From the Chair of the College Senate
All new senators are invited to attend a New Senator Orientation on Thursday, September 9, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Cleveland Hall 205.

Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable because of his or her religious beliefs to attend classes on a particular day or days shall, because of such absence on the particular day or days, be excused from any examination or any study, or work requirements.

Buffalo State endorses the policy that the administering of evaluative examinations on Rosh Hashanah (sundown September 8, 2010, through sunset September 10, 2010), Yom Kippur (sundown September 17, 2010, through sunset September 18, 2010), or Good Friday (April 22, 2011) will not be permitted.

In addition, Ramadan, which began on August 11 and ends September 9, is a period of special obligations for fasting, prayers, and religious observances for Islamic students, faculty, and staff.  Special consideration may be necessary to accommodate their needs during this period.

Full Policy:
1. Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable because of his or her religious beliefs to attend classes on a particular day or days shall, because of such absence on the particular day or days, be excused from any examination or any study, or work requirements.

2. It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to make available to each student who is absent from school, because of his or her religious beliefs, an equivalent opportunity to register for classes or make up any examination, study, or work requirements which he or she may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such equivalent opportunity.

3. If registration, classes, examinations, study, or work requirements are held on Friday after four o'clock post meridian or on Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, study or work requirements shall be made available on other days, where it is possible and practical to do so. No special fees shall be charged to the student for these classes, examinations, study, or work requirements held on other days.

4. In effectuating the provisions of the Education Law, it is expected that faculty and the administrative officials will exercise the fullest measure of good faith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student for availing himself or herself of the provisions of this section.

5. Any student, who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative official to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the supreme court of the county in which such institutions of higher education is located for the enforcement of his or her rights under this section.

6. The term "religious belief" shall mean beliefs associated with any corporation organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes that is not disqualified for tax exemption under Section 501 of the United States Code.

7. At Buffalo State College, we sharpen the mandate of the state and endorse the policy that the administering of evaluative examinations on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, or Good Friday will not be permitted.

Submitted by: Dolores E. Battle, Equity and Campus Diversity Office

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next meeting of the College Senate will be held on Friday, October 15, at 3:00 p.m. in Classroom Building C122. The complete schedule is available on the College Senate website.
 

Please note that the Daily will serve as the college’s official communication vehicle until the new Daily Bulletin is launched later this fall. 

The Daily Bulletin, delivered via e-mail and posted to the Web, will serve as the college’s official source for policy, personnel, and curricular matters. The Daily Bulletin will also feature campus news and events, faculty achievements, and messages submitted by the campus community.

To assist Daily Bulletin readers, some sections will be tied to a particular day of the week. Curricular items and actions will continue to appear on Thursdays, while faculty achievements will run on Wednesdays.

Starting this week, faculty achievements (which can be submitted here), official announcements, and curricular news will appear in the Daily. 

Those wishing to search past issues of the Bulletin may do so by visiting this link. Once the merger is complete, past issues of both the Daily and the Bulletin will be searchable and archived via the Daily Bulletin search function.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact myself (ext. 4201) or Daily Bulletin editor Jerod Dahlgren (ext. 5569).

Submitted by:  Timothy J. Walsh, Associate Vice President for College Relations

The University Police Department, working with the Buffalo Fire Department, will conduct an Emergency Response Training drill on campus today, Monday, August 23, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The drill will include a mock fire in Cassety Hall using fog machines to simulate smoke. Buildings in close proximity to Cassety Hall—Upton Hall, Bulger Communication Center, and the Campbell Student Union—may be affected. For this training exercise, you may see fire trucks, police action, smoke, and actors portraying victims in the area of Cassety Hall. Do not be alarmed. This is a simulated event.

The goal of this exercise is to train first responders in the event of a fire, shooting, terrorist attack, or other critical incident on campus.

If you have questions, please call University Police at ext. 6333.

The University Police Department, working with the Buffalo Fire Department, will conduct an Emergency Response Training drill on campus Monday, August 23, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The drill will include a mock fire in Cassety Hall using fog machines to simulate smoke. Buildings in close proximity to Cassety Hall—Upton Hall, Bulger Communication Center, and the Campbell Student Union—may be affected. For this training exercise, you may see fire trucks, police action, smoke, and actors portraying victims in the area of Cassety Hall. Do not be alarmed. This is a simulated event.

The goal of this exercise is to train first responders in the event of a fire, shooting, terrorist attack, or other critical incident on campus.

If you have questions, please call University Police at ext. 6333.

University College is pleased to announce that Lisa Hunter will assume the role of assistant dean of intellectual foundations, replacing Doug Koritz. Hunter has been a regular contributor to Intellectual Foundations and first-year programs during her years in the Music Department at Buffalo State. Her appointment begins with the fall 2010 semester.

Verizon has informed us that the upgrade to the college voice mail system was only partially completed last week. The remainder of the upgrade will be completed between 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 3, and 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 4. A corrected phone number for access to old messages is also listed below.

Effective immediately, you will need to use your 10-digit mailbox number—(716) 878-XXXX—when retrieving your messages from a remote location.

When your voice mailbox is migrated to the new system on Tuesday night, the greeting and password from your current voice mailbox will be moved over to the new system and all new messages will be deposited in your new mailbox.

Your existing messages will not be transferred, but you will be able to access those messages for 30 days after the upgrade. In order to access the messages in your old mailbox, you will need to dial (716) 878-3207 and enter your 10-digit mailbox number and old password.

If you require further clarification or have any questions, please contact the Telecommunications Office at ext. 3333.

Legislation passed on June 7, 2010, will result in a NYSHIP rate change effective October 1, 2010. As a result of these rate changes, there will be a Special Option Transfer Period August 2–31, 2010.

Health insurance rates effective October 1, 2010, are listed below:

CSEA, UUP, M/C, NYSCOPBA, PEF
Health Plan: Individual/Family
Empire Plan: $27.38*/$110.57**
Community Blue: $34.21/ $204.97
Independent Health: $28.91/ $153.84

*$27.87 CSEA
**$112.34 CSEA

COUNCIL 82
Health Plan: Individual/Family
Empire Plan: $27.98/$112.80
Community Blue $33.58/$203.54
Independent Health $28.28/152.41

Current health insurance rates are available online. If your premium cost is increasing, you may change to a lower cost option; also, regardless of the change in the cost of your current option, you may change into an option for which the premium has decreased.

Employees who wish to change their health insurance plan during the Special Option Transfer Period have until Tuesday, August 31, 2010. We encourage you to complete and return the option transfer form to CLEV 410 as soon as possible. This will avoid retroactive premium adjustments and should allow you to receive new health plan identification cards closer to the coverage effective date, October 1, 2010.

"Choices," a summary of health insurance plans, is available online. You may want to review this before you decide to change insurance carriers or to remain with your current carrier for your health insurance coverage.

No action is required if you wish to keep your current health insurance option. 
Please Note:  the regular annual Option Transfer Period, held at the end of the calendar year, will be available and you will have the opportunity to review health insurance plan options and rates for 2011 as you normally do.
 
For questions, please contact Human Resource Management at ext. 4821. 

Today, Wednesday, July 28, the University Police Department, working with the Buffalo Police Department and Rural Metro Ambulance, will conduct an emergency response training drill at Neumann Hall from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

For this active shooter simulation, you may see police action, hear the firing of simulated rounds, and observe actors portraying perpetrators and victims near Neumann Hall. Do not be alarmed. This is a simulated event.

In addition, the Emergency Response Planning Group will test the college’s Outdoor Emergency Alert Horn—shortly after 10:00 a.m.—and NY-Alert in conjunction with the exercise. 

People who are outdoors during the horn test will hear a series of three loud one-minute horn blasts emanating from the central heating plant. Please note: the horn is primarily intended to be audible at outdoor locations on campus—not inside buildings.

In a real emergency, the horn will sound for five full minutes. If a real emergency alert is signaled, immediately seek shelter and await further instructions communicated via NY-Alert, e-mail, www.buffalostate.edu, or direct instructions from University Police.

Approximately 45 minutes before the training drill begins, at 9:15 a.m., the college will issue a campuswide test of the NY-Alert emergency communication system. At this time, students, faculty, and staff who are currently registered with the service will be sent a test alert via their pre-specified means of communication—text message, automated phone message, e-mail, or fax.

During the drill, the Buffalo State Web site will feature a modified look and contain information pertaining to this emergency exercise.

The goal of this exercise is to train first responders in the event of a shooting, terrorist attack, fire, or other critical incident on campus. We are fortunate to have University Police and other trained support staff on campus, an ongoing partnership with the Buffalo Fire Department, and a continually updated and tested Emergency Response Plan.

If you have questions, please call University Police at ext. 6333.