November 10 deadline:  Flex Spending Account: Health Care Spending or Dependent Care Advantage Account – Enroll online at www.flexspend.state.ny.us or call (800) 358-7202.

November 24 deadline:  Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP) – Eligible CSEA, PEF, and classified M/C employees may forfeit three days of vacation or personal leave in exchange for a credit of up to $400 to be applied toward health insurance premiums in 2007.

• Productivity Improvement Program (PIP) – Eligible UUP professional and M/C employees may forfeit three days of vacation in exchange for a $400 credit to be applied toward health insurance premiums in 2007.

November 30 deadline:  Voluntarily cancel your health insurance;  Change from family to individual coverage; Change your pre-tax status for insurance deductions

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

Contact Human Resource Management, ext. 4821, to make changes to your health insurance coverage or if you have questions.

The site-preparation phase of construction of the new Burchfield-Penney Art Center is nearing completion. Once it has concluded, pile driving will begin. There will be some noise during the pile-driving phase of construction as pile drivers force support struts into the terrain to form the foundation on which the new museum will be built.

This work is scheduled to begin on November 6, and we expect this phase of construction to last about six weeks. Should you find the noise to be a distraction to classes or work in your area, please contact Mark Bausili, registrar, at ext. 4907 or bausilmt@buffalostate.edu. He will attempt to accommodate requests by seeking alternative space and coordinating options with appropriate department chairs.

Previously announced training for the SUNY Management Resource Tool (SMRT) Application has been rescheduled. This training is appropriate for all new department chairs, directors, and designated administrative assistants managing state-appropriated funds. Only one session of training is needed. Please call either James Thor at ext. 4117 or Rebecca Schenk at ext. 4312 with questions.

Training will occur in CyberQuad 318 on the following dates:

Friday, November 17, 9:00 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, December 5, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Please register at: http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration.

We have been notified that the governor did NOT authorize the closing of New York State offices and facilities in the Buffalo area on Friday, October 13. Under New York State policy, only the governor has the authority to close state offices and facilities, even in situations where the chief executive of a county, city, or village has declared a state of emergency.

Unfortunately, this means that employees are required, under state policy, to charge their absence for Friday to accumulated vacation, personal, or overtime compensatory leave accruals. The State Policy on Closing of State Offices/Directing Early Departures may be found at www.goer.state.ny.us/CNA/policies/tdcemerg.html.

We are working aggressively to achieve a more favorable outcome for our employees. A petition to suspend the time and attendance rules for October 13 is being submitted to the NYS Department of Civil Service. If our campus request is approved, we will reinstate the time charged to employees' leave accruals for that date. We understand that the approval process may take some time, and we will notify employees as soon as we receive a determination on our petition.

Please call Human Resource Management at ext. 3042 if you have questions regarding the leave policies.

The Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum is more than just a collection of unique tree species on the Elmwood campus. For more than 40 years, it has presented a warm welcome for visitors, bloomed into a beautiful backdrop for student life, and become a living laboratory for students of arboriculture. Each and every tree among nearly 1,700 bears its own character and history. Devastation by our recent storm has both saddened and challenged us. Employed by Campus Services, Joseph Territo Jr., a certified arborist, is assessing damaged trees with a goal to save as many as possible. Those marked with an "X" have been fractured and are either "terminal" or will present a potential hazard to pedestrians and must come down. Those marked with a "P" or that are unmarked will be saved. Some areas will remain barricaded until a full assessment can be made. We ask for your patience with this process and your understanding that we take pride in our arboretum stewardship and are working to preserve as much as is practicable. Thank you.

The College Senate meeting on October 20 will be held at 2:00 p.m. instead of 3:00 p.m. in Butler 210 so that Senate members may attend the memorial service for Dr. Carmine Grande.

Letters to UUP Discretionary Awardees will be delayed a few days due to the recent weather-related campus closing. The letters were scheduled to be mailed on Monday, October 16, 2006.

The deadline for College level appeals has been adjusted from Monday, October 23, 2006 at 5:00 p.m. to Thursday, October 26 at 5:00 p.m. Notifications regarding appeals will be sent on Tuesday, October 31 as originally planned.

There will be no delay in the payment date for the increases. Discretionary awards will appear in paychecks dated November 29, 2006.

We appreciate your patience. If you have any questions regarding the discretionary process, please contact Susan Earshen, Director of Human Resource Management at ext. 3042.

Flu shots will be given in the Campbell Student Union  lobby today,  Tuesday, October 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Flu shots will also be offered on Thursday, October  26, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

There will be no cost to employees covered by Univera, Independent Health,  Community Blue, Blue Choice, Preferred Care, and Medicare Part B who show valid  health-insurance cards. Faculty and staff not covered by these plans will be  charged a $25 co-pay for the flu shot.

If you have any questions regarding your health insurance coverage, please  call the Human Resource Management Office at ext. 4821.

The next College Senate meeting will be held on Friday, October 20, in E. H. Butler Library 210 at 3:00 p.m. The date was incorrectly listed in yesterday's college Bulletin. We apologize for the error. If you have any questions, please call the Senate Office at ext. 5139.

The Professional Staff Caucus invites professionals to attend the first general meeting of the semester, featuring Dr. Ansuini's "The 7 Habits of Highly Defective People" on Tuesday, October 3, at 9:30 a.m. in the Student Union Assembly Hall. Refreshments will be served to those who R.S.V.P. to Elizabeth Steven at stevenea@buffalostate.edu or Ottilie Woodruff at woodruom@buffalostate.edu by 4:00 p.m. today, Friday, September 29. See you there!