For important information about Buffalo State's snow-removal strategies, please visit www.buffalostate.edu/campusservices/x592.xml.

A percussion concert featuring solo works by Bradley Fuster, associate professor and chair of the Music Department, supported by student members of the Buffalo State Percussion Ensemble, will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 96 Jewett Parkway in Buffalo, on Friday, December 7, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is a fundraiser for the Food Bank of Western New York and has a $10 suggested donation.

The program includes

La Negra......................Trad. Mexican/Arr. Bill Cahn

Double Music................John Cage (1912–1992) and Lou Harrison (1917–2003)

Stubernic......................Mark Ford (b. 1958)

Rock Etude #7..............Bill Douglas (b. 1944)

Around the Corner..........Hideko Kawamoto (b. 1969)

Etude for a Quiet Hall.....Christopher Deane (b. 1957)

Power Struggle..............Nathan Daughtrey (b. 1975)

View high-quality recorded webinars that are available to you as a member of the Buffalo State campus community. More than 100 full-length webinars are available on demand, providing professional development on teaching and learning, online teaching, academic administration, and academic services. The recorded webinars also include a full transcript, handouts, and additional resources. View the titles and descriptions of the webinars on the Faculty Development website. The webinar request form is also available on that site.

Learn how to prepare students for the increase in on-demand constructed response and extended constructed response writing on the new teacher certification exams planned for implementation in April 2014. Participants will receive resources and learn (1) what we currently know about the writing portion of the exams, (2) the challenges teacher candidates often face with constructed response writing, and (3) strategies to address these challenges.

All teacher education faculty and supervisors are encouraged to attend this presentation by Michele Ninacs in Bacon Hall 115 on Friday, December 14, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., immediately before the December TEC meeting. A light lunch will be provided.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3015.

The fall 2012 "Conversations in and out of the Disciplines" series concludes as Gary Marotta, professor of history, presents "Richard Hofstadter’s Populist Problem—and Ours—and His Identity as a Jewish Intellectual" on Friday, December 7, at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. A short, informal wine-and-cheese reception will be held after the talk. Colleagues, friends, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students are welcome.

The "Conversations" series will continue next spring when Saziye Bayram, associate professor of mathematics, Kimberly Blessing, associate professor and chair of the Philosophy and Humanities Department, and Kevin Williams, associate professor of earth sciences and science education, will share their work (dates TBA).

Blackboard Collaborate is a live web-conferencing application that allows exciting and new approaches to support a twenty-first-century teaching and learning environment. Collaborate allows you to import PowerPoint slides and share your computer screen while interacting with participants through chat, webcam, and microphone. Come and watch a demo of the possibilities that Collaborate has to offer on Tuesday, December 11, at 9:30 a.m. or Thursday, December 13, at noon in Bulger Communication Center 104.

Register for the December 11 session.

Register for the December 13 session.

The Zumba classes offered by the Recreation and Intramurals department are canceled for the remainder of the fall semester. Zumba will be offered again during the spring semester. All other fitness classes will continue until Thursday, December 13. For a full schedule, go to the Recreation and Intramurals website.

Join us in celebrating Computer Science Education Week today, December 4, during Bengal Pause (noon–1:30 p.m.) in the Bulger Communication Center main lobby. Encourage your students to stop by to play video games or interact with digital stories developed by CIS freshman students. Recognize the tremendous job growth in the computer industry, which is causing a shortage of computing professionals in the United States. Discover what women and minorities have contributed to computer science. Learn about local technology companies and job opportunities, the CIS undergraduate program at Buffalo State, and computer science education in general. Stop by for refreshments and enter your name in a raffle drawing. The first prize is an iPod donated by McGraw-Hill publishers.

Buffalo State's men's and women's hockey teams will host a Holiday Open Skate on Tuesday, December 11, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Ice Arena. The event is free to all faculty, staff, and students. Members of both teams will be present to offer assistance. Skate rental is also free while supplies last. For more information, call Nick Carriere, men's head coach, at ext. 3396.

Final papers? Final projects? Final exams? As a student, you can be overwhelmed by any of these assignments, but they don’t have to scare you, if you know how to deal with them.

The Academic Skills Center offers several end-of-semester workshops to help you complete your assignments and alleviate your anxiety as you prepare for CEP Week. Please note the locations of the workshops in Classroom Building and South Wing.

Taking Multiple-Choice Exams—Learn strategies that can improve your score on a multiple-choice exam—with Marie Ferraro—Tuesday, December 4, 12:15–1:30 p.m. (Bengal Pause), South Wing 320

Fending Off Failure—If you fear you may fail a course, there are actions you can take to turn things around—with Lauren Copeland—Tuesday, December 4, 11:00 a.m.–noon, Classroom Building C116

Tutoring—The Academic Skills Center has a staff of professional tutors to help students with any subject. We are located in South Wing 330. Call ext. 4041 or 5303 to make an appointment or to ask any questions.