Come and celebrate the winter solstice and a bevy of local sightings with a screening of Magic of the Snowy Owl on Thursday, December 19, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210. Though "snowies" naturally stand out for their beauty, intelligence, and charm, in their eerie, bleak Arctic home it is their determination and survival skills that are truly magical. Snowy owls are built for the challenge of living where few other animals can persevere, their every sense and skill honed to take on their frozen world. And when the brief Arctic summer approaches, bringing light back to the tundra, they embark on an even more daunting challenge than keeping themselves alive. They breed and attempt to raise their young in one of the harshest environments on the planet. Once summer arrives, they will have just 82 days of sunlight to successfully raise a family of helpless owlets until they are ready and able to fly.

E-mail bssc@buffalostate.edu for further information.

The Opt-Out Program allows eligible employees who have other employer-sponsored group health insurance to opt out of their NYSHIP coverage in exchange for an incentive payment. The annual incentive payment is $1,000 for opting out of individual coverage or $3,000 for opting out of family coverage.

If you are currently enrolled in NYSHIP and wish to participate in the 2014 Opt-Out Program, you must elect to opt out during the annual Option Transfer Period and attest to having other employer-sponsored group health insurance. You must complete and return the NYS Health Insurance Transaction Form (PS-404) and the 2014 Opt-Out Attestation Form (PS-409) to Cleveland Hall 410 by Tuesday, December 31.

If you currently participate in the program and wish to participate in the 2014 Opt-Out Program, you must complete a new Health Insurance Transaction Form (PS-404) and a 2014 Opt-Out Attestation Form (PS-409). If you do not make the election by Tuesday, December 31, your enrollment in the Opt-Out Program will end and the incentive payment credited to your paycheck will stop. You must elect the Opt-Out Program on an annual basis.

The complete Opt-Out Program description, including eligibility requirements, is available on the Human Resource Management website.

Please call the Employee Benefits Office at ext. 4821 with questions or for additional information.

Paychecks and direct deposit slips for the pay period ending December 18, 2013, will be dated 12/31/13 and will be available for distribution in the Payroll Office, Cleveland Hall 408, on Monday, December 30, after 2:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, December 31, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

The Empire Plan Prescription Drug Program will be administered by CVS Caremark beginning January 1, 2014. Enrollees will be able to securely log on to the Empire Plan Prescription Drug Program website administered by CVS Caremark. With your secure log-on, you will be able to use all the website features, including mail-order prescription refills and drug pricing tools.

Click here for a temporary ID card: www.caremark.com/portal/asset/NYSHIP_TempID_Empire.pdf

Your Empire Plan mail-order prescriptions that have remaining refills available will automatically transfer from Express Scripts to CVS Caremark as of January 1. You must contact CVS Caremark to set up billing information before your first refill order. If any of your prescriptions have expired, you must submit new prescriptions to CVS Caremark.

For additional information or questions regarding your prescriptions, visit the Caremark website or call toll free (877) 769-7447, press 4, and select the option for your 2014 prescription benefits; the number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help you with your prescription drug needs.

Employees who wish to change their health insurance plan for the coming year have until Tuesday, December 31. We encourage you to complete the option transfer form and return it to Cleveland Hall 410 as soon as possible. The effective date of new coverage will be January 2, 2014.

The 2014 health insurance rates can be viewed on the Human Resource Management website. "Choices," a summary of the 2014 health insurance plans, is also available online. You may want to review the new rates and the "Choices" booklet before you decide whether 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 call the Employee Benefits Office at ext. 4821 with questions.

The Graduate Advisory Council announces a call for nominations for Outstanding Master’s Theses and Outstanding Master’s Projects. The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding student research and applied scholarship. Up to three thesis awards and three project awards will be made. Applications will be accepted for students who have graduated (or will graduate) in December 2012, May 2013, August 2013, or December 2013. Nominations may be made by thesis or project advisers, or by students themselves. Additional reviews are required from the department chair and one external evaluator.

Guidelines and forms are available on the Graduate School website.

The deadline for submission of nominations and evaluation forms to the Graduate School, Cleveland Hall 204, is Wednesday, February 12, 2014. Please direct questions to Marnie Letzelter, assistant to the dean of the Graduate School, ext. 5609.

The offices of Instructional Resources—including Instructional Design, Electronic Learning (Blackboard training), Classroom Technology Support, Multimedia Production, Computer Graphics, and Photographic Services—will be open by appointment only December 26,  27, 30, and 31. To make an appointment, please directly contact the staff person you wish to meet with. The office will return to regular hours on Thursday, January 2, 2014.

Please note the following changes in Buffalo State Dining's hours of operation during winter break:

Monday, December 16–Monday, December 30
Monday–Friday
Spot Coffee: 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
with the addition of Outtakes sandwiches, subs, and salads as well as hot meal options

Saturday–Sunday
All dining locations closed

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Thursday, January 2–Friday, January 3
Spot Coffee: 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
with the addition of Outtakes sandwiches, subs, and salads as well as hot meal options

Monday, January 6–Friday, January 24
Monday–Friday
Train Grill: 8:00–10:00 a.m.
2.mato: 10:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Spot Coffee: 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Saturday–Sunday
All dining locations closed

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Buffalo State Dining will be closed on the following days because of the holidays:
Tuesday and Wednesday, December 24 and 25
Tuesday, December 31
Wednesday, January 1
Monday, January 20

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

The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center (VSLC) will offer an interactive session for faculty members who are interested in service-learning pedagogy and are new to the practice of incorporating a community-based project into their courses on Wednesday, January 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 117. We welcome you to join us to explore service learning and the opportunity to engage students in community-based learning opportunities that meet course learning goals while also meeting identified needs in the community.

Topics will include

• an overview of the theory and practice of service-learning,
• support with converting a course to include a community-based project,
• discussion of effective methods of incorporating student reflection to connect the service and course learning.

Workshop leaders will be Gary Welborn, coordinator of community engagement and associate professor of sociology, and Laura Hill Rao, VSLC coordinator.

RSVP to Rose Coates, ext. 5811 or vslc@buffalostate.edu. We hope to see you there!

The campus community is invited to join in a remembrance ceremony today to observe the anniversary of the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012. The brief ceremony, which will begin at noon inside Rockwell Hall, will include a moment of silence and a ringing of the bells to honor each of the victims.