty or professional staff member who is not notified by the president of an award by the designated date should assume that his or her name is not on the preliminary list. Employees not scheduled for an award, and employees dissatisfied with the amount of their award, may file an appeal with the Appeals Board. Only employees who have self-nominated in the beginning of the process are eligible to appeal.
• The Appeals Board includes the president, provost, vice presidents, deans, and other administrative staff selected by the president. The board will consider written appeals of no more than 600 words. The board meets in closed session, and testimony or personal appeals will be by invitation only.
• Written appeals, addressed to the president, must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the President’s Office by 5:00 p.m. November 5, 2008.Copies (not originals) of the appeal must also be provided to the associate vice president for human resource management (secretary to the Appeals Board) and to the appropriate vice president, dean, director, and department chair.
• Appeal candidates will be notified of the outcome of the appeal by November 17, 2008.
• Discretionary awards will be reflected in the paychecks dated December 10, 2008.

From the President
At its October 10, 2008, meeting, the College Senate voted to approve and forward to the president the following motion as a recommendation for review and action:

Motion to Remove the ‘Double‐Dipping’ Restriction in the Intellectual Foundations Program

WHEREAS, limitations on students’ ability to “double‐dip” requirements between certain Intellectual Foundations categories and their majors present graduation difficulties for students in some majors; and

WHEREAS, the goal of breadth in students’ education can be substantively achieved with a less restrictive policy,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Intellectual Foundations resolution, as amended, be changed from the current language:

“Double Dipping”: Each student may select one course from the Cognate Foundations or American History or Civilizations areas (up to 4 credits total) in her or his major to fulfill both a major requirement and an Intellectual Foundations requirement.

to:

Each student may use courses to fulfill both major requirements and Intellectual Foundations requirements.

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate and approve the amendments to the language in the Intellectual Foundations resolution as outlined above. I charge the provost with the responsibility of implementing the change in language in all appropriate college documents and to communicate this to students, faculty, and staff.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
New York State procurement rules and regulations require that a state purchase order be prepared prior to the delivery of goods or services. The Purchasing Office will not process for payment any invoice for goods or services without an official purchase order already on file. If goods or services are delivered before the purchase order is issued, the employee who placed the order with the vendor may personally be liable for the payment of the goods or services.

An audit of the college by the New York State Comptroller’s Office cited the college for not always adhering to these regulations by processing confirming orders, i.e., requests to pay for goods or services, without a preexisting official purchase order. Violation of this policy may result in fiscal controls being placed on the offending department(s).

Call the Purchasing Office at 878-4113 with questions about ordering goods and services.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
The Internal Control Act of the State of New York establishes certain standards that define a minimum level of quality acceptable for internal control systems. These internal control standards apply to all operations and administrative functions.

Among those standards is one for execution of transactions and events. Specifically, transactions and other events are to be authorized and executed only by persons acting within the scope of their authority. Another standard provides that all transactions and other significant events must be clearly documented and that the documentation be readily available for examination.

Grading and grades constitute administrative functions, which are subject to the internal control standards. The advent of online grading makes it all the more important that these standards be explicated and followed.

Therefore:

• The entry of grades for students taking any coursework at Buffalo State College or any subsidiary thereof must be carried out by the faculty member in whose course the student is registered.
• In the event that the faculty member is for any reason unable to personally enter these grades, a delegate must be named. This delegation must be approved in advance by the faculty member’s department chair and dean. The process for this approval will be as follows:

The faculty member shall, no later than two weeks prior to CEP, petition in writing to the dean via the department chair for permission to delegate to a specific individual. If approved, the faculty member and the delegate shall be advised in writing. The original request to delegate grading and a proven copy of the approval shall be retained in the dean’s office for inspection as needed. The two-week deadline may be waived by the dean in emergency situations.

• Under no circumstances may a faculty member delegate grading entry responsibility to an employee who is a student at the college.
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