Father Pat and the staff at the Newman Center invite all Buffalo State students to our free weekly Thursday-Night Dinners. Join us this Thursday, August 30, at 6:30 p.m. at the Newman Center, 1219 Elmwood Avenue, for our first dinner of the semester. All meals are home cooked, and you are welcome to hang out and play pool, watch TV, or just relax with friends. Come and enjoy a great meal on us!

Attention, all students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters of Buffalo State. Join the faith community of the Newman Center as we invoke God's blessing on the new academic year at the annual Convocation and Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sunday, September 9, at 10:30 a.m. in the Newman Center chapel, 1219 Elmwood Avenue. So that enough food can be prepared for the light reception following Mass, please call 882-1080 or e-mail newmancenter@buffalostate.edu to reserve a space.

Make-up orientation will be held today, Wednesday, August 29, in the Ethel Lockman Newman Lecture Hall (Bulger Communication Center North). Check-in will begin at 5:45 p.m.; the program runs through 9:00 p.m. For more information, please call the Orientation and New Student Programs Office at ext. 5336.

An incident of workplace violence could have lifelong consequences for employees and their families. The Human Resource Management Office offers Workplace Violence/Domestic Violence Prevention Training for all employees. Sessions are conducted by Sam Lunetta, retired University Police lieutenant. Annual participation in 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 to do if presented with a violent situation, and campus resources available to prevent violence.

One-hour sessions will be held in Cleveland Hall 418 on the following dates:

Wednesday, October 10, 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, October 16, 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 25, 10:00 a.m.

Visit the Human Resources 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 the "Campus Groups" section and select the “Workplace Violence Prevention Group.”)

An online refresher course is also available on ANGEL for employees who completed the Workplace Violence Prevention training last year.

An incident of workplace violence could have lifelong consequences for employees and their families. The Human Resource Management Office offers Workplace Violence/Domestic Violence Prevention Training for all employees. Sessions are conducted by Sam Lunetta, retired University Police lieutenant. Annual participation in 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 to do if presented with a violent situation, and campus resources available to prevent violence.

One-hour sessions will be held in Cleveland Hall 418 on the following dates: 

Tuesday, September 18, 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 25, 10:00 a.m.
Thursday, September 27, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 10, 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, October 16, 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 25, 10:00 a.m.

Visit the Human Resources 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 the "Campus Groups" section and select the “Workplace Violence Prevention Group.”)

An online refresher course is also available on ANGEL for employees who completed the Workplace Violence Prevention training last year.

While becoming more adept at basic technology skills and applications, today’s teacher candidates seem to lack understanding in how technology can be used to gauge student learning. Learn about the use of clickers in education methods coursework as both a testing tool for content knowledge and a demonstration of best practices in assessment during this professional development webinar on Wednesday, September 12, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Professional Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B. Presented by Roxanne Sorrick, department chair and director of teacher education at Hiram College. There was no opportunity to preview this webinar.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=2906.

Voice control, touch control, gesture control, and other assistive technologies are now becoming part of mainstream consumer products. iPad apps such as Verbally allow low-cost access to assistive technologies by using a single device that can mimic other assistive technologies as well. Concepts such as Universal Design are becoming part of technology development, not only to provide access for people with disabilities but also to make technology simple and intuitive enough for everyone's use. Come and discuss the changing face of assistive technologies and how we can bring Universal Design to education during this professional development workshop on Wednesday, September 12, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Professional Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B. Presented by Ken Fujiuchi. A light lunch will be provided.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=2909.

All eligible classified and unclassified employees may observe the following holidays in academic year 2012–2013 without charge to accruals:

Labor Day
Monday, September 3, 2012

Columbus Day*
Monday, October 8, 2012

Election Day**
Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Veterans Day***
Sunday, November 11, 2012

Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 22, 2012

Christmas Day
Tuesday, December 25, 2012

New Year’s Day
Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, January 21, 2013

Lincoln’s Birthday**
Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Washington’s Birthday
Monday, February 18, 2013

Memorial Day
Monday, May 27, 2013

Independence Day
Thursday, July 4, 2013

*Classes are scheduled on Columbus Day. Classified employees who are required to work on this holiday will be compensated according to their holiday waiver. If you have not filed a holiday waiver with the Payroll Office, you will receive holiday pay as stipulated in the contract. UUP-represented employees and M/C employees who are eligible to observe holidays and are required to work on a holiday shall be granted a compensatory day off. The compensatory day off shall be scheduled at a time agreeable to the employee and his or her supervisor within one year of when the holiday recurs.

**The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations has notified all state agencies that floating holidays have been designated in lieu of fixed holidays for Election Day 2012 and Lincoln’s Birthday 2013 for all employees except those represented by PBANYS. UUP-represented employees observe Election Day on the day after Thanksgiving: Friday, November 23, 2012. Classes are scheduled on both floating holidays, so all other eligible employees who work on those dates will receive credit for a holiday and may arrange with their supervisors to use the credit(s) on a date of their choice before the holiday recurs. Security services unit employees will receive vacation leave on these dates.

***By law, holidays that fall on a Sunday are observed by the state on the following Monday.

Want a meal for only $5? Then stop into the Campbell Student Union Food Court for a WOW Deal! WOW Deals are offered every day from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and are available at every platform. 

August and September WOW Deals of the month:

Train Grill: footlong hot dog and a fountain beverage
Chop'd: garden salad and a fountain beverage
2.mato: One slice, one pizza log, and a fountain beverage
Salsarita's: two tacos and a fountain beverage
Bluw: veggie stir fry and a fountain beverage
The Strip: two beef patties and a fountain beverage

For more information on Buffalo State Dining and to find out how faculty and staff can save 10 percent when they use their Bengal Bucks, visit www.dineoncampus.com/bsc.

The Small Business Development Center presents “Survive and Thrive: Essentials for Starting Your Own Business,” a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Wednesday, September 12, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Specific topics will include creating a business plan; competition analysis; and tax, legal, and insurance issues. The workshop is free for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and U.S. military veterans and $20 for all others.

Registration will take place immediately before the workshop, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. To register in advance, please visit www.buffalostate.edu/sbdc or call the SBDC at ext. 4030.