In compliance with the PBANYS collective bargaining agreement ratified on January 31, 2012, there will be a NYSHIP rate change effective April 1, 2012. As a result of the rate change, there is a Special Option Transfer Period March 1 through March 30, 2012.

The new health insurance rates and complete details can be viewed on the Human Resource Management website. PBANYS employees who wish to change their health insurance plans must do so by 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. No action is required if you wish to keep your current health insurance option.

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.

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 2012 as you normally do.

If you have any questions, please contact 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 the diverse needs of international students and scholars on Thursday, March 29, and Thursday, April 12, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center conference room.

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

All interested faculty and staff members are encouraged to participate by sending an e-mail to either Hanne Bratsberg or Jean F. Gounard.

The continuing story of our community’s twenty-first-century growing refugee population is presented in a special photographic exhibition, Buffalo: Through Their Eyes, on view in E. H. Butler Library through March.

For centuries, people from around the world seeking asylum have made Western New York their home. Graduate students in MST 660: Museums and Society have installed this traveling exhibition of 15 photographs taken by members of Buffalo’s refugee community. The photographs document their experiences, choices, and accomplishments while adjusting to life in Western New York and present intimate moments with family, at school, and at work. The exhibit represents people from Bhutan, Thailand, Burma, and the Republic of the Congo.

The photographs are on display on the library mezzanine (second level). The exhibition is presented by the Buffalo State museum studies program in cooperation with the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, Journey's End Refugee Services, and CEPA Gallery.

Explore and learn about Southeast Asia during Southeast Asia Week, sponsored by the Geography and Planning Department and the Center for Southeast Asia Environment and Sustainable Development, featuring the following film and lectures:

Ancient Megastructure of Angkor Wat
Tuesday, March 13
12:15–1:30 p.m.
Bulger Communication Center W2
This film uncovers secrets behind the construction of the timeless, beautiful, and revolutionary structure of the majestic temple Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which has captured the awe and imagination of modern-day engineers and architects around the world.

Climate Change: Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Measures in Urban Areas of Southeast Asia
by Kim Irvine, professor, Geography and Planning Department
Wednesday, March 14
4:30–5:45 p.m.
Classroom Building C122

Thailand’s Catastrophic Flood of 2011: Impacts and Management Strategies
by Thitirat Chaosakul, Ph.D. candidate, Environmental Engineering and Management Program, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
Thursday, March 15
12:15–1:30 p.m.
Bulger Communication Center W2

Refreshments will be served. All questions should be directed to Vida Vanchan, ext. 5209.

Do you play golf? Are you looking for a fun group to play with this summer? If so, consider joining the 2012 Buffalo State Golf League! The 9-hole league plays Tuesday afternoons beginning May 8 at Arrowhead Golf Club in Akron. Foursomes, threesomes, twosomes, or individual play are available. The league is coed, and golfers of all levels are welcome. For more information and league details, please contact Joe Ball, league president, at jball223@verizon.net.

This interactive workshop will enable participants to gain new insights about how they work with others throughout the writing process. Participants will also develop new skills and enthusiasm for transforming the solitary scholarship experience into one that (when shared) can include candor and celebration. The presenters, Jan Stivers, associate professor of special education at Marist College, and Sharon Cramer, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emerita of exceptional education at Buffalo State, have collaborated long distance on two joint articles and a research project resulting in a book, A Teacher’s Guide to Change (Corwin Press, 2009). They have also served as informal resources to each other on independent projects. Join them on Wednesday, March 28, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m in E. H. Butler Library 210.

Browse titles about academic writing at the book fair hosted by Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State. A light breakfast will be available from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=2727.

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 Smashed Burger. Enjoy a single Smashed Burger, small fries, and a fountain beverage for only $4.99!

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

Employees in the CSEA and PEF bargaining units are reminded that any vacation accrual balances that exceed 45 days on April 1, 2012, must be adjusted downward to stay within the maximum allowed by the NYS attendance rules and the agreements between the public employees unions and the State of New York.

If your vacation balance exceeds 337.50 hours (for employees who work a 7½-hour day) or 360 hours (for employees who work an 8-hour day), you may wish to request to use vacation time before April 1 to avoid losing leave accruals.

Because of the implementation of the new Statewide Financial System (SFS), the last day that Procurement Services can accept purchase requisitions is Friday, March 9. The shutdown of the current system will be from approximately March 16 through April 18.

• No purchase orders can be processed during this time.
• No payments to vendors or reimbursements to people can be processed during this time. This does not affect payroll.
• Submit a requisition for all your needs for the March 16 to April 18 period before 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 9.
• All requisitions received after 4:00 p.m. on March 9 will be held until the system is up and running, approximately April 18.

Please call Procurement Services at ext. 4113 with questions.

The Nutrition Club of the Dietetics and Nutrition Department will provide hearty, homemade soups on Tuesday, March 13, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in Caudell Hall 118. Choice of seafood chowder, Buffalo chicken wing soup, or pasta fagioli (vegetarian) with bread, fruit, and water for just $5. (Brownies $1.) Pick up or eat in.

Advance orders accepted. Respond by Friday, March 9: andrewkg01@mail.buffalostate.edu.