Ronnie Podolefsky, an attorney practicing in the areas of civil rights, employment law, and mediation, will speak on Tuesday, April 10, at 4:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210 as part of Buffalo State's Leadership Lecture Series. She is married to Aaron Podolefsky, president of Buffalo State College. Her talk is open to the campus community.

Let Buffalo State Dining help you get in shape so you can look and feel your best for the upcoming summer months! How much do you really know about what you eat? What are your personal goals? Take advantage of this great opportunity to sit down and talk to Jillian Troiano, Buffalo State Dining's registered dietitian. 

Plate Assessments will take place today in Bengal Hall, located in the Campbell Student Union, from noon to 1:00 p.m. Enter with a meal swipe or door price of $8.39.

For more information on Buffalo State Dining, please visit our website.

The Buffalo State College Rotaract Club (student Rotary Club) is sponsoring a theme-basket raffle to benefit the End Polio Now campaign and the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo. There are two theme baskets: “Night Off,” which includes gift certificates to two prominent Buffalo restaurants—Romeo and Juliet’s Bakery and Café and Shango Bistro and Wine Bar—and many other items to enjoy; and “Healthy Eating/Healthy Living,” which includes gift cards to Dick’s Sporting Goods and Wegmans, and other items to help you live healthier.

Raffle tickets are on sale in Caudell Hall 207 for $1 each.

The deadline for Buffalo State’s program in Siena, Italy, has been extended to Friday, April 20. Two airfare scholarships have just become available for fall (approximate value $1,300 each), and applicants will automatically be considered for a series of other Siena scholarships.

Italian 101 will be offered at Buffalo State this summer, May 14–25. Students can also meet the language prerequisite through private tutoring or online coursework. The requirement does not need to have been completed at the time of application.

Interested students can find more information and can apply at http://buffalostate.studioabroad.com.

Limited reservations for display cases, advertising tables, and the two conference rooms in the Game Room of the Campbell Student Union will be accepted starting Monday, April 9. Please remember: because of renovations, there will be no access to the third floor (Social Hall, Assembly Hall, Fireside Lounge) for the fall 2012 semester, and tabling in the lobby will be very limited. You may submit a reservation online beginning Monday, April 9.

Student Employment Week is April 9–13! Here are some ways that you can celebrate your student workers:

- An office potluck, pizza, or snack party
- Gift certificates to the bookstore for student workers
- Thank-you cards or “thank-you grams” for student workers
- Flowers, balloons, candy, or gift certificates left in the students' work areas
- Banners in your office that read “Thank You, Student Employees!”

The Career Development Center also has planned the following activities:

• Thank-you pens will be delivered to campus offices. If you need additional pens for your students, please contact the CDC.
   
• Where’s ORCA? Facebook Contest! Students should go to the BuffState Career Development Facebook page and tell us where ORCA is working! New pictures will be posted each day for chances to win a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card! The winner will be selected on Friday.
   
• Student Employment Awards Reception. Monday, April 9, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210 (R.S.V.P. to ext. 5811).
   
• Need a Summer Job? Wednesday, April 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby. Students can stop by and get help looking for and applying for summer jobs.
   
• Free popcorn. Thursday, April 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby (quantities are limited).

Thank you for supporting the Career Development Center and your student workers!

Distinguished alumnus and NCAA vice president of communications Bob Williams, '79, will host two on-campus discussions open to faculty, staff, students, and alumni on Thursday April 12.

“The College Sports Landscape: Separating Fact from Myth”
12:15–1:30 p.m.
Bulger Communication Center North

As the chief communications officer and primary spokesman for the NCAA, Williams will discuss the mission of the association, how the organization is governed, college sports reform initiatives, and the challenges of executing the communications strategy for the world’s leading college sports governing body. His emphasis will focus on leading a communications effort in the digital age. A question-and-answer session will follow his remarks.

“The Power of Diversity in Higher Education”
3:00–4:30 p.m.
E. H. Butler Library 208

Williams will lead a compelling discussion with a focus the NCAA’s long history of promoting diversity within and among its approximately 1,200 member colleges and universities, conferences, and organizations. Why does the NCAA believes so deeply in diversity and inclusion? A recent joint report from the American Council on Education and the American Association of University Professors noted that diversity education “extends the meaning of personal, social, and moral growth and improves the capacity of college and universities to achieve their missions.” By a margin of more than three to one, those who have an opinion say that diversity programs in colleges and universities raise rather than lower academic standards. In addition, high-performance teams most often include diversity of social and life experiences, educational paths, and cultural backgrounds. Moreover, highly diverse and inclusive organizations perform better and excel at higher levels than those that are not diverse. A question-and-answer session will follow his remarks. This session is sponsored by the President's Council on Equity and Campus Diversity and the Buffalo State NCBI Coalition Building Team.

Members from the campus community are encouraged to attend. Any questions can be directed to the Buffalo State Alumni Association, ext. 6001.

Members of the campus community are invited to discuss Buffalo State’s new tobacco-free campus policy in open forum meetings with Ty Patterson, director of the Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Campus Policy at Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) in Springfield, Missouri. Open forum sessions have been scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, April 10
4:00–5:30 p.m.
Cleveland Hall 205

Wednesday, April 11
8:30–10:00 a.m.
Cleveland Hall 418

Wednesday, April 11
4:00–5:30 p.m.
E. H. Butler Library 210

Patterson is the former vice president of student affairs at OTC and served as dean of students at Coffeyville Community College from 1975 to 1985; as a consultant on community-college transfers at Washburn University from 1985 to 1987; and as dean of student services at Kansas City Kansas Community College from 1987 to 1991. In 1997, Patterson was assigned to "look into getting tobacco off campus" by OTC president Norman Myers, and he subsequently led OTC's tobacco policy initiative to its implementation in 2003.

Patterson’s visit is intended to provide “best practice” advice for our community so we may better accomplish the goals set forth by this new college policy. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to meet with Patterson to raise any questions or concerns. 

Light refreshments will be available. Questions about this event can be addressed to Charles B. Kenyon, associate vice president and dean of students, at ext. 4618.

Saturday, April 7, is the deadline for ordering academic regalia rentals for Commencement with standard charges and guaranteed hood colors. Please visit the Commencement website for ordering information and to register to march in Commencement on Saturday, May 12.

Nadeen Bawab, senior philosophy and individualized studies major, will present "Why Aristotle Ignored My Friend Request" on Wednesday, April 11, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 205 as part of the Philosophy and Humanities Department's Faculty-Student Colloquium series. Senior philosophy major Joshua Demont will serve as commentator.