The International Student Affairs Office has officially established an International Student Orientation Fund that can receive donations at any time. The purpose of the initiative is to have funding that can cover the cost of taxi rides from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport to Buffalo State for international students when they arrive to move into their rooms. (International students will obtain a receipt for reimbursement.)

This program will apply only to those international students who have made prior reservations to live on campus.

The campus community is warmly invited to make donations to this special fund by calling the International Student Affairs Office at ext. 5331 or sending e-mail to Jean Gounard, director of international student affairs.

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 Student Social Hour, which allows all international students, scholars, and their friends to meet informally.

This special get-together takes place every Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Assembly Hall 1 of the Campbell Student Union.

Coffee, tea and other light refreshments are graciously shared.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday, November 20.

The Buffalo State Sustainability Council continues its Autumn Film Series with the screening of The Animal House on Thursday, November 21, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210. Some of the most amazing, creative, and innovative structures on earth are not manmade but are residences built by animals in the natural world. The Animal House investigates what goes into making a home when you’re wild and cost is not a factor. They may be single-use, multigenerational, or multipurpose; they may be anything from a small depression in the sand to a many-chambered tunnel, a nest, a burrow, or a mound; but for animals big and small, these dwellings are always impressive home sweet homes.

For additional information, please e-mail bssc@buffalostate.edu.

The 2013–2014 "Conversations in and out of the Disciplines" series continues at 3:00 p.m. Friday, November 22, as Julie Wieczkowski, assistant professor of anthropology, presents "Feeding Ecology of the Tana River Mangabey of Kenya" in Ketchum Hall 320. A short, informal wine-and-cheese reception will be held after the talk. Everyone is welcome.

Please also mark your calendars for the final talk this fall, when Mark Fulk. associate professor of English, presents "William Gilpin, Eliza Knipe, and the Limits of Picturesque Aesthetics in the English Lake District, c. 1780" on Friday, December 6, at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320.

Improve your test scores and minimize test anxiety by applying these time tested tips.

Test Troubles? Preparing for and Taking Tests in College
Tuesday, November 19
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Bacon Hall 220
Presenter: Elizabeth Stevens

Lecturer Jon Lines and Assistant Professor Peter Yacobucci of the Political Science Department invite all members of the campus community to the third of this semester's law luncheons on Tuesday, November 19, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205, with our invited speaker, Judge E. Jeannette Ogden.

Ogden was appointed to the Buffalo City Court in June 1995 and was elected to the position in 1995 and 2005. In January 2001, she was appointed acting county court judge. The appointment was expanded to acting family court judge in January 2003. Ogden currently serves on all three courts and has presided over thousands of criminal and civil cases. Prior to her judicial appointment, she worked as a trial lawyer for CIGNA Insurance Companies defending corporations, school districts, hospitals, and municipalities while operating her own private general law practice. Ogden is also a former prosecutor with the Erie County District Attorney's Office and a former assistant Erie County attorney. She is a graduate of the Buffalo Public Schools and SUNY Buffalo State, where she earned a degree in criminal justice and periodically returns to teach. She received her juris doctor degree from the University at Buffalo Law School, where she now instructs courses in trial technique and mental health issues in criminal law. Ogden has worked as an adjunct instructor with the University at Buffalo Law School for 16 years.

Please take this opportunity to interact with an esteemed member of the local legal community on an informal basis to ask questions on a wide variety of topics. Lunch will be provided through the fifth annual SUNY Explorations in Diversity and Academic Excellence Initiative.

If you are interested in attending, RSVP to Peter Yacobucci.

The Center for Health and Social Research at Buffalo State is accepting donations for the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign. Please bring new, unwrapped toys to the donation box outside room A203 in the Classroom Building. We will be collecting toys now through December 13. The donation box will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation's most valuable natural resources—our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

The Center for Health and Social Research is proud to support this worthy cause. Please call Rob Skutnik at ext. 6137 for more information.

Thanks for your support.

Buffalo State Dining is excited to announce that Choc-o-late, the new dining venue located in the Technology Building, opens today. Choc-o-late features a variety of hot chocolates, gourmet coffee blends, a bagel bar with a selection of flavored cream cheeses, and fresh-made Spanish pastries. Also available is an upscale deli line including homemade paninis, sandwiches, and wraps.

Choc-o-late Hours of Operation
Monday–Friday: 7:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday: Closed

For more information on Buffalo State Dining, visit our website or follow us on Twitter.

Call for Nominations: Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Classified Service

Nominations will be accepted through Monday, February 10, 2014, for the 2013–2014 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Classified Service. This SUNY system-level award recognizes superior performance and extraordinary achievement by classified-service employees. Members of the Buffalo State community are encouraged to submit nominations for deserving colleagues.

The nomination form and award guidelines are available online.

Thank you.

The School of Education is developing a new opportunity for teacher education candidates to delve into German schools and culture. This spring semester we will welcome our second cohort of German education students to Buffalo to live and work with area teachers, meet with Buffalo State students and faculty, and tour Western New York.

In July 2014, we will take our first cohort from Buffalo to Stuttgart. During this two-week experience, elementary, middle, and secondary education students will visit German schools and universities, tour local museums and historical sites, meet European teacher candidates, and live with German families. This is a non-credit-bearing experience open to all currently enrolled teacher education candidates. Flights, lodging, meals, and excursions will be organized through the School of Education. Space is limited.

Please share the flier with your colleagues and students across our campus and community and invite all to attend one (or both) of the information sessions—November 18 and December 3 at 3:00 p.m. in Caudell Hall 215—to learn more.