From the Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Buffalo State will celebrate the official opening of the new Community Academic Center with an open house on Tuesday, November 15, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at 214 Grant Street, just south of Lafayette Avenue. The Buffalo State community is welcome to attend.

Parking will be available on Grant Street. Refreshments will be served.

To confirm your attendance, R.S.V.P. to ext. 5115 by Thursday, November 10.

For more information about the Community Academic Center, please visit www.buffalostate.edu/cac.

We hope to see you on November 15!

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next meeting of the College Senate will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, November 18, in E. H. Butler Library 210. The meeting agenda is posted on the home page of the College Senate website.

From the Interim Vice President for Finance and Management
Preface
This serves as a notice to new employees and as a reminder to others of the procedures to follow during snow emergencies and other extraordinary circumstances. Offices and other facilities operated by the state may be closed only by order of the governor; however, the college president or his designee is authorized to cancel classes and recommend that all but essential service* employees not report to work.

Policy and Procedures
The president has delegated the authority to cancel classes and services to the interim vice president for finance and management. University Police is responsible for monitoring all relevant weather conditions and reporting to the interim vice president for finance and management.

If the decision to close the college and cancel classes is made before the start of the workday, the interim vice president for finance and management will inform University Police. If the decision to close is made once classes are in session, the interim vice president for finance and management will consult with the provost and notify University Police of the decision. In either case, University Police will notify College Relations, who will notify the following broadcast stations:

AM Radio
WBEN-AM 930
WNED-AM 970
WECK-AM 1230
WHLD-AM 1270
WLVL-AM 1340
WJJL-AM 1440
WWKB-AM 1520

FM Radio
WBFO-FM 88.7
WBNY-FM 91.3 (campus)
WBUF-FM 92.9
WBLK-FM 93.7
WJYE-FM 96.1
WGRF-FM 96.9 (97 Rock)
WKSE-FM 98.5
STAR-FM 102.5
WEDG-FM 103.3
WHTT-FM 104.1
WYRK-FM 106.5

Television
WGRZ-TV 2
WIVB-TV 4
WKBW-TV 7
YNN Buffalo (Time Warner Cable)

An early decision to close the college and cancel classes will be relayed to the stations listed above by about 6:00 a.m. In addition, the College Relations Office will send a message via the NY-Alert system to all students, faculty, and staff members who have chosen to participate in this emergency notification system.

For information concerning the cancellation of classes, please check the Buffalo State website's home page, www.buffalostate.edu, or call the school closing information number, 878-5000. Please do not call any other number for this information.

Attendance Policy under Emergency Conditions
If classes and services are canceled before the workday begins, employees designated essential service* are required to report. All other employees are excused under emergency conditions but must charge the absence to appropriate leave accruals. Employees who elect to come to work may do so; however, the college cannot guarantee that they will be able to work at their usual locations or perform their normal duties. (See instructions below for employees who choose to report for work under emergency conditions.)

Should the closure occur during the workday, the interim vice president for finance and management will convey the decision to the other vice presidents, who will ensure that the announcement is communicated throughout their respective areas. Again, essential service* employees are required to remain on the job or to report to work as scheduled in this instance. Following official closure, employees may leave their work sites and charge the remainder of their workday to appropriate leave accruals or continue working until their regular departure time.

Absences that result from the cancellation of classes and services must be charged to appropriate leave accruals as described below.

1. Vacation, personal, compensatory, or holiday leave
2. Sick leave, but only in the event of personal or family illness
3. Leave without pay (A written request must be submitted to the Human Resource Management Office no later than the end of the pay period in which the attendance record is due.)

*Essential services are those that must be maintained to ensure the well-being and protection of those who reside on campus, as well as the maintenance and security of college property. The following functions are considered essential services. Employees assigned to these areas are required to report to work under emergency conditions:

• The law enforcement division of University Police
• Campus Services and Facilities operations (all employees)
• Student health services (designated staff only)
• Residence Life (designated staff only)
• The dean of students
• Staff responsible for the care and feeding of animals and maintenance of greenhouse facilities

All employees who are designated essential service will be notified in writing by their department heads.

Directed Absences
On the rare occasion that an employee has reported to work and, because of extraordinary circumstances beyond the employee's control (i.e., extremely hazardous conditions or physical plant breakdown), is directed by the college president or his designee to leave work, he or she must charge leave accruals unless the college has been authorized by the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations to direct the absence.

Instructions for Nonessential Service Employees Who Elect to Report for Work under Emergency Conditions
Note: Parking may be severely restricted during periods of temporary emergency. Employees who report to work under these conditions must park in Lot F, G, M-2, or R so that other lots may be cleared of snow.

1. Employees must report to University Police, Chase Hall 110, to sign the Attendance Record/Emergency Conditions sheet. Employees also must sign the sheet before leaving campus.
2. Employees should report to regular work locations and perform regular duties, even if their supervisor is absent.

From the Interim Vice President for Finance and Management
Supervisors of employees who are leaving the college are reminded that they are responsible for ensuring that all college property, such as college- and foundation-issued credit cards, computer equipment and software, cell phones, keys, etc., is retrieved from the employee. A Separation Checklist is available to assist supervisors in completing the final steps of an employee’s separation from the college. Please call Human Resource Management at ext. 3042 if you have any questions regarding employee separations.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next meeting of the College Senate will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, November 18, in E. H. Butler Library 210.

From the Interim 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 Procurement Office will not process for payment any invoice for goods or services without an official purchase order already on file. Payment for goods or services delivered before a purchase order is issued may be the responsibility of the employee who placed the order with the vendor. 

If the New York State Comptroller’s Office finds that the college is not adhering to New York State procurement rules and regulations, the college may be subject to reduced procurement flexibility. In this case, fiscal controls would in turn be placed on offending departments. 

If you have any questions about ordering goods and services, please call the Procurement Office at ext. 4113.

From the Interim Vice President for Finance and Management
All contracts and agreements that involve the use of college-owned equipment, supplies, or facilities or that require the college to provide any nature of services shall be approved prior to execution and signed by the appropriate vice president and the associate vice president for finance and management/comptroller or an authorized designee. Purchasing agreements for goods or services may be signed only by the college president, the interim vice president for finance and management, the associate vice president for finance and management/comptroller, or the director of purchasing. Any other college employee who signs a contract or agreement may be held personally responsible for its performance (payment, liability, etc.). Any contract executed by an employee without express prior authorization is not valid or binding on Buffalo State College. The Public Officers Law is meant to protect state employees only in the performance of their official duties. Employees place themselves at potentially great financial risk by entering into such agreements, written or oral, on behalf of the college without express prior written authorization.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next meeting of the College Senate will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, October 14, in E. H. Butler Library 210. The agenda is posted on the College Senate website. Visitors are welcome to attend.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
The Emergency Response Planning Group and University Police will conduct a test of the university’s Outdoor Emergency Alert Horn at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 18. People who are outdoors during the test will hear a series of three loud 90-second 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 30 minutes before the test horn sounds, the university will issue a campuswide test of the NY-Alert emergency communication system. At this time, all students, faculty, and staff who have registered with the service will be sent a test alert via text message, automated phone message, e-mail, or fax.

Faculty and staff may register for NY-Alert through the SUNY employee portal. Students can register through Banner. Thank you for your patience as we test these critical emergency notification systems.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next meeting of the College Senate will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, October 14, in E. H. Butler Library 210. The agenda is posted on the College Senate website.