"Word Choices: Are You Using a Powder Puff or a Power Punch?" is the next session in the Workshops to Success sponsored by University College’s Academic Skills Center (ASC) and offered free to Buffalo State students. This session raises the question of whether one word is better than another.

Why say "attitude" instead of "tude" or "It’s spectacular!” instead of "It rocks!"? Do you see a motion picture, a movie, or a flick? Do you drive a car or a chick-magnet?

Word choices may convey what we mean, but they also reflect who we are and how we think. Become more aware of the extraordinary power of words.

Note to Buffalo State instructors: Please encourage your students to attend, perhaps by giving them extra credit for participating. Students can sign an attendance sheet which we will forward to you. If you have any questions, call the ASC at 878-4041.

Date: Wednesday, February 23. Time: 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Place: Classroom B209. Presenter: Dr. Thomas Renzi.

Internationally recognized artist Susan Beiner will give a demo and lecture on Thursday February 24. Susan has recently had solo shows at the Ceramics Research Center in Arizona and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Art in Texas, is featured in a long list of publications, and has given numerous workshops and lectures across the country. She has been a resident artist at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia and is currently an assistant professor at Arizona State University.

Morning Demo: 9:00 a.m. to noon, Upton Hall 128
Afternoon: 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Upton Hall 128/132
Lecture: 7:15 to 8:30 p.m., Bulger Communication East

This opportunity is made possible by the the student organization, Coalition of Ceramic Designers and the mandatory student activity fee.

A common error that the Accounts Payable and Travel Services Office observes concerns required backup for qualified expense reimbursement. In order to reimburse an individual for a qualified expense, SUNY requires a receipt and not an invoice or bill. The difference between these items is that a receipt shows that a payment has been actually made, while an invoice or bill shows a balance due and does not prove that the expense has been paid. In order to avoid confusion, I would advise individuals requesting reimbursement to double-check the receipt/invoice/bill at the point of sale to make sure that a receipt is provided which specifically shows that the item has been paid and that there is no balance due.

If you have any questions concerning this, please contact our office at ext. 4117.

Support Hospice Buffalo and purchase beautiful mixed bouquets for $8 or a large tribute bouquet for $30. For each tribute bouquet sold, an $8 bouquet will be sent to brighten the day of a current Hospice Buffalo patient. Pre-sale orders will be taken until today, Monday, February 14.

To order, or for more information, phone or e-mail one of the three campus coordinators—Lily Bink (ext. 4419); Donna Doyle (ext. 4698); or Rita Gallagher (ext. 6022). Cash or checks payable to Hospice Foundation are accepted. Payment is due at time of bouquet pickup, February 28, or can be made ahead of time.

The campus raised a record $2,200 for Hospice in 2010 through generous support of the bouquet sale. Thank you for your support of Hospice Buffalo! Order today!

There will be a meeting of the Graduate School on Friday, February 18, at 3:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210. All graduate faculty are invited to attend.

Some topics to be considered include:
- thesis electronic submission process
- feedback from the student survey
- updates on student issues, policies (including graduate faculty status), and programs

Dealing with different personalities at work is a reality; dealing with a bully is a more difficult matter. Learn how to identify hostility in the workplace and how to deal with the bully who is creating it at this webinar, Thursday, February 17, noon to 1:00 p.m. Be sure to register in advance. Register for the webinar on the NYS -Balance website. To participate, you will need an Internet-connected PC and a phone. If the webinar is not scheduled during your break or lunch time, you can view it later online.

From the playground to the office, bullies are a fact of life. Learning how to deal with a bully can be an important lesson at any age. Whether it’s helping your child cope with schoolyard teasing, or confronting a co-worker who is trying to intimidate you, we can help you tame the bully in your neighborhood.

For practical strategies to help you or someone you care about deal with bullying, contact your NYS -Balance service by phone at 866-320-4760 or via  the web for free, confidential assistance.

Additional resources are available through your NYS Employee Assistance Program (EAP). For more information about EAP and other Work-Life Services benefits, please visit www.worklife.ny.gov.

Join the Burchfield Penney for a St. Patrick’s Day beer tasting with music by The LeftOvers, Friday, March 11.

Featured beers include Flying Bison, Ithaca Beer Company, Heineken Light, Newcastle, Dos Equis, and more!

Tickets are $20 pre-sale. Tickets at the door are $20 (members) $25 (not yet members). Pre-sale tickets are available by calling 878-6011 (during gallery hours), in person at the Burchfield Penney, or online.

For more info, call ext. 4529 or e-mail heyworkm@buffalostate.edu.

Space is limited. Advance ticket purchase is recommended.

Courtesy of Try-It Distributing

An incident of workplace violence could have lifelong consequences for employees and their families. Human Resources offers workplace a violence/domestic violence prevention training for all employees. Sessions are conducted by Sam Lunetta, retired University Police lieutenant. Participation at this training is mandated for all public employees under New York State Labor Law Section 27-b.

Topics covered include:
-Recognizing warning signs for potential violence
-Assessing risk in various work settings
-What to do and not do if presented with a violent situation
-Campus resources available to prevent violence

A one-hour “Basic Training Session” will be held Thursday, February 17, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m in Cleveland Hall 418. An expanded “Refresher Class,” (includes “What Would You Do” scenarios) will be held on Thursday, March 3, from 10:00 a.m to noon. Visit the HR website or call ext. 4822 to register.

This mandated training is also available online for those unable to attend the group sessions. Employees may access the program on ANGEL. (Go to: Campus Group Section, select “Workplace Violence Prevention Group.”)

Get your sweet something sweet at the Burchfield Penney Museum Store. The Museum Store has cards, jewelry, accessories, and more! All purchases support the museum, and you don't have to give up your parking space to get your shopping done!

For info, call Mia at ext. 3595.

Computing Services began the first round of Windows 7/Office 2010 deployments during the winter break and upgraded a handful of departments on campus at that time. Another group will be scheduled during the spring 2011 semester, and any remaining departments will be upgraded over the summer. Any departments interested in moving to Windows 7 sooner rather than later are encouraged to contact the Windows 7 project team at win7feedback@buffalostate.edu.

The project team will be scheduling pre-deployment meetings with each department prior to the upgrade to learn about your area's specific hardware/software needs, and will notify departments directly once specific deployment dates are determined. For more information, please visit our Windows 7 information page.