The Ron Brown ITEC Scholarship, which is funded by the staff of the Information Technology Exchange Center, is now accepting applications from students enrolled at Buffalo State for the fall 2012 semester. A $500 award will be made each year provided a candidate meets all the required criteria. In recent years, additional scholarships have been awarded in varying amounts to eligible candidates.

Information on the critera for the award and a link to the application can be found on the ITEC website. Applications must be submitted electronically by noon on Monday, November 19. Finalists will be interviewed by the selection committee; the selection committee's decision is final. Notification to all applicants will be sent via e-mail.

Graduate students at Buffalo State have taken a historic step by approving a Graduate Student Association (GSA), an executive board, representatives from five schools, and a mandatory graduate student fee. The GSA will provide a voice for graduate student needs and concerns and will support the scholarly and professional needs of our students.

In spring 2012, the following students were elected to serve on the executive board for 2012–2013:

Jacqueline Schneegold – President
Hanne Bratsberg – Vice President
Jeff Saint Dic – Treasurer
Valjeta Ahmeti – Secretary

In fall 2012, the following students were elected to serve as graduate student senators through the duration of the 2012–2013 year:

Roy Bakos – School of Arts and Humanities
James Lutz – School of Education
Kristopher Moseley – School of Education
Charles Mays – School of Natural and Social Sciences
Justin Nagy – School of Natural and Social Sciences
Kristy Bigouette – School of the Professions
Leah Dreier – School of the Professions
Roxanne Roland – Senator at Large

A mandatory graduate student fee of $2.22 per credit hour was approved by more than 76 percent of the voting students. The budget created by this fee will be used to help provide funding support for research and scholarship, participation in professional organizations, travel expenses for professional purposes, and other professional development opportunities.

For more information, please visit www.buffalostate.edu/graduateschool/x805.xml.

Christienna Fryar, Ph.D., visiting graduate fellow in the department of history at Duke University, will present "Crisis and Afro-Jamaicans in the Colonial Archive" on Thursday, November 1, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Classroom Building C214.

Her talk, which was made possible by the School of Natural and Social Sciences and the History and Social Studies Education Department, is free and open to the public.

We are in the final weeks of the MAP-Works survey, and we are hoping that the campus community can continue to help us urge all first-year freshmen to participate. As you know, MAP-Works has been effective in improving our retention rates and in helping first-year students be more successful. Students who participated in MAP-Works in the past were retained at an 11 percent higher rate than those who did not.

Reminders:

• It will take students only 15 minutes to complete the online survey, and they receive a free Tim Horton’s coupon at the end (plus a chance to win an iPad).
• To take the survey, students click on a link included in an e-mail they received in their Buffalo State e-mail accounts.
• If they no longer have the e-mail, students can find the online survey at https://student.map-works.com.
• A mobile app is also available for iPhone or Android.

Anything you can do to encourage first-year students to complete the survey by Friday, November 9, would be much appreciated!

Looking for information on purchasing software or hardware for your personally owned computer? Wondering which campus-licensed software is available for home use by faculty and staff? Interested in free alternatives to expensive software titles?

See www.buffalostate.edu/cts/facstaffhomeuse.xml for information on faculty and staff home use software and hardware, available free or at academic or campus-specific discounts. This link also appears on the MYBUFFSTATE “Faculty and Staff” page as “Software and Hardware for Home Use” under “Services.”

Please refer your students to www.buffalostate.edu/cts/studentshomeuse.xml for information on student home use software and hardware. This link can also be found on the MYBUFFSTATE “Students” page as “Software and Hardware for Home Use” under “Services.”

Please note that you won’t see a link to UBMicro on the new page. The UBMicro store, which had provided discounted software, hardware, and repair services to Buffalo State faculty and staff, no longer provides these retail services.

The Center for Development of Human Services (CDHS) College Partnership Development Office is accepting graduate and undergraduate student applications for its Public School Mentoring Program for the current and spring 2013 semesters. Applicants must be enrolled full time at Buffalo State, have excellent written and verbal skills, and have previous experience tutoring or working with groups of children in an educational setting. Undergraduate students must be at least second-semester sophomores with a minimum GPA of 2.5. Interested students should pick up an information packet as soon as possible from Bacon Hall 114, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, and complete and return the application as soon as possible.

Flash Sale at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State on Thursday and Friday, October 25 and 26. Save $10 on all hoodies! Get your Homecoming gear for the big weekend.

Committees are being formed for each area of the Intellectual Foundations program. Faculty and professional staff members are invited to express their interest in serving a two- or three-year term on a committee by completing a committee interest form. Return the completed form to the associate dean of your school or to Lisa Hunter, assistant dean of intellectual foundations, Twin Rise 100. Either an electronic copy or hard copy of the form is acceptable. The form and additional information can be found on the Intellectual Foundations website.

Applications and nominations are requested for students to be considered for the following student awards. Although the deadline for nominations is not until February 15, 2013, we encourage early nominations to ensure that all deserving students are considered.

Student Leadership Awards:

• Mildred Keller Campbell Leadership Award
• Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges
• Phillip Santa Maria Award for Student Leadership in Equity and Campus Diversity

Student Humanitarian Awards:

• Luis M. Antonetti Student Humanitarian Award
• Minnie and Joe Engel Student Humanitarian Award
• Phillip Santa Maria Memorial Award

Nomination forms are available online.

For more information, contact Charles B. Kenyon, dean of students, ext. 4618.

The Rape Aggression Defense course, a program of realistic self-defense tactics and techniques, will be held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. November 12 through 15 in Campus West (Buckham Campus School). The 12-hour program is conducted in four three-hour class sessions.

The R.A.D. System is a comprehensive course that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction, and avoidance and progresses to the basics of hands-on defense training. R.A.D. is not a martial arts program. The courses are taught by certified R.A.D. instructors from Buffalo State’s University Police Department (UPD). Participants will be provided with a workbook that outlines the entire physical defense program for reference and continuous personal growth.

This program is free for Buffalo State students, $10 for faculty and staff members, and $20 for people not affiliated with the college. Payment, in cash, is due at the first class session.

The class size is limited to 20 participants, and registration is required. Registration forms can be picked up at UPD, Chase Hall 110, or e-mail Liz McGough to request a copy. Completed forms should be returned to UPD. 

This program is sponsored by UPD and VIVA. Please contact officer Raven Harvey or lieutenant Richard Myers at ext. 6333, or McGough, ext. 4029, for more information.