All eligible classified and unclassified employees may observe the following holidays in academic year 2013–2014 without charge to accruals:

Labor Day
Monday, September 2, 2013

Columbus Day*
Monday, October 14, 2013

Election Day**
Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Veterans Day
Monday, November 11, 2013

Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 28, 2013

Christmas Day
Wednesday, December 25, 2013

New Year’s Day
Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, January 20, 2014

Lincoln’s Birthday**
Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Washington’s Birthday (Observed)
Monday, February 17, 2014

Memorial Day
Monday, May 26, 2014

Independence Day
Friday, July 4, 2014

*Classes are scheduled on Columbus Day. Classified employees who are required to work on this holiday will be compensated according to their holiday waiver. If you have not filed a holiday waiver with the Payroll Office, you will receive holiday pay as stipulated in the contract. UUP-represented employees and MC employees who are eligible to observe holidays who are required to work on the holiday shall be granted a compensatory day off. The compensatory day off shall be scheduled at a time agreeable to the employee and his or her supervisor within one year of when the holiday recurs.

**The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations has notified all state agencies that floating holidays have been designated in lieu of fixed holidays for Election Day 2013 and Lincoln’s Birthday 2014 for all employees except those represented by PBANYS. UUP-represented employees observe Election Day on the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 29, 2013. Classes are scheduled on both floating holidays, so all other eligible employees who work on those dates will receive credit for a holiday and may arrange with their supervisors to use the credit on a date of their choice before the holiday recurs. Security services unit employees will receive vacation leave on these dates.

If your department is granting scholarships, please be aware that, per NCAA Division III regulations, athletic ability or participation in athletics cannot be taken into account in the awarding of scholarships to our students. This does not mean that an athlete cannot receive a scholarship, but rather that their athletic endeavors cannot be used or considered in the selection criteria. Questions regarding NCAA compliance should be directed to Jerry Boyes, director and head football coach in Intercollegiate Athletics, or Connie Cooke, director of Financial Aid.

The first meeting of Active Minds Buffalo State will be held on Thursday, August 29, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Weigel Health Center 203. All students are welcome. Active Minds Buffalo State is a student-run organization that is a chapter of the national organization of Active Minds. Members meet weekly or biweekly to plan events and to collaborate with other groups on campus to raise awareness about issues of mental health and available resources, and serve as a liaison between students and the mental health community.

Active Minds Buffalo State has spearheaded several innovative initiatives focused on mental health awareness, including co-sponsoring nationally known keynote speakers such as Eric Weaver from Overcoming the Darkness and Maggie Bertram from the national Active Minds Speakers Bureau, the BeSeCret (Post-Secret) Community Art Project, and Send Silence Packing. Please tell students to check it out. Leadership opportunities are available, as well as a chance to make a difference at Buffalo State. Active Minds Buffalo State will be participating in the Suicide Prevention Walk at Delaware Park with the Buffalo State Cares team on September 14. Come and join us!

The Small Business Development Center presents “Survive and Thrive: Essentials for Starting Your Own Business,” a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Wednesday,
September 11, from 8:30 a.m. until noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Specific topics will include creating a business plan; competition analysis; and tax, legal, and insurance issues. The workshop is free for Buffalo State faculty, staff, students, and alumni and U.S. military veterans, and $20 for all others.
Registration will take place immediately before the workshop, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. To register in advance, call the SBDC at ext. 4030. For further information, please visit www.buffalostate.edu/sbdc.

Faculty and librarians, as well as staff members, may access the 2013–2014 edition of the Handbook for Faculty and Librarians. Hard copies of the handbook are being distributed at the orientation for new faculty this week, and also to the deans' offices and department chairs. Please contact Patricia Alessandra, ext. 5902, in the Academic Affairs Office with any questions or distribution requests.

Updated Application for Undergraduate Project, Independent Study, Course by Contract forms are now in use (revised date 8/13). They have been delivered to all academic departments via intracampus mail and are available for students to pick up in our lobby at Moot Hall 210. Please be sure to shred all outdated copies and begin using the revised form immediately. If your department or office is in need of additional copies, please let us know at ext. 4811.

Hallwalls executive director Ed Cardoni introduces this screening of The Misfits on Thursday, August 22, at 7:30 p.m., presented in conjunction with the exhibition Marilyn: The Douglas Kirkland Photoshoot.

The Misfits is a 1961 American drama film directed by John Huston from the screenplay by Arthur Miller. The picture stars Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift, with a supporting cast that includes Thelma Ritter and Eli Wallach. The Misfits was the final film appearance for both Gable and Monroe, and the third-to-last for Clift. The plot centers on a recently divorced woman (Monroe) and her time spent with a cowboy (Gable) and his friend (Clift) in the Western Nevada desert in the 1960s. The movie was not a commercial success at the time of its release but received positive critical comments for its script and performances. (Wikipedia)

Admission is free for Burchfield Penney members and Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff. For "not yet" members, general admission applies.

Father Pat and the staff at the Newman Center ask you to remind students that they are invited to the Newman Center at 1219 Elmwood Avenue every Thursday evening for a free homemade dinner. The Newman Center's nonstudent community prepares and serves the meal each week beginning at 6:30 p.m. All Buffalo State students are welcome.

Join the staff at the Newman Center on Sunday, August 25, for our Day of Welcome! We begin with Mass in our chapel, 1219 Elmwood Avenue, at 11:30 a.m., followed by a barbecue lunch, to which students and their families are invited. At 1:30 p.m., students depart for a tour of Niagara Falls. It's all free, and transportation is provided. Just e-mail us at newmancenter@buffalostate.edu or call 882-1080 to reserve a spot.

First-Year Convocation 2013 will take place on Wednesday, August 21, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in the Sports Arena. We invite all members of the SUNY Buffalo State community to come and watch the event and help welcome the Class of 2017. 

If your office responsibilities prevent you from attending, you can watch a simulcast of First-Year Convocation via this link (player requirements).