The campus community and the public are invited to attend Buffalo State’s fifth annual Veterans Day Silent March and Ceremony on Thursday, November 7, at 12:15 p.m. in the Student Union Quad. The Silent March will begin at 12:15 p.m. in Lot D-1 and proceed to the quad for the ceremony.

The ceremony will feature speaker Clinton Morano Sr., ’87, a Navy veteran who now serves as a special agent with the FBI. The 2013 Military Service Scholarship will also be formally awarded. A brief reception in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall will follow the ceremony.

All students who are now serving or who have served in any branch of the United States military or allied services, along with their spouses and dependents, are invited to take part in the fifth annual Silent March honoring veterans. Faculty and staff members who are veterans are also invited. To participate, meet in the parking lot of Chase Hall (lot D-1) at noon on Thursday, November 7. The march will proceed to the Student Union Quad at 12:15 p.m., where a ceremony celebrating Veterans Day will take place.

In accordance with the UUP Agreement, a 0.5 percent pool has been established for distribution of discretionary awards. Awards will be made as a lump-sum payment and will not be added to base annual salaries. Twenty-eight percent of the total pool is intended for distribution to part-time employees. Because information on the discretionary awards was received later than in previous years, the timeline for the process is accelerated in order to meet the deadline for payments in the December 18, 2013, paychecks.

The following documents are available online at www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/uup_disc_2013.asp:

• 2013 UUP Discretionary Award Schedule: www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/schedule.pdf
• 2013 UUP Discretionary Award Process Outline: www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/uup_disc_2013.asp
• 2013 UUP Discretionary Award Nomination Form: www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/nomination.docx

Please note that employees may self-nominate for a discretionary award by completing a nomination form and submitting it to their department chair, director, or associate vice president or other direct supervisor by Monday, October 21. Self-nominations and nominations initiated by supervisors and department heads will continue to be forwarded through all the appropriate approval levels.

Employees will not be notified of the recommendation at each level. There will be an opportunity to appeal after the president has made his decisions and sent out letters to employees informing them of their awards. Letters will be sent on Wednesday, November 6. Employees may submit an appeal by Thursday, November 14. Following a review by the Appeals Board, notification of the appeals decision will be sent by letter on Thursday, November 21.

If you have any questions regarding the discretionary process, please call Susan Earshen, associate vice president for human resource management, at ext. 3042.
 

Junior students in the coordinated program in dietetics will host a Monster Health Fair on Tuesday, October 22, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library on the second-floor lobby. The event will focus on providing nutrition and health awareness to all visitors. Everyone is welcome. There will be a "healthy" bake sale ($1 per item) and raffle baskets ($1 per ticket). All profits will be donated to a charity.  

Come and learn more about nutrition and health. Hope to see there.

The Buffalo State Sustainability Council continues its autumn 2013 film series on Thursday, October 24, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. with the screening of The Loneliest Animals, an in-depth look at the most endangered species on the planet whose future survival is in the hands of dedicated scientists. The film will be presented in E. H. Butler Library 210 and is free and open to the public. For further information, e-mail bssc@buffalostate.edu.

Kimberly Kline, associate professor of higher education administration, will share her research, "Facilitating Student Learning and Developmental Outcomes Assessment: Exploring Grass Roots Research Efforts and Collaborative Dialogue through a Social Justice Lens," on Friday, November 8, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210.

Kline's talk uses socially constructed dialogues around issues of student learning and developmental outcomes within higher education environments. For her Fulbright grant, she worked with the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy to examine participatory approaches to building assessment plans that are learner centered and informative to faculty and staff on college campuses. She also served as a co-lecturer in two courses: Ethics in Journalism and a Research Methods course. Students enrolled in these courses had to balance their roles as budding professionals in the journalism field with their roles as student protesters and advocates for change in the higher education system.

It is important to examine ethical and moral considerations of graduate students in a country that is known for its corruption during a time of education reform. Ethical discussions are too often centered on normative standards and best practices (Plaissance, 2010). Real-life professional practice ethics can hardly be limited to normative concepts and imperatives. Ethical reasoning is closely connected with experience, learning (Coleman & Wilkins, 2009), and moral growth (Kohlberg, 1981). It is also an internal process of making individual choices that may or may not correspond with established rules.

Kline will explain similarities and differences between student activism in the United States and student activism in a post-Soviet country. She will also describe modern-day education reform and the role that we may be able to play in helping Ukraine achieve educational freedom and autonomy, particularly in postsecondary settings.

October is national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In observance, Buffalo State Dining will feature a special line of pink pastries and desserts today in the Resident Dining Hall from 11:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Stop in and pick up one of our fliers donated by Roswell Park Cancer Institute to find out if you are at risk and get more information on Team Cure. Buffalo State Dining will also be selling pink sugar cookies for just $2 in all of its retail dining operations during the entire month of October. Half the proceeds will be donated to Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Pick up yours today.

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

Digital signage is a valuable tool designed to engage and inform the campus community with visual messages to students, faculty, staff, and visitors through the broadcast of events and the distribution of other information of interest to the campus (e.g., campus services, public service announcements, campus events). Content is intended to augment other means of communication to help promote campus events, registration or other deadlines, and educational opportunities. Digital signage may also be used to highlight student work via video or a PowerPoint presentation.

Buffalo State currently uses a software program called Visix, by Axis TV, for digital signage. AxisTV provides a campuswide training series online via synchronous webinar. Opportunities for small group trainings begin Monday, October 21. To register for the trainings, please visit the CyberQuad Workshop Registration website.

Please contact Melaine Kenyon, ext. 6679, with questions related to this training.

The Buffalo State Literacy Center offers clinical diagnosis and tutoring for K–12 students who need help with literacy skills.

Diagnosis is completed in the fall semester and involves the administration of both formal and informal assessments in order to determine a child’s strengths and needs in the area of literacy. Teachers in the program are graduate students completing their literacy specialist certification or master’s degree in education. These Buffalo State students work under the leadership of the director of the Literacy Center, Keli Garas-York, associate professor of Elementary Education and Reading, and with guidance from experts in the reading field.

The Literacy Center also offers a four-week summer reading program at an area school. Visit the Literacy Center website for a program application and contact information.

Students from all over the world enroll at Buffalo State, and an important part of their orientation is the opportunity to learn firsthand about our cultural patterns, economic and political outlooks, and everyday language skills. These experiences can assist them in class discussions and in their social relations with other students. It also gives them a better understanding of the American culture they will take back with them to their home countries.

The American Host Family Program is designed to give an international student a family with whom he or she can visit, enjoy an occasional meal, celebrate holidays, participate in community sporting and cultural events, and gain insight about our country and culture. The program also gives host families the opportunity to learn about another country’s culture, holidays, and language. (It is important to note that it will be up to the host family and the student to discuss when and how often they will meet.)

International students are often far from home and do not see their families for months or even years. Some students may find the transition from their home country to our country very difficult. Being without their families and friends and adapting to a new culture and a new school can be difficult in many ways. The warm support of an American family can help alleviate their fears and frustrations.

We hope that your family will be interested in participating in this program.

Please call Pat Schindler, graduate intern in the International Student Affairs Office, at ext. 5331 to join the Buffalo State American Host Family Program.