Greetings, colleagues. I would like to invite you to become a part of the NIA Mentor Program family. We are accepting new faculty/staff mentor applications for the 2011–2012 academic year. The NIA Mentor Program pairs incoming freshman students of color with a faculty/staff mentor (FM) and a peer mentor (PM) for a yearlong relationship. This retention program is committed to the academic and personal success of students of color entering a predominantly white college campus. NIA is borrowed from the Swahili word “purpose.” The program focuses on nurturing, initiative, and achievement (NIA) in students. As a mentor, you will be required to meet with your mentee at least twice a month during the semester for one-on-one meetings. In addition, we encourage mentors to participate in the Wednesday-night enrichment workshops whenever possible. Last year, the program had a 100 percent retention rate.

For more information, please visit us at www.buffalostate.edu/mss/x481.xml.

To sign up as a mentor, please visit www.buffalostate.edu/offices/minstsvc/faculty_staff_application.html.

Flu vaccines will be available on campus today in E. H. Butler Library 210 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The vaccine will be available in shot or mist form. No appointment is necessary.

The following insurances will be accepted: Community Blue, Independent Health, Blue Choice, and Medicare Part B. Employees must show their insurance plan ID cards. Employees without proper insurance coverage will be charged $30 for the flu shot or $40 for the flu mist.

Empire Plan enrollees can obtain their flu shots from a participating provider’s (doctor’s) office for their usual co-pay if they wish to do so.

If you have any questions regarding your health insurance coverage, please call Employee Benefits at ext. 4821 or the member services department of your insurance company. The phone number should be on your insurance card.

Flu vaccines will be available on campus from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Thursday, October 6, in E. H. Butler Library 210. The vaccine will be available in shot or mist form. No appointment is necessary.

The following insurances will be accepted: Community Blue, Independent Health, Blue Choice, and Medicare Part B. Employees must show their insurance plan ID cards. Employees without proper insurance coverage will be charged $30 for the flu shot or $40 for the flu mist.

Empire Plan enrollees can obtain their flu shots from a participating provider’s (doctor’s) office for their usual co-pay if they wish to do so.

If you have any questions regarding your health insurance coverage, please call Employee Benefits at ext. 4821 or the member services department of your insurance company. The phone number should be on your insurance card.

Flu vaccines will be available on campus from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. today, September 14, in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall and Thursday, October 6, in E. H. Butler Library 210.

The vaccine will be available in shot or mist form. No appointment is necessary.

The following insurances will be accepted; employees must show their insurance plan ID cards: Community Blue, Independent Health, Blue Choice, and Medicare Part B.

Employees without proper insurance coverage will be charged $30 for the flu shot or $40 for the flu mist.

Empire Plan enrollees can obtain their flu shots from a participating provider (doctor's) office for their usual co-pay if they wish to do so.

If you have any questions regarding your health insurance coverage, please call Employee Benefits at ext. 4821 or the member services department of your insurance company. The phone number should be on your insurance card.

Flu vaccines will be available on campus from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 14, in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall and Thursday, October 6, in E. H. Butler Library 210.

The vaccine will be available in shot or mist form. No appointment is necessary.

The following insurances will be accepted: Community Blue, Independent Health, Blue Choice, and Medicare Part B. Employees must show their insurance plan ID cards. Employees without proper insurance coverage will be charged $30 for the flu shot or $40 for the flu mist.

Empire Plan enrollees can obtain their flu shots from a participating provider’s (doctor’s) office for their usual co-pay if they wish to do so.

If you have any questions regarding your health insurance coverage, please call Employee Benefits at ext. 4821 or the member services department of your insurance company. The phone number should be on your insurance card.

Commuter Student Services will host a Parking Lot Party on Tuesday, August 30, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, August 31, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the Lot G field area. This is an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, and the community to interact with one another. There will be vendors from the West Side Bazaar. Stop by at both events and say hello to

• Bernadette and Julienne - RWANDA - wood carvings, jewelry, and handbags
• Alice - RWANDA - sandals, tablecloths, jewelry
• Novi - INDONESIA - batiks, clothing, candles
• Gysma - SOUTH SUDAN - handmade table coverings
• Louise - RWANDA - jewelry, clothing, shoes, statues
• Martha - PERU - authentic Peruvian food
• Durga - NEPAL - jewelry, clothing, handbags

Come and participate in a Home Run Derby facilitated by Intercollegiate Athletics and have a chance to win three free car washes at Delta Sonic. There will be free hot dogs and drinks provided by Chartwells as well as a Chartwells table providing information on student and faculty/staff meal plans. There will also be tabling from United Students Government, UPSA, the NIA Mentor Program, and the Commuter Council Organization. Come out and get connected!

Work on Rockwell Hall’s third floor rehabilitation is well under way. Several telephone cables will be relocated in this building between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 23, and Wednesday, August 24. Building occupants may experience sporadic momentary interruptions in telephone service during this time. If telephones remain out of service after 9:00 a.m. on either date, users should call Telecommunications at ext. 3333. Questions about this interruption may be directed to ext. 6111. For more information about the Rockwell Hall project, visit www.buffalostate.edu/construction.

Members of the Buffalo State Alumni Association will participate in a community-wide volunteer event, Brush Up Buffalo, on Saturday, September 10. We are currently seeking members to join our team.

Brush Up Buffalo is a not-for-profit organization whose primary mission is the revitalization of Buffalo neighborhoods. Brush Up Buffalo organizes an annual one-day event that brings together sponsors, donors of goods and services, and teams of community-minded volunteers to paint the exteriors of low-income city of Buffalo homeowners' homes.

Each year, Brush Up Buffalo selects a Buffalo neighborhood for the one-day event. Between 500 and 1,000 volunteers from businesses, unions, community groups, and city and county government form teams and  work with members of the Painter's District Council 4 to paint an average of 15 to 20 homes—all in one day, and at no cost to the homeowners.

The most obvious result is the beautification of Buffalo homes each year, but there are other benefits to Brush Up Buffalo that are less obvious but every bit as significant to the short- and long-term health of the Western New York community at large:

• Volunteers, sponsors, and donors are given the opportunity to help homeowners who take pride in their homes but, for one reason or another, just need a little help.
• Volunteers gain access to residential areas that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to appreciate for their contributions to the quality of life: traditional, pedestrian neighborhoods that are rooted in historical significance, surrounded by historical landmarks, and steeped in cultural diversity.
• Volunteers, homeowners, sponsors, and donors collaborate in the creation of an event that enhances community pride and the health and value of city neighborhoods.
• Helping others feels really good, and painting with friends (old and new) is actually a lot of fun. There's a party afterward, and it's a great way to spend a Saturday in September!

Our team name is Buffalo State Alumni. Register here.

Computing and Technology Services will be performing maintenance on the campus wireless network on Monday, August 22. This will cause brief interruptions of wireless connectivity throughout the campus wireless network. If you experience an extended loss of wireless connectivity, please contact the Computing Help Desk at ext. 4357.

Aloha! The Career Development Center's ninth annual Part-Time-Job Luau is today, September 1, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Perry Quad (rain location: Campbell Student Union Social Hall).

More than 30 on-campus departments and local businesses and organizations will be in attendance, looking to hire Buffalo State students to fill their part-time-job openings. A list of the organizations attending is available on the CDC website.

Please remind students about the luau and feel free to join us for the festivities!

For more information, contact the Career Development Center, Cleveland Hall 306, ext. 5811, or the CDC website.