Learn to meditate. Spend some quiet time to sit with others in a safe place. All students, staff, faculty, and friends are welcome to attend this weekly and ongoing group every Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Weigel Health Center 203 (conference room). Strenghten your mind. Calm your mental chatter. No experience necessary.

Contact Trudy Stern for more information.

The following first-year student and faculty awards were given during the First-Year Convocation ceremony on August 22:

Outstanding First-Year Student Contribution to Campus Life

Catherine Guichardo: Criminal Justice Major

Catherine Guichardo began her campus life involvement very early in her first semester as president of Neumann Hall. Guichardo led her residence hall government and worked with the Residence Life staff to develop programming for residential students. She was elected to represent Buffalo State at the national conference of Residence Hall Associations and was selected to serve on Buffalo State’s Residence Hall Association Programming Task Force to revise the programming model for residential students. Additionally, Guichardo is the founding member of Buffalo State’s chapter of Students for Education Reform and currently serves as its public advocacy director. She has been active in the Criminal Justice Club and has volunteered with the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center, the American Red Cross, and the Richmond Summer Recreation Center for the Elderly.

Outstanding First-Year Student Scholarly or Creative Achievement

Jordan Burby: Communication Design Major

According to Design Department faculty members, Jordan Burby is among the most talented and high-achieving students in their experience at Buffalo State. Carol Townsend, associate professor and coordinator of design foundations, said, "In our beginning design courses, we introduce students to the 'design process,' which is a series of steps through which one follows to arrive at a good solution—in other words, a creative problem-solving template. The average student will spend precious time initially attempting to snare a workable concept and, by the time the project is due, has rushed through the final and most critical parts of the process. Jordan, on the other hand, much like a professional designer, generates a series of workable concepts up front. He is then able to luxuriate in the rest of the process, fine-tuning, making painstaking adjustments. Thus he is able to delve deeply into the 'nuts and bolts' of design. This ability to think on his feet bodes extremely well for his future as a designer. He is inventive, enthusiastic, intelligent, cooperative, and responsible. He is a self-starter who is prepared, disciplined, and highly motivated."

Outstanding Faculty/Staff Contribution to First-Year Student Success

Jude Jayatilleke: Academic Adviser/Counselor, EOP

Jude Jayatilleke has a distinguished career that demonstrates a commitment to excellence in advising, teaching, and mentoring first-year students. He has been an academic adviser and counselor for the Educational Opportunity Program for six years. He plays a key role on the EOP Extended Summer Program Planning Committee and is extremely dedicated to making sure that incoming freshmen know what to expect their first year of college. He is also an adjunct instructor for UNC 100. According to one of Jayatilleke’s advisees, “Mr. Jude has enabled me to stay involved in my campus community through the first-year EOP mentoring program, McNair Scholars Program, and Mrs. Eve’s Project Joy. All experiences have led me to meet great people who have influenced my success here at Buffalo State. I appreciate his consistent dedication and motivation in my success, and I truly believe Mr. Jude’s mentoring is one of many factors that contributed to the young woman I am today. Mr. Jude deserves this opportunity to receive this award because he possesses many qualities of a great leader and motivator."

New York State restricts state employees from doing business with the campus or other state agencies if the value of the procurement is over $25 unless a competitive bid is held. NYS Public Officers Law § 73(4) (a) states:

“No statewide elected official, state officer or employee, member of the legislature, legislative employee or political party chairman or firm or association of which such person is a member, or corporation, ten per centum or more of the stock of which is owned or controlled directly or indirectly by such person, shall (i) sell any goods or services having a value in excess of twenty-five dollars to any state agency, or (ii) contract for or provide such goods or services with or to any private entity where the power to contract, appoint or retain on behalf of such private entity is exercised, directly or indirectly, by a state agency or officer thereof, unless such goods or services are provided pursuant to an award or contract let after public notice and competitive bidding.”

In other words, if you own a company or are part owner of a company outside of your employment with Buffalo State/New York State, then a competitive bid must be held before you can be awarded any business with Buffalo State or other state agency if the value of the work will be more than $25. If you have any questions as to whether a potential procurement is appropriate, please call Procurement Services at ext. 4113 before a purchase requisition is submitted.

Applications for the Robert J. Elmes Jr. Memorial Scholarship are now available for the fall 2012 semester. All CSEA Local 640 members and their dependent children registered at Buffalo State for at least 3 credit hours for the fall 2012 semester may apply for the $250 scholarship. Applications were mailed to all CSEA members and must be completed and returned to Mary Codick in Caudell Hall 101 by Tuesday, September 4. If you did not receive an application or need a new one, please contact Codick at codickme@buffalostate.edu or ext. 6121. Thank you and good luck.

Resident Dining, located in the Campbell Student Union, will be closed today for dinner and will return to its normal hours of operation on Saturday, August 25. 

Hours of Operation for August 24 through August 25:

Food Court

Spot Coffee/Freshens
Friday: 4:00–9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.

Train Grill
Friday: 4:00–9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

2.mato
Friday: 4:00–9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 11:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.

Resident Dining

Friday
Breakfast: 7:00–10:30 a.m.
Lunch: 11:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
Dinner: Closed

Saturday 
Brunch: 10:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 4:30–8:30 p.m.

For more information on Buffalo State Dining and to find out how faculty and staff members can save 10 percent when they use their Bengal Bucks, visit our website.

Semester-long passes to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery for Buffalo State students are on sale now at the Rockwell Hall Box Office. The pass allows for unlimited visits to the gallery's permanent collection for the entire semester for only $6.

The Rockwell Hall Box Office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Campus House is a comfortable, quiet, and affordable spot on campus for lunch and socializing—designed especially for faculty and staff members and their guests.

We invite you to become a member of Campus House, where you will find fine dining and comfortable gathering spaces. Campus House is a teaching laboratory for our hospitality students as well as a social club for the Buffalo State community. Members can stop by for lunch or coffee, watch students at work in the open, state-of-the-art kitchen, or reserve space for business or social occasions.

Membership is open to all Buffalo State faculty, staff, emeriti, retirees, alumni, and select friends of the university.

Visit us at www.buffalostate.edu/campushouse/membership.

Networking hours resume Thursday, August 30, at 4:00 p.m.; the restaurant reopens on Tuesday, September 4, at 11:00 a.m.

New York State has recently implemented a new Statewide Financial System, and this implementation has coincided with our traditional fiscal-year shutdown. These extraordinary circumstances have caused an unusually large backlog in the processing of purchase requisitions.

We recognize the importance of each and every order and thank you for your patience during this time. We are working hard to process all requisitions as quickly as possible and hope to have the backlog processed within the next couple of weeks. We also encourage you to use the Procurement Card for any orders that must be placed immediately, are under $2,500, and that meet the Procurement Card guidelines. In the meantime, if you have any urgent procurement needs, please contact Steve Olsen or Anita Naumovski in Procurement Services, ext. 4113.

You are invited to "A Taste of Italy" on Monday, August 27, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Ristorante Lombardo, 1198 Hertel Avenue, in Buffalo. Enjoy contorni and antipasti paired with fine wines in the authentic ambiance of one of Buffalo's best Italian restaurants. Cost is $75 per person.

This event, sponsored by the Hospitality and Tourism Department and Ristorante Lombardo, will support global education and cultural tourism. A 10-day faculty-led study-abroad program is planned for March 2013. Proceeds from the event will be dedicated to student travel expenses.

R.S.V.P. to campushouse@buffalostate.edu.

Buffalo State is welcoming more than 3,000 new undergraduate and graduate students this week. Among the information provided to these new members of our campus community is a notice that Buffalo State is a tobacco-free campus, as recommended by the College Senate and approved by President Podolefsky on September 1, 2011. You may have already seen some of the many signs appearing on walkways with this message. Implementation of this policy with regard to employees represented by any of the campus unions will be subject to labor-management negotiation that will commence in the near future. Questions regarding the policy can be addressed to Hal D. Payne, vice president for student affairs, ext. 5550.