As previously announced, a requirement effective August 1, 2011, requires demographic information (such as date of birth, gender, race, and ethnicity) to be submitted to the Payroll Office by student employees participating in the college work-study and student assistant employment programs.

Hiring departments should have student assistant and college work-study employees complete and submit the HRMS-2 Personal Data Collection form to the Payroll Office, along with the student’s Employment Authorization form, the I-9 Employment Eligibility form, and tax forms.

The HRMS-2 form is available on the Human Resource Management website.

As this form contains sensitive and confidential information, departments and supervisors are advised NOT to keep paper copies or electronic files.

If you have any questions, please call the Payroll Office at ext. 4124 or ext. 4125.

If you have no record of a student on your grade roster attending your class, the student should be assigned the grade of EV. This new grade distinction replaces the old policy of assigning an E grade and then e-mailing the Financial Aid Office that the student never attended. You no longer need to e-mail the Financial Aid Office of students who did not attend your course so long as you have assigned the EV grade.

Questions regarding this procedure should be referred to the Financial Aid Office, ext. 4902.

When issuing a student a non-passing grade, i.e., an E, F, U, I, or N, you must also report the student's last date of attendance when entering the grade online. This assists the Financial Aid Office in determining whether a student unofficially withdrew and whether the student is able to retain the aid he or she received.

The last date of attendance is the last date the student sat in class, took a test, or handed in homework. If assigning an I or N grade, the last date of attendance is the last date you met with the student to discuss progress in the course. If you have no record of the student attending, do not enter a date. Instead use the grade EV, which indicates that the student never attended the course.

Questions regarding this policy or procedure should be referred to the Financial Aid Office, ext. 4902.

The new year is coming fast and before you know it, it will be January. Mark January 9–13 on your calendar; that's the week of Winterim 2012. You can view and register for any of the workshops at http://ic.buffalostate.edu/winterim.

Would you like to learn more about active and integrative learning? You are invited to attend Niagara University’s 2012 Conference on Teaching and Learning on January 10 and 11.

The Faculty Development Office will sponsor up to 10 faculty members to attend the conference. Faculty members will be sponsored on a first-come, first-served basis; however, if you are sponsored by the college, you must agree to participate in a presentation to other Buffalo State faculty members. This presentation will be a discussion format with each attendee sharing something that he or she learned at the conference. 

To register, contact Cara Angie, ext. 3841.

There is an issue with the Winterim 2012 website. Please go directly to the registration page to see the current, correct information about the Winterim workshops. Click on "January" in the left column, and click on "Winterim" under categories.

We apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this process may have caused you.

Empire Plan Deductibles
Effective January 1, 2012, annual deductibles for CSEA, PEF, and M/C employees will increase to $1,000 per enrollee, $1,000 per enrolled spouse or domestic partner, and $1,000 for all dependent children combined. The annual deductible for UUP, PBANYS, and NYSCOPBA will increase to $400. This change reflects the 3.1 percent increase in the medical care component of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011. 

The annual deductible for calendar year 2012 will be reduced to $500 for CSEA, PEF, and M/C employees in (or equated to) salary grade 6 or below on January 1, 2012.

Empire Plan Coinsurance
Effective January 1, 2012, the coinsurance maximum (out-of-pocket expenses) for the following employees will increase to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index:

CSEA, PEF, M/C: $3,000
UUP: $1,102
PBANYS: $1,483
NYSCOPBA: $854

The coinsurance maximum for calendar year 2012 will be reduced to $1,500 for CSEA, PEF, and M/C employees in (or equated to) salary grade 6 or below as of January 1, 2012.

Note: There is no deductible or coinsurance when employees use the Empire Plan Participating Provider Network.

Please call Human Resource Management at ext. 4821 with questions.
 

The Graduate School will host a Graduate Orientation program for new spring 2012 admits on Monday, January 9, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. (advance registration begins at 4:15 p.m.) in Bulger Communication Center. Contact the Graduate School at ext. 5601 or gradoffc@buffalostate.edu for more information.

Did you know that as a faculty member at Buffalo State, if you require students to read the New York Times in your course, you are eligible for a complimentary Monday–Friday home delivery subscription for the duration of the course? If interested, send your syllabus to christine.patterson@pcfcorp.com.

All faculty and staff members can receive a print or digital subscription to the New York Times at the exclusive college rate, which is 50 percent off the regular rate. To order a subscription, visit www.NYTimes.com/collegerate. Students may purchase the New York Times at a discounted rate at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore.

The search committee for the dean of the School of Education has invited the following candidates for campus interviews. Candidates will give a presentation to the campus community as follows:

Thomas B. Pierce
Chair and Professor, Department of Educational and Clinical Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Monday, December 12
2:00 p.m.
Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall

Wendy A. Paterson
Dean and Professor, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. School of Education, St. John Fisher College
Wednesday, December 14
3:00 p.m.
E. H. Butler Library 210

All members of the Buffalo State College community are invited to participate. The candidates' curricula vitae have been posted on the School of Education website.