The Admissions Office will host its Fall Open House for prospective students and their families on Saturday, October 12, from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the Sports Arena. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the campus, meet with faculty and student support services, discuss financial aid options, and explore career opportunities. For more information, visit our Open House web page. If you have any questions, please contact Carolyn Murphy, ext. 6339.

Art in Craft Media 2013 opens at the Burchfield Penney on Saturday, October 12, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

In 1988, the incomparable Sylvia L. Rosen and her late husband, Nathan, created the Sylvia L. Rosen Endowment for Fine Art in Craft Media, starting the biennial exhibition Art in Craft Media. Twenty-five years later, more than 400 artists working in wood, clay, fiber, glass, and metal have been part of this groundbreaking exhibition series.

Join the Burchfield Penney and Sylvia Rosen on Saturday for the opening of Art in Craft Media 2013, featuring 75 works by 55 artists. Join the event on Facebook and invite your friends!

Buffalo State students and alumni represented in the exhibition are Diane Bond, Leeann Catanzaro, Linda Collignon, Norman Cramer, Missy Crowell, Hillary Fayle, Nathaniel Hall, Kevin Kegler, Veronica Keymel, Bethany Krull, Anthony Locane, Scott Losi, Gail McCarthy, Ginny O'Brien, Carol Ann Rice Rafferty, Betty Stephan, Aric Verrastro, and Tina Vu.

Also represented are Buffalo State faculty members Jozef Bajus, Bethany Krull, Dennis Nahabetian, Tara Nahabetian, Colleen Toledano, and Jesse Walp.

The exhibition was selected by Buffalo State faculty jurors Sunhwa Kim, Stephen Saracino, and Robert Wood and emerita faculty member Nancy Belfer.

More information is available at www.burchfieldpenney.org.

Tonight is M&T Second Friday at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. On the second Friday of every month, thanks to the support of M&T Bank, the Burchfield Penney hosts something great! With openings and happy hours, programs, concerts, screenings, and other special events, visitors experience the best of the Burchfield Penney. Gallery hours are until 8:00 p.m.

5:30–7:30 p.m. Opening celebration for Anna Scime's Spore Print Film Series

5:30–7:30 p.m. Drop-in art workshop: Personal Adornment

5:30–7:30 p.m. Happy Hour with music by the Samuel Marabella Quartet

8:00 p.m. A Musical Feast

More information is available on the Burchfield Penney website.

This month's M&T Second Friday at the Burchfield Friday is October 11. On the second Friday of every month, thanks to the support of M&T Bank, the Burchfield Penney hosts something great! With openings and happy hours, programs, concerts, screenings, and other special events, visitors experience the best of the Burchfield Penney. Gallery hours are until 8:00 p.m.

5:30–7:30 p.m. Opening celebration for Anna Scime's Spore Print Film Series

5:30–7:30 p.m. Drop-in art workshop: Personal Adornment

5:30–7:30 p.m. Happy Hour with music by the Samuel Marabella Quartet

8:00 p.m. A Musical Feast

More information is available on the Burchfield Penney website.

Banner Preview for January Term and the spring 2014 semester begins Tuesday, October 8. Students will be able to search directly in Banner for any holds (if applicable) and courses in the January Term and spring 2014 master schedules.

Both the January Term and spring 2014 master schedules will be viewable online on the Registrar's Office website starting Wednesday, October 16.

Registration start dates will be viewable to students directly in Banner no later than Wednesday, October 16. All registration-related activity begins at 6:00 a.m. on the assigned date and is then continuous.

Registration for January Term and spring 2014 semester begins Wednesday, November 6.

Learn why thinking about accessibility in your class matters and how Blackboard supports accessible instructional materials. Even if you do not currently have students requiring particular accommodations, knowing where to go for help on campus and how to make sure your course content is doing the right things for all your students can help you ensure that you're never caught off guard. We'll talk about best practices and demonstrate a couple of simple things you can do in Blackboard Learn to help you ensure that all your students can be successful in their learning regardless of their physical or cognitive ability. There was no opportunity to preview this webinar.

Join us on Thursday, October 17, from 11:00 a.m. to noon in the Professional Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B. Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3375.

To register and watch on your own at the location of your choice, register directly with Blackboard.

The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center's Alternative Break program will host a veterans’ focused volunteer experience for students from November 8 to 11, during Veterans Day weekend, in Buffalo. These alcohol- and drug-free volunteer trips provide Buffalo State students with the opportunity to learn about social issues and community assets, get to know fellow classmates and community members, make an impact, and grow in leadership and teamwork skills.

Alternative Fall Break participants will be volunteering with St. Vincent de Paul and the WNY Veterans Housing Coalition, and helping to run a Veterans 5K Race at the Buffalo Naval Park. Applications from interested students are due in the VSLC by Friday, October 18, with a $30 deposit. A final payment of $20 is required by Friday, November 1. Participant fees go toward the housing, food, and supply costs associated with the volunteer trip.

Buffalo State students are encouraged to attend an information session run by members of the Alternative Break student leadership team to learn about the details of this experience and general information about Alternative Break. Information sessions will be held on the following days:

• Tuesday, October 8, 12:30–1:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 205
• Monday, October 14, Noon–1:00 p.m. in Bacon Hall 115

Questions may be directed to the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center: Cleveland Hall 306, ext. 5811, or vslc@buffalostate.edu.

Would you like some quick and easy strategies for increasing your GPA? Then come and check out the "Bengal Basics: On Your Way to an A" workshops for this week:

Beyond Google: Research for College-Level Papers
Discover how to use library databases and Internet resources that out-Google Google!
Wednesday, October 9
11:00 a.m. to noon
E. H. Butler Library 314
Presenter: Barb Barone

Test Troubles? Preparing for and Taking Tests in College
Improve your test scores and reduce test anxiety by applying these time-tested tips.
Thursday, October 10    
12:15–1:15p.m.
Bacon Hall 217
Presenter: Elizabeth Stevens

For a complete list of all our workshops, please visit the Academic Skills Center web page. Find the links under the "Workshops" heading.

A preview of a campaign, PainkillersKILL.org, to focus attention on the dangers of prescription painkiller addictions will be held Wednesday, October 9, at 10:00 a.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the event and pledge signing. A light reception will follow.

More than 50 organizations, including advocacy and treatment groups, pharmacies, doctors, families, media, and higher education institutions are involved. Part of a WNED-TV documentary on the dangers associated with painkillers will be previewed for attending guests.

Tell students about the opportunity to participate. The event, expected to attract 200 attendees, will feature a large pledge card that college students will sign, agreeing not to abuse these drugs. One hundred custom T-shirts will go to participating students who sign the pledge. In Western New York, the rate of substance dependence or abuse among young adults ages 18–25 is 21.3 percent (one in five). Learn more at www.painkillerskill.org.

Major participants and sponsors include State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, via videotape; David Anderson, president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of WNY; Avi Israel, family advocate; Anne Constantino, president of Horizon Health Services; Dick Gallagher, longtime antidrug and high school sports advocate; and Don Boswell, president of WNED-TV.

From the Coordinator of Community Engagement
The first of two open forums on the Carnegie application process for becoming an "engaged institution" will be held Tuesday, October 8, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210.

From the provost's announcement in the July 18 issue of the Daily Bulletin:

Buffalo State has officially notified the Carnegie Foundation that it intends to apply for the Elective Community Engagement Classification.

The Carnegie Foundation invited institutions around the country to apply for its elective classification and established a deadline of June 30, 2013, for institutions to announce their intent to apply. The application process has commenced and will be completed during the early part of the spring 2014 semester. This process will further enhance Buffalo State’s growing reputation for community engagement. It will be one way to activate the May 2013 College Senate resolution for Buffalo State to expand "the campus Strategic Plan definition of engagement to include engagement with the community, in the spirit of the Carnegie definition of 'Community Engagement.'" For information about the classification, please see the Carnegie Foundation website.

Our internal process is being coordinated by a working group headed by Gary Welborn, associate professor of sociology and coordinator of community engagement. Other members of the committee are Maureen McCarthy, CEURE associate; Michele Ninacs, assistant professor and director of the Writing Program; Nancy Paschke, associate director of publications, College Relations; Laura Rao, Volunteer and Service-Learning Center coordinator; Debbie Renzi, Volunteer and Service-Learning Center associate; and John Siskar, senior adviser for Buffalo State educational pipeline initiatives. The administrative liaison to the group is Kevin Railey, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.

The second open forum will be held Wednesday, November 6, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210.

Sincerely,
Gary Welborn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology