Today’s tools for online collaboration are readily available and relatively simple to use. Blackboard Collaborate is a live web-conferencing application that allows exciting new approaches to support a twenty-first-century teaching and learning environment. Join us and see how easily Collaborate allows you to import PowerPoint slides and share your computer screen or a particular window with participants while interacting with students through chat, webcam, and microphone. Presented by Meghan Pereira and Todd Benzin on Monday, February 25, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 104.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3075.

Buffalo State is engaging in an effort to promote accessibility of course materials in classes, including face-to-face, online, and hybrid courses. This hands-on session will focus on how to use Microsoft Word effectively to create accessible content. Bring a flash drive with one of your course syllabi in Word. Presented by Meghan Pereira, Sumana Silverheels, and Beth Burns on Friday, February 22, from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. in E. H. Butler Library 316.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3067.

The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations has designated Lincoln’s Birthday, Tuesday, February 12, as a floating holiday for all state employees except those represented by PBANYS. Classes are scheduled for that day, and the college remains open. Eligible employees who work on February 12 will receive a 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 this date.

No classes are scheduled on Monday, February 18, and the Washington’s Birthday holiday will be observed on this date. Although classes are not in session on Tuesday, February 19, this day is not a state holiday.

Questions regarding state holidays should be directed to Human Resource Management, ext. 4821.

Buffalo State will again host the Great Lakes Regional Tournament of the American Mock Trial Association's annual collegiate competition. In past years, we have welcomed as many as 24 teams. Because of storms threatening to disrupt tournaments along the East Coast this weekend, we have been asked to host even more teams that might not otherwise have an opportunity to compete. Please consider volunteering during the weekend of February 23–24. We need judges for sessions on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., and on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to noon and 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. We also need help with tabulating results each day. Please contact Jon Lines, lecturer in the Political Science Department, or Kelly Boos, assistant to the dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences, for details.

Buffalo State Dining is excited to introduce its new dining blog, written by Kim Murrell, resident dietitian and manager in training. Murrell is a soon-to-be graduate of Buffalo State's coordinated dietetics program and is excited to jump-start her career working with Chartwells.

Buffalo State's “Treat the Habit” blog will help you to make healthful choices a “habit” while still allowing yourself an occasional “treat” to keep on track. If you’re looking for success in weight loss, the key is moderation. Moderation is everything in living a happy and healthful lifestyle, and more importantly, sticking to it. In each post, you will find a “habit” and a “treat” (e.g., habit: Chop’d Greek salad with vinaigrette; treat: Chop’d Buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese dressing). Included in the description will be the products' respective nutrition facts and information on why the nutrients they contain benefit your body. You may also find more general lifestyle tips that you can use when choosing what to eat from our locations.

So what are you waiting for? Visit www.dineoncampus.com/bsc and click the "Dining Blog" link on the home page.

What lies in store for your future? Love? Wealth? An A in biology? Join the Student Life Office today to find out! 12:30–2:30 p.m., Campbell Student Union conference room (105 G).

The Bengals Recreation and Intramurals area is adding several more fitness classes to the spring calendar starting next week Wednesday. Students, faculty, and staff can dance themselves into shape three times a week with Zumba on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. An extra yoga class will be held on Wednesdays at 11.30 a.m. All classes take place in Buckham Hall A209.

Weekly Schedule

Monday
10:00 a.m. Body sculpting with Amy
5:00 p.m. Zumba with Shaqulia (as of February 25)

Tuesday
5:30 p.m. Yoga with Patrick

Wednesday
10:00 a.m. Body sculpting with Amy
11:30 a.m. Yoga with Robert
5:00 p.m. Zumba with Shaqulia

Thursday
4:00 p.m. Yoga with Patrick

Friday
4:00 p.m. Zumba with Shaqulia (as of February 15)

For more information, please contact Rudy Pompert.

The Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Office is accepting nominations for the 2013 Student Leadership and Humanitarian Awards. Unless otherwise noted, completed nominations must be returned to the Dean of Students Office, Campbell Student Union 311, by 4:00 p.m. Friday, February 15. Further details can be found on the Student Life website. For additional information, please call the Dean of Students Office at ext. 4618.

Student Leadership Awards

Mildred Keller Campbell Leadership Award: The Mildred Keller Campbell Leadership Award recognizes a Buffalo State student whose work has had a positive impact on student life and who has excelled as an extracurricular leader among students on campus. The award is offered annually to an undergraduate student based on the nominee's leadership credentials in accordance with established criteria. A plaque and award citing the recipient’s distinction is presented at a ceremony held during the spring semester; the recipient may receive a monetary award, pending availability of funds. Nominees must be undergraduate students with at least 24 credits completed at Buffalo State and minimum GPAs of 2.5. All nominees should have a strong record of extracurricular leadership at Buffalo State, demonstrated through personal development, campus organizational leadership and citizenship, and community service.

Phillip Santa Maria Award for Student Leadership in Equity and Campus Diversity: For 25 years, Phillip Santa Maria served as dean of students at Buffalo State. During his tenure, he was recognized both on campus and throughout the community for his leadership on a variety of diversity and social justice issues. The Phil Santa Maria Award for Student Leadership in Equity and Campus Diversity was established in his honor and is given annually to recognize students who exemplify Santa Maria’s commitment to service, social justice, and diversity. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to submit nominations of student leaders who exemplify his commitment to service, social justice, and diversity through promoting respect for diversity and individual differences in their activities, projects, discussions, or leadership with student organizations and groups for this purpose. All undergraduate and graduate students at Buffalo State who are in good standing are eligible to apply. Nominations must be submitted to the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, Cleveland Hall 415, by Friday, February 22.

Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges: For nearly seven decades, Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges has assisted in the tradition of furthering the aims of higher education by recognizing and rewarding academic excellence on a national level. Buffalo State is among the 1,900 institutions participating in this national program. Students selected for inclusion in Who's Who are entitled to a free lifetime reference/placement service when seeking postgraduate employment or fellowships. A certificate citing the recipient’s distinction is presented at a ceremony held in the spring. Nominees must be an undergraduate junior or senior with at least 24 credits completed at Buffalo State and a minimum GPA of 3.0, or a graduate student with a minimum GPA of 3.5. All nominees should have a strong record of extracurricular leadership at Buffalo State, demonstrated through personal development, campus organizational leadership and citizenship, and community service.

Humanitarian Awards

Luis M. Antonetti Student Humanitarian Award: The Luis M. Antonetti Student Humanitarian Award recognizes a Buffalo State undergraduate student who has demonstrated personal character through encouragement of nonviolent beliefs and actions, volunteer service both on campus and in the community, and an ability to reach out to others with broad cultural acceptance. A plaque and award citing the recipient’s distinction is presented at a ceremony held in the spring; the recipient may receive a monetary award, pending availability of funds.

Minnie and Joe Engel Student Humanitarian Award: The Minnie and Joe Engel Student Humanitarian Award recognizes a Buffalo State undergraduate student who has demonstrated personal character through altruism, volunteer service, and the giving of oneself to the campus and the larger community. The Engel Humanitarian Award recognizes the full measure of a person’s worth, not just as a scholar but also as someone whose efforts on behalf of others define a quality of character that embodies core values that merit recognition. A plaque and award citing the recipient’s distinction is presented at a ceremony held in the spring; the recipient may receive a monetary award, pending availability of funds.

Phillip Santa Maria Memorial Award: The Phillip Santa Maria Memorial Award recognizes a Buffalo State undergraduate student who has demonstrated a well-rounded character, exhibiting not only scholastic achievement but also active participation in campus life at Buffalo State and in the Western New York community and a desire to improve the world. A plaque and award citing the recipient’s distinction is presented at a ceremony held in the spring; the recipient may receive a monetary award, pending availability of funds.

A lecture and discussion, "Community Watercolor Roundtable: A Discussion for Collectors, Curators, and Practitioners of Art," will be held Thursday, February 21, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center as part of the International Center for Watercolor.

The public is encouraged not only to attend the Community Watercolor Roundtable but also to participate by bringing questions to be discussed. Topics can range from materials and methods to preservation and display. Diverse specialists in the field including Judith Walsh, professor of art conservation at Buffalo State, students in the college's art conservation program, and Joe Whalen, a watercolor painter, will host your questions, concerns, and topics of interest on the medium of watercolor.

This program is free with museum admission. For more information, please contact Kathy Gaye Shiroki, ext. 3549.

Can the words people write in e-mails, on social networking sites, and on paper have an impact on their behavior? Do written messages provide insight into the goals and intentions of the people who wrote them? These and other questions will be answered in this presentation by Darrin Griffin, Ph.D. student and researcher in the Communication Science Center's Deception Research Lab at the University at Buffalo, on the research and principles of written and verbal human interaction. Griffin will also introduce the art of statement analysis (used by law enforcement to guide interviewing and detection of deception) and demonstrate a computer program that illustrates how measuring written language (such as pronoun usage) can reveal specific emotions or the presence of deception.

Date: Wednesday, February 20
Time: Noon to 2:00 p.m.
Place: Professional Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B

Please register by Monday, February 18.