The Internal Control Act of the State of New York requires Buffalo State College to communicate the following information on agency responsibilities and standards:

The internal control standards define the minimum level of quality acceptable for internal control systems in operation and constitute the criteria against which systems are to be evaluated. These internal control standards apply to all operations and administrative functions (both manual and automated), but are not intended to limit or interfere with duly granted authority related to development of legislation, rule making, or other discretionary policy making in an agency.

General Standards

1. Reasonable Assurance. Internal control systems are to provide reasonable assurance that the objectives of the systems will be accomplished.
2. Supportive Attitude. Managers and employees are to maintain and demonstrate a positive and supportive attitude toward internal controls at all times.
3. Competent Personnel. Managers and employees are to have personal and professional integrity and are to maintain a level of competence that allows them to accomplish their assigned duties, as well as understand the importance of developing and implementing good internal controls.
4. Control Objectives. Internal control objectives are to be identified or developed for each agency activity and are to be logical, applicable, and reasonably complete.
5. Control Technique. Internal control techniques are to be effective and efficient in accomplishing their internal control objectives.
6. Continuous Monitoring. Agency heads are to establish and maintain a program of internal review designed to identify internal control weaknesses and implement changes needed to correct the weaknesses.

Specific Standards

1. Documentation. Internal control systems and all transactions and other significant events are to be clearly documented, and the documentation is to be readily available for examination.
2. Recording of Transactions and Events.Transactions and other significant events are to be promptly recorded and properly classified.
3. Execution of Transactions and Events.Transactions and other significant events are to be authorized and executed only by persons acting within the scope of their authority.
4. Separation of Duties. Key duties and responsibilities in authorizing, processing, recording, and reviewing transactions should be separated among individuals.
5. Supervision. Qualified and continuous supervision is to be provided to ensure that internal control objectives are achieved.
6. Access to and Accountability for Resources. Access to resources and records is to be limited to authorized individuals, and accountability for the custody and use of resources is to be assigned and maintained. Periodic comparison shall be made of the resources to the recorded accountability to determine whether the two agree. The frequency of the comparison shall be a function of the vulnerability of the asset.

Audit Resolution Standard

Prompt Resolution of Audit Findings. Managers are to (1) promptly evaluate findings and recommendations reported by auditors, (2) determine proper actions in response to audit findings and recommendations, and (3) complete, within reasonable time frames, all actions that correct or otherwise resolve matters brought to management's attention.

Public Officers Law
In addition, all state employees must abide by the laws governing ethical behavior contained in the Public Officers Law.

While many private companies and professional associations have their own codes of ethics, state code differs from these in that the state code is also the law. Like private codes of ethics, state code is a list of proscribed activities. The following is a summary of its provisions:

New York State employees are prohibited from engaging in any activity that is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of their duties in the public interest, accepting other employment that would impair their judgment in the exercise of their official duties, or disclosing confidential information gained from their state positions.

State employees cannot use their official positions to secure unwarranted privileges for themselves or others. State employees with financial interests in a business entity should not engage in any transaction between the state and that entity that might be in conflict with the proper discharge of the employee's official duties. State employees also must avoid making personal investments in enterprises that might directly involve decision making or that might create a conflict of interest.

State employees cannot, by their conduct, leave the impression that they can be influenced based on their family relationship, rank, position, or influence. Nor should they act in a way that raises a suspicion among the public that they are likely to be engaged in acts that are in violation of their public trust.

No full-time state employee, any firm or association of which he or she is a member, or any corporation which he or she owns or controls can sell goods or services to any person, firm, or association that either is licensed or has its rates set by the state agency by which he or she is employed.

Violations of certain restrictions on business and professional activities or the financial-disclosure filing requirement may result in a maximum fine of $10,000. In lieu of a fine, the commission may refer the matter for criminal prosecution. Upon referral and conviction, a violation may be punished as a Class A misdemeanor.

Under Section 94(13) of the Executive Law, assessment of a civil penalty is final unless modified, suspended, or vacated within 30 days of imposition.

For any violations of Sections 73, 73-a, or 74, the Ethics Commission also may recommend that the appointing authority take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from employment. Where applicable, discipline must be taken in accordance with the provisions of Section 75 of the Civil Service Law or the particular collectively negotiated agreement between the employee's union and the state.

Contact Rebecca Schenk, director of budget and internal controls, ext. 4312, with questions about the Internal Control Act or Public Officers Law.

Equity and Campus Diversity Minigrants provide up to $2,000 to support campuswide programs related to diversity in the curriculum and campus experience. The following Equity and Campus Diversity Minigrants were approved for funding during the fall 2007 semester.

1. Capital Normal University/Buffalo State Exchange of Student Art Exhibition at Upton Gallery, Upton Hall, Buffalo State College
Topic: Fine art and graphic design exhibit exchange with students at Capital Normal University
Submitted by: Richard Ross, associate professor of design, and Lin Xia Jiang, department chair and professor of fine arts

2. Ishmael Reed, Author, Critic, Musician, and Activist
Topic: Diversity in African American music and poetry
Submitted by: Ralph Wahlstrom, department chair and associate professor of English

3. Women in Science and Mathematics Speaker Series 2007–2008
Topic: The role of prominent female scientists in current research
Submitted by: Karen O’Quin, associate dean, School of Natural and Social Sciences

4. Sharon Draper, Author, Educator, Poet, and National Teacher of the Year
Topic: Multicultural literature for elementary schoolchildren
Submitted by: Theresa Harris-Tigg, assistant professor of English

5. Africa Week
Topic: Various seminars and workshops related to history and contemporary issues in the African Diaspora
Submitted by: Aimable Twagilimana, professor of English and coordinator of the African and African American Studies Interdisciplinary Unit (AAS)

6. History and Social Studies Education
Topic: “The Price of Sugar,” film and discussion on the historical, economic, and political impact of the sugar industry in the Caribbean
Submitted by: Bridget Chesterton, assistant professor of history and social studies education

7. African American Student Organization Annual Fashion Show
Topic: Diversity in the American Fashion Industry
Submitted by: Jamell Yarborough, African American Students Organization

8. CLAP: Applause for a Cause
Topic: Education in Africa and the Caribbean
Submitted by: Caribbean Students Organization

Information about the Equity and Campus Diversity Minigrants for spring 2008 is available online.

Provost’s Corner

Buffalo State President Muriel A. Howard and University at Buffalo President John B. Simpson recently announced the formation of a University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College Joint Exploratory Task Force. The charge of the task force is to explore opportunities for expanding existing collaborations between the two institutions and to identify emerging areas for the creation of new partnerships.

Inclusive areas for consideration are academic as well as administrative and business. A preliminary report with recommendations is expected around March 1. Impetus for this initiative originated from conversations in the past few months and is also linked with the work of theGovernor’s Commission on Higher Education.

Representatives of the University at Buffalo on the Joint Exploratory Task Force are:

• Satish K. Tripathi, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Beth Del Genio, Chief of Staff, Office of the Provost
• Scott Nostaja, Special Assistant to the President and Interim Vice President for Human Resources
• Michael E. Ryan, Professor and Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education
• Myron Thompson, Executive Director, The Graduate School

Buffalo State participants will include:

• Dennis Ponton, Provost
• Dorcas Colvin, Associate Vice President, Policy and Planning
• Voldemar Innus, Vice President and Chief Information Officer
• Kevin Railey, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
• Janet Ramsey, Dean of University College and Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Education

The Joint Exploratory Task Force will be co-chaired by the provosts.

Information on our current collaborations with colleagues at the University at Buffalo is being assembled. This includes items such as research collaborations, joint publishing, classroom exchanges, ongoing guest lecturer arrangements, service on graduate student committees, joint student initiatives, and other types of professional interactions. I invite members of the Buffalo State community to bring examples of these current interactions to my attention by sending me either anelectronic or written message. In some general conversations, existing collaborations have surfaced that I was unaware of, and I want our inventory to be as comprehensive as possible.

Your suggestions for emerging areas that we consider as we explore new collaborative opportunities and possibilities for our two institutions are also welcome. I expect a late semester Provost’s Corner will be used to provide feedback on the efforts of the Joint Exploratory Task Force.

By Tony Astran

Buffalo will host the 2009 North American James Joyce Conference, a five-day biennial symposium attended by Joyce scholars from around the world, June 13–17. Laurence Shine, lecturer of English at Buffalo State, is conference co-chair.

Shine, who joined Buffalo State in 1981, is a Dublin native and Joyce scholar. He said that Buffalo’s abundance of architecture, art, and theater—as well as the University at Buffalo’s James Joyce Collection, the world’s most comprehensive archive of Joyce literary artifacts and personal belongings—makes the city an ideal location for the symposium.

Dubbed “Eire on the Erie,” the symposium combines scholarly presentations and community events. James Hamm, professor of art conservation, and David Ben-Merre, assistant professor of English, are among the presenters. Hamm will discuss conservation concerns about the James Joyce Collection, and Ben-Merre will discuss Joyce’s letters.

Unveiled at the symposium will be nine Joyce family portraits that were restored by Buffalo State’s Art Conservation Department. The portraits, part of UB’s collection, will later travel to locations around the country.

The symposium also takes place during the 105th anniversary of Bloomsday, June 16, the day when Leopold Bloom, the fictional character in Joyce’s Ulysses,walked the streets of Dublin. Shine calls Bloomsday the world’s “only global literary festival.” Bloomsday Buffalo, the local version of the celebration, will include music, food, drinks, and Irish dancing at the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery and the Shea’s Smith Theatre. This is the 12th consecutive year for the Buffalo festival.

Symposium activities on Monday, June 15, will take place at the Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College.

Shine considers Joyce “the best writer of the twentieth century.” He believes that Joyce’s works will shape the future of the English language.

“Joyce writes about the modern situation and weaves it in a tapestry with the history of civilization,” he said. “His works give meaning to life. He discusses the significance of everyone’s thoughts and successfully connects the most universal of things to the most particular.”

Shine hopes a successful North American conference will lead to Buffalo as a future choice for the International James Joyce Symposium. Otherwise, he is thrilled that Buffalo is on the “same plane” as Dublin, Paris, and Zurich as a global destination for Joyce scholars.

“Buffalo is a center of the Joyce universe,” Shine said. “Joyce is part of Buffalo’s future in tourism, and it’s only going to get bigger.”

From the Associate Vice President for College Relations
Buffalo State College has hired Stamats, a higher education research and consulting firm, to help understand perceptions of the college among various internal groups associated with Buffalo State. As part of this process, we are seeking anonymous feedback from faculty, staff, administrators, and students regarding your experiences with Buffalo State College.

In the next 10 days, you will receive an e-mail from Sally Olinger at Stamats asking for your participation in a survey. We value your opinions and consider your participation critical to the success of this campuswide project. Therefore, we ask that you continue to check your Buffalo State e-mail account to add your opinion to this important study.

College Relations arranged for Stamats’ team members to come to campus on May 6 and 7, conducting interviews and group discussions with students, faculty, administration, alumni, donors, and community leaders. After meeting face to face with nearly 175 individuals over the two-day period, their next step is to “cast the net” to all our faculty, staff, and students to gain more quantitative results from a wider audience.

Thank you for your participation in this project. Please keep an eye on your e-mail inbox for the subject line “Buffalo State Survey: We Need Your Opinion.”

For more information, contact Tim Walsh, associate vice president for college relations, 878-4201.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
Requisitions for supplies, materials, services, and equipment from fiscal year 2008–2009 funds must be received in the Purchasing Office by the close of business on the following dates:

$20,000 or more (noncontract)
Friday, May 1

$20,000 or more (contract)
Monday, June 1

Less than $20,000
Friday, June 12

Purchase requisitions for computer equipment and equipment replacement requirements, as well as purchases through OfficeMax for office supplies, also must adhere to these deadlines.

Important note: It is the responsibility of departments to ensure that all requisitions for fiscal year 2008–2009 are received in the Purchasing Office by the above deadlines. Late requisitions will not be processed. Requests received through campus mail after the deadlines will be returned.

Call Terri Locher in the Purchasing Office at 878-4113 with questions.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
The following employees retired from Buffalo State College between September 2008 and May 2009. We thank them for their years of dedication and wish them well.

FACULTY
Katharine A. Daly, Lecturer, Writing Program
Ram Desai, Professor, Political Science
Glenice J. Guthrie, Lecturer, Anthropology
Rosemary P. Lonberger, Associate Professor, Elementary Education and Reading
Peter S. Pawlik, Professor, Technology
Sarita C. Samora, Professor, Exceptional Education

STAFF
Maurine E. Baker-Stein, Staff Associate, Instructional Resources
Alberto I. Cappas, Janitor, Custodial
Ann Dennis, Chief Computer Operator, Computing Services
Micheline P. Lepine, Senior Staff Associate, Burchfield Penney Art Center
John D. Lysek, Maintenance Supervisor, Campus Services
Gail F. Maloney, Senior Staff Associate, Intercollegiate Athletics
Kirk J. Massey, University Police Officer, University Police
Anthony C. Pastore Jr., General Mechanic, Campus Services
Dennis J. Sheehan, General Mechanic, Campus Services
Virginia E. Wilkins, Groundsworker, Campus Services

By Melissa Meehan

Michael Taussig, professor of anthropology at Columbia University, will present the lecture “When the Sun Goes Down: A Pre-Copernican Turn of Remembrance” on Friday, April 10, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. at the Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College.

Taussig is one of today’s most distinguished voices in cultural anthropology. His work combines aspects of ethnography, storytelling, and social theory. He is the author of nine books, including, Law in a Lawless Land(2005), My Cocaine Museum (2004), and Shamanism, Colonialism and the Wild Man (1991). His most recent work is What Color Is the Sacred? (2009).

This event, sponsored by Residence Life, is free and open to the public. Contact Allen Shelton, associate professor of sociology, for more information. This lecture is part of the “Ethnographic Dreamworlds” lecture series, which runs through April.

By Mary A. Durlak

The State University of New York will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a scholarly conference, “SUNY and the Promise of Public Higher Education in America,” at the University at Albany April 3–5.

Distinguished scholars from across the country will attend and participate in a variety of panel discussions, including “Accessibility and Quality Education in SUNY,” for which President Muriel A. Howard will serve as moderator.

Catherine Lange, assistant professor, Joseph Zawicki, associate professor, and Donald Birdd, professor emeritus, all of Buffalo State’s Earth Sciences and Science Education Department, will present “The Impact of Sputnik on Science Teacher Preparation at Buffalo State College” as part of a session titled “The State Teachers College Era and the Origins of SUNY’s University Colleges.”

The conference concludes on the 60th anniversary of the day in 1949 when campus leaders first gathered in Albany to launch the State University of New York, commonly known as SUNY, according to the conference Web site. Since 1949, SUNY has conferred nearly 3 million degrees and other formal awards. Buffalo State, founded in 1871, is a charter member of SUNY.

Today, SUNY’s 64 campuses bring educational opportunity within commuting distance of virtually all New Yorkers. In January 2009, 438,361 students were enrolled at SUNY institutions, choosing from among 7,669 degree and certificate programs. Almost 2 million alumni are estimated to be New York State residents.

SUNY campuses are divided into four categories: university centers and other doctoral campuses, colleges of technology, community colleges, and comprehensive colleges. Buffalo State is the largest comprehensive college in the SUNY system and the only one located in a city. Through the SUNY Research Foundation, Buffalo State receives more grants and research support than all the other SUNY comprehensive colleges combined. Many of our faculty members conduct applied research that makes a direct and immediate impact in the Buffalo Niagara community.

The Admissions Office will host Spring Open House for prospective students and their families on Saturday, April 4, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., beginning in Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Visitors will tour the campus, meet with faculty and student support services, discuss financial aid options, and explore career opportunities. More information is available on theUndergraduate Admissions Web site.