Join us for a day-and-a-half-long "Democracy School" workshop, designed and delivered by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and offered at Buffalo State College.

In existence and delivered across the country since 2003, the Democracy School is a stimulating and illuminating course that teaches citizens and activists how to reframe exhausting and often discouraging peace, social justice, and environmental issues—such as international peace and development, civil liberties, national and international environmental issues, food and water security, war, toxic dumps, quarries, factory farms, and hydraulic fracturing—in a way that can confront corporate control on a powerful single front: people’s constitutional rights.

• When: Friday, March 30 (6:30–9:30 p.m.) and Saturday, March 31 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.)
• Where: Caudell Hall 219
• Cost: Free to Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff
• Registration: Limited to 20 participants. To register, please contact Kyeonghi Baek, ext. 6227, or Stephen Gareau, ext. 4923.

The workshop is sponsored by faculty members of the Political Science and Computer Information Systems departments, with funding support provided by the Faculty-Student Association of Buffalo State.

On behalf of the Buffalo State College 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.
 

Applications for the new Ann Frank Project Fellowship Awards ($500) are due Friday, March 23. Spring break is an excellent opportunity to apply!

The Academic Affairs Office and the Anne Frank Project are proud to announce the AFP Fellowship Program.  Individual incentives of $500 will be awarded to 10 Buffalo State faculty members who show evidence of connecting the themes and content of the Anne Frank Project’s annual conference, AFP 2012: Embracing Responsibility, into one course they will teach during the 2012–2013 academic year. Two faculty members will be selected from each academic school at Buffalo State: the School of Arts and Humanities, the School of Education, the School of Natural and Social Sciences, the School of the Professions, and University College.

More than 5,000 students and faculty, staff, and community members have participated in Buffalo State’s annual diversity, creativity, and tolerance conference. The Anne Frank Project is an ideal classroom common experience for important topics like social justice, conflict resolution, hate crimes, bullying, reconciliation, forgiveness, and the moral dilemmas facing crimes against humanity. Join the AFP family by directly connecting the AFP 2012 conference content to your courses and students by developing ideas throughout your future curriculum.

For complete AFP fellowship details and applications, visit www.theannefrankproject.com/afp2012-fellowship-program.html. For AFP2102 conference details, visit www.theannefrankproject.com/afp2012.html or contact AFP director Drew Kahn, ext. 5221.

The deadline for the first round of proposals for the Anne Frank Project's 2012 conference, AFP2012: Embracing Responsibility, is Monday, April 2.  

This first round is reserved for Buffalo State College faculty, staff, and students. Future proposal rounds will be open to the regional and national communities, so get your proposals in before April 2 to take advantage of priority consideration. This is Buffalo State's annual peace, diversity, and humanitarian initiative and has become a great way to expose the multiple talents and expertise on our campus.

Please encourage your students to submit proposals; it is an excellent opportunity for their voices to be heard!

For more information, the AFP2012 Call for Proposals, and the simple online submission form, visit www.theannefrankproject.com/afp2012.html. With spring break approaching, its a great opportunity to submit your proposal and help Buffalo State change the world this September.

Demolition of the center staircase in the Campbell Student Union is scheduled to start Wednesday, March 14, and continue for approximately 30 to 45 days between the hours of 3:00 and 11:00 p.m. Building visitors and occupants can expect these periods to be accompanied by very loud noise that is usually associated with a demolition of this scale.

We have made accommodations to minimize disruption to offices immediately adjacent to the demolition.

The purpose of the Citibank Visa Corporate Procurement Card is to establish a more efficient, cost-effective method of purchasing and payment for small dollar purchases. The Procurement Card enables cardholders to make authorized purchases directly from a supplier without processing the traditional paperwork. Cardholders can make purchases up to $2,500 per transaction with the Procurement Card.

Use of the card is strictly limited to the purchase of commodities for official state use. Cardholders will be responsible for reimbursing the State of New York for any charges incurred as a result of misuse or fraudulent use of the card.

Examples of authorized and unauthorized uses of the Procurement Card are as follows:

Authorized Purchases (up to $2,500)

• Items on a centralized commodity ("P") contract. (“P” contracts are centralized New York State contracts awarded by the Office of General Services.)
• Maintenance or repairs of equipment
• Books
• Supplies and materials
• General equipment under $2,500
• Film processing
• Printing
• Registration fees for conferences and seminars
• Subscriptions
• Memberships
• Shipping charges (UPS, Federal Express, DHL, etc.)
• Freight
• Approved trademark items

Unauthorized Purchases

• Personal use
• Meals, refreshments, alcoholic beverages, coffee service, restaurants, food for departmental parties, etc.
• Orders exceeding the $2,500 limit
• Items purchased separately that, when purchased together, would exceed the $2,500 limit (i.e., split ordering).
• Computer systems (peripherals and components to be added to an existing system are OK)
• Gasoline
• Medical services
• Cash advances
• Cash back on purchases
• Cash refunds on purchases
• Cash refunds on returns
• Controlled substances (e.g., narcotics, prescription drugs)
• Live animals
• Radioactive materials
• Specialty gases or cylinder rentals
• Instances when a written agreement needs to be signed by a representative of the college (e.g., software license)
• Contracted services from an individual
• Leases, insurance
• Travel (e.g., airline, car rental, lodging, restaurant, etc.)
• Entertainment (e.g., movies, theater, concerts, etc.)
• Unapproved trademark items
• Rents, leases, insurance
• Non-employee compensation (payments for any personal services)
• Gift certificates, gift cards
• Gifts and flowers
• Savings bonds
• Holiday decorations, cards, or party supplies

An electronic version of the Procurement Card Manual is available on the Procurement Services website.

Please call Procurement Services at ext. 4113 if you have any questions.

Over the last few weeks, you might have noticed two objects that look like bright stars in the sky after sunset. They are actually the planets Venus and Jupiter, and they have been moving closer to each other in our sky. They will reach their closest alignment on Thursday, after which they will appear to move farther apart as we move out of March and into April. Venus is the brighter of the two objects, but Jupiter is very bright as well. While viewing these objects in the west, you can also turn to the east and see the red-orange object that is the planet Mars.

To learn more about these celestial objects as well as bright stars and constellations of the March sky, attend the planetarium show "Shorter Nights: Passage into Spring," which will be held on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. now through March 24.

For more information and for schedule updates, visit the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium website or call ext. 4911. These shows typically fill up, so reservations are strongly recommended.

Representatives from BIO-RAD Laboratories will visit Buffalo State to demonstrate equipment from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Science Building 250 (conference room) on Thursday, March 15. They plan to bring the following instruments to campus that day:

MiniOption PCR, CFX qPCR, Thermocyclers and Blocks, Experion Automated Electrophoresis System, GelDoc EZ Imager, ChemiDocMP Imager, Trans Blot Turbo Blotter, Smart Spec, BioRad Gel Systems, and BioRad Power Supplies

Also on March 15, Sherri Andrews, Ph.D., curriculum and training specialist at BIO-RAD, will present "Introduction to qPCR" at 12:30 p.m. in Classroom Building B119. Refreshments will be served before the seminar.

The Buffalo State College women and gender studies program will host a reception today, March 14, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the lobby of E. H. Butler Library for the Women's History Month 2012 exhibition, honoring the women of Buffalo State College (faculty, staff, students, and alumnae) who contributed their artistic and creative works to the exhibition. Refreshments will be served. The exhibition runs from March 2 to March 30 in the library lobby display cases.

Buffalo State Dining is now offering a WOW Deal of the Day every Wednesday at a select location in the Campbell Student Union Food Court from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Today's WOW Deal will be offered at Sub Generation. Enjoy any 6-inch sub and a fountain beverage for only $4.99!

For more information on WOW Deals and Buffalo State Dining, visit our website.