The deadline to remove I grades (incompletes) issued for the fall 2011 semester is Friday, March 30. The following excerpt is from the 2011–2012 Undergraduate Catalog:

Incomplete Grades
An incomplete grade is converted to a letter grade by the 10th week of the following spring or fall semester. If the work is not completed by that time, the instructor will submit a grade based upon the amount of work completed. If the instructor who granted the incomplete is not able to evaluate the student’s fulfillment of course requirements during the stipulated time period, the chair or program coordinator is responsible for changing the grade. Anyone not completing the course requirements within this time will automatically have a grade of E recorded.

Each year, no matter when warm weather arrives, we must decide when to start air-conditioning the buildings that have the largest cooling systems: the Classroom Building, Cleveland Hall, Bulger Communication Center, E. H. Butler Library, and the Campbell Student Union.

Unlike heating systems, air-conditioning systems for these large buildings cannot be turned on and off on a daily or weekly basis. A large percentage of piping and other infrastructure is located on each rooftop, making it susceptible to freezing or near-freezing temperatures. System fractures, which are not easily detected or repaired, are costly and can jeopardize cooling capabilities for an entire season.

For this reason, we generally wait until the long-range nighttime low temperatures are consistently predicted to be 49 degrees or above before activating the largest building chillers.

We understand that warm indoor temperatures may be uncomfortable for a time, but we ask that you please bear with us as we stay tuned to the National Weather Service for further, more assuring prognoses.

Thank you.

There is still time to apply for National Student Exchange for the 2012–2013 academic year. Please let your students know of this great opportunity to attend one of the 200 campuses within the United States or Canada! Tell them to visit South Wing 420 for an application or contact me for a classroom visit. Don’t let this great opportunity pass your students by! Thank you.

That's right, the party will be in the pool! Aqua Zumba will be held every Monday, starting March 26, through April 30. Classes are free and will be held from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. in Kissinger Pool in the Houston Gym.

No swim experience is needed, as all you'll be doing is dancing in the water.

If you're not a fan of the pool, regular Zumba classes are still taking place Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the dance studio, Houston Gym 213.

Make sure to bring water and dress comfortably and accordingly. Hope to see you there.

For more information, please contact Deidrinelle Rouse, ext. 5806.

Mary McCourt, associate professor of chemistry at Niagara University, will present her seminar "Urine-Based Biomarkers for Breast Cancer Detection: Towards the Development of a Pre-mammogram Screen" during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) on Thursday, March 29, in Science Building 220. This is part of the Spring 2012 Chemistry/Physics Seminar Series, sponsored by the Auxiliary Services Grant Allocation Committee, the Vice President for Student Affairs Office, and the Faculty-Student Association.

[Abstract]

The leading cause of death for women in the 55-to-65 age group is breast cancer. A successful outcome very much depends on early diagnosis and effective treatment choices. Research shows that cancer cells have a different metabolism than normal cells. Recent work has attempted to use these metabolic differences as a screen to develop biomarkers for various diseases using a number of tissues and biofluids. Several research groups have shown that the metabolic products of choline synthesis are associated with breast cancer. The present study tests the hypothesis that the presence of breast cancer and precancerous breast lesions can be identified from metabolite concentrations in the urine. The discipline of metabolomics uses instrumentation such as the NMR spectrometer to detect the presence and concentration differences of metabolites. Statistical analyses then determine any correlation with disease status. This experimental and statistical approach allows for a tight focus on the disease state and the controlled assessment of other co-factors. Initial focus on analysis of the aqueous phase of four representative cell line extracts using NMR suggests that the normal, mortal HMEC, the benign, immortalized MCF12A, and the invasive carcinomas MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 are differentiable when looking at three regions of the spectrum below the water-suppressed region. These regions reflect choline metabolites as well as amino acid metabolites including leucine. Statistically speaking, the four representative cell lines can be seen as falling into discrete regions using the PCA method. Pairwise comparison of the data from the HMEC cells to the individual cell lines suggested a differentiation of normal, mortal HMEC from cell lines representing both immortalized and tumorigenic states. Simultaneous comparison of the data from all four HBEC reveals maintenance of the separation between normal cells and invasive carcinoma cells. The fundamental longer-term goal of this project is to identify markers in urine that differentiate stages of breast cancer in a unique way. The biomarker panel developed can then be tested for its usefulness as a predictive screen.

On behalf of the Buffalo State Campus Intercultural Communications Committee, the International Student Affairs Office is delighted to invite all internationally minded faculty, staff, and students to attend our well-known weekly International Social Hour, which allows all international students, scholars, and their friends to meet informally.

This special informal weekly get-together takes place every Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 208. Coffee, tea, and other light refreshments are graciously shared.

E. H. Butler Library has acquired the Britannica Image Quest database, which includes more than 2 million images that are rights-cleared for noncommercial educational use. Most subject areas are covered, and the images come from a wide variety of sources, such as the National Geographic Society, Getty Images, Oxford Scientific, the National Portrait Gallery, and Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Links to Britannica Image Quest are available in many places on the library’s web page, including the Library Databases A-Z link, the “Find Multimedia” section (Images tab) of the Research dropdown menu, and in selected library Subject Guides. Links to the Databases A-Z list and all Subject Guides are on the left side of the library’s web page. 

Feel free to share this information with any Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff. If you have any questions, please contact Al Riess, electronic database librarian, or call ext. 6320.

NYSHIP is offering an Opt-Out Program to PBANYS employees that will take effect on April 1. This program will allow eligible employees who have other employer-sponsored group health insurance to opt out of their NYSHIP coverage in exchange for an incentive payment. The other coverage cannot be NYSHIP coverage provided through employment with the State of New York. The annual incentive payment is $1,000 for waiving individual coverage or $3,000 for waiving family coverage.

To be eligible for the program, you must have been enrolled in NYSHIP by April 1, 2011, and remain enrolled through March 31, 2012, unless you became newly eligible for NYSHIP benefits after April 1, 2011.

If you are currently enrolled in NYSHIP and wish to participate in the Opt-Out Program, you must elect to opt out during the Special Option Transfer Period, which ends March 30, 2012, and attest to having other employer-sponsored group health insurance.

The complete Opt-Out Program description, including eligibility requirements and enrollment forms, is available in Cleveland Hall 410 or on the Human Resource Management website.

Please call Human Resources at ext. 4821 with questions or for additional information.

The health insurance Special Option Transfer Period ends on Friday, March 30. The new health insurance rates, effective April 1, 2012, can be viewed on the Human Resource Management website.

PBANYS employees who wish to change their health insurance plans during the Special Option Transfer Period have until Friday, March 30. If you wish to make a change during this Special Option Transfer Period, you must complete and return the option transfer form to Cleveland Hall 410.

You may want to review "Choices," a summary of health insurance plans, before you decide to change insurance carriers or to remain with your current carrier for your health insurance coverage.

No action is required if you wish to keep your current health insurance option.

Please note: The regular annual Option Transfer Period held at the end of the calendar year will be available, and you will have the opportunity to review health insurance plan options and rates for 2013 as you normally do.

If you have questions, please call Human Resource Management at ext. 4821.

The International Student Affairs Office and the International Center for Studies in Creativity are pleased to present a seminar on cross-cultural awareness on Thursday, March 29, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center conference room.

This seminar will present a discussion on the diverse needs of international students and scholars with engaging stories of shared experiences on the Buffalo State campus. French hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be provided.

All interested faculty and staff are encouraged to participate; R.S.V.P. to Jean F. Gounard.