I am pleased to announce a change in the name of the Judicial Affairs Office to the Student Conduct and Community Standards Office. This change aligns with national best practices and recent recommendations from the Student Campus Conduct Policy, Procedure, and Process Review Committee. This change also signals increased focus on aligning our student conduct process within one office to allow for consistency and increased communication to the campus community. Student Conduct and Community Standards will be housed in Campbell Student Union 311.

Buffalo State hosted its annual Upward Bound banquet in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall last Thursday. The banquet is a celebration of the accomplishments of our Upward Bound students who are concluding their summer program...

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I have appointed James Mayrose as interim CIO and vice president for enrollment, marketing, and communications, effective August 15, 2017. In this capacity, Dr. Mayrose will provide leadership for the division of Resources for Information, Technology, and Education (RITE); the Enrollment Management unit, which includes Admissions, Financial Aid, and the Registrar’s Office; College Relations; and the Information Technology Exchange Center (ITEC).

Dr. Mayrose's experience as dean of the School of the Professions since 2015 and his role as CEO and founder of Tactus Technologies Inc. provide a strong foundation for this new assignment. His excellent scholarly record, superior teaching, and generous campuswide service will also serve the divisions under his management well and help them stay on the path of positive momentum and synergy already under way.

Dr. Mayrose joined the Buffalo State family in 1999 and since that time has held progressive academic positions, including a term as chair of the Engineering Technology Department from 2012 to 2015. In 2009, he was honored with the Buffalo State College President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2015 he received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

An accomplished entrepreneur, Dr. Mayrose was named “Inventor of the Year” by the Niagara Frontier Intellectual Property Law Association and the Technical Societies Council of the Niagara Frontier in 2004. In 2014, he received the Tibbetts Award for Innovation from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Dr. Mayrose earned his Ph.D in mechanical engineering (2000), his M.S. in mechanical engineering (1993), and his B.S. in aerospace engineering (1989) from the University at Buffalo, where he served in various research capacities from 1991 to 2006.

I expect to begin a search for a permanent CIO and vice president for enrollment, marketing, and communications in October 2017.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Mayrose to his new position.

POLICY SUMMARY
The college does not discriminate against employees, applicants for employment, or students based on religion or national origin.

POLICY
Policy Statement
No person shall be expelled from or refused admission as a student to an institution of higher learning for the reason that he or she is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to register for or attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirements on a particular day or days.

Applicability
Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to attend or participate in classes on a particular day or days shall, because of such absence on the particular day or days, be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements.

Definitions
The term "religious belief" shall mean beliefs associated with any corporation organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes, which is not disqualified for tax exemption under Section 501 of the United States Code.

Responsibility
It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to make available to each student who is absent from school because of his or her religious beliefs an equivalent opportunity to register for classes or make up any examination, study, or work requirements that he or she may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to said student such equivalent opportunity.

Procedure

• If registration, classes, examinations, or study or work requirements are held on Friday after 4:00 p.m. or on Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, or study or work requirements shall be made available on other days, where it is possible and practical to do so. No special fees shall be charged to the student for these classes, examinations, or study or work requirements held on other days.
• In effectuating the provisions of the Education Law, it is expected that faculty and the administrative officials will exercise the fullest measure of good faith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student for availing himself or herself of the provisions of this section.
• Any student who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative official to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the supreme court of the county in which such institutions of higher education is located for the enforcement of his or her rights under this section.
• At Buffalo State College, we sharpen the mandate of the state and endorse the policy that the administering of evaluative examinations on Rosh Hashanah (sundown Wednesday, September 20, 2017, to sundown Friday, September 22, 2017), Yom Kippur (sunset Friday, September 29, 2017, to sunset Saturday, September 30, 2017), and Good Friday (March 30, 2018) will not be permitted.
• In addition, faculty and staff should be aware that Ramadan may be observed by people practicing Islam. During Ramadan, there are special obligations for fasting, prayer, and other religious observances for people practicing Islam.
• Ramadan in 2018 will start on Wednesday, May 16, and will continue for 30 days until Thursday, June 14. Note that in the Muslim calendar, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Muslims will celebrate Ramadan on the sunset of Tuesday, May 15.

RELATED INFORMATION
Documents and Forms
SUNY Buffalo State Policy on Discrimination Based on Religion (PDF, 111 KB)

CONTACT INFORMATION
Equity and Campus Diversity Office, Cleveland Hall 415
1300 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222

REVISION HISTORY
Date of change: 05/11/2017
Brief description of edit: Updated 2017_18
Phone: (716) 878-6210
Fax: (716) 878-6234
Website: http://equity.buffalostate.edu
E-mail: eeoequity@buffalostate.edu
Date of change: 06/27/2017
Brief description of edit: Reformatted to standard template

APPROVAL
State University of New York Office of General Counsel

As Jim Mayrose will be serving as interim CIO and vice president for enrollment, marketing, and communications for the upcoming year, I am pleased to announce that Rita Zientek has agreed to serve as interim dean of the School of the Professions. Dr. Zientek brings great experience to this position, having served previously as interim dean. Please join me in welcoming her back to the dean's office.

Buffalo State's official websites are designed to be accessible to all, including users with vision, motor, or hearing impairments. The college endorses the guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) as the standard for accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Please note that while our sites have been compliant with Section 508, sub-part B, 1194.22, we are being asked by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to enhance our sites to be compliant in accordance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA for all websites. This heightened standard is immediate and establishes a new minimum requirement for the accessibility of websites and web applications to ensure compliance.

This includes every website, web page, web application, video, etc. representing the college, as well as campus offices, areas, centers, and other organizations using a third-party vendor to manage official sites.

Each area with a web presence on campus is responsible for ensuring that their content and images are compliant with the standards outlined within WCAG 2.0 Level AA. The associated accessibility page explains how to complete an ADA check on your site(s) and also provides an overview of the new standards and ways to achieve them

Web staff members in College Relations will guide us with our time-sensitive effort to become compliant to the standard of WCAG 2.0 Level AA. You may notice changes to the design, content, and images on the home page, academic department websites, and administrative office websites and associated official web pages during this process. Your patience is appreciated as the college fulfills these important standards.

Official point people on this project are Melissa Meehan, director of web administration, and Timothy Walsh, associate vice president for college relations. Please feel free to contact them with questions.

I am pleased to announce the membership of the Orientation Advisory Committee for 2017–2018:

Co-Chair: David Cox, Director, New Student and Family Programs
Co-Chair: Kathy Wood, Associate Dean, School of Education

Glenn Bucello, Resident District Manager, Chartwells
Peter Carey, Chief of Police, University Police
Eve Everette, Assistant Director, Anne Frank Project
Tricia Herritt, Director of International Student and Scholar Services, Global Engagement Office
Carlos Jones, Associate Dean, School of Arts and Humanities
Karen Clinton Jones, Chief Diversity Officer, Equity and Campus Diversity
Melaine Kenyon, Director of Technology Support Services, RITE
Lynn Korn, USG Program Coordinator, United Students Government
Michael Lewis, Director, Events Management
Monique Maxwell, President, United Students Government
Lisa Morrison-Fronckowiak, Director, Student Accessibility Services
Karen O’Quin, Associate Dean, School of Natural and Social Sciences
Laura Rao, Director, Civic and Community Engagement Office
Maria Roberts, Head Volleyball Coach, Intercollegiate Athletics
Leasa Rochester-Mills, Coordinator of New Student Academic Programs, Academic Success
Amy Rockwell, Associate Librarian, Butler Library
Lisa Treman, Associate Director, Financial Aid
Sarah Vélez, Director, Campbell Student Union
Charlene Vetter, Associate Director, Weigel Wellness Center
Timothy Walsh, Associate Vice President, College Relations
Aimee Woznick, Director, Academic Commons
Sarah Young, Interim Dean of Students (Ex-Officio)
Stephanie Zuckerman-Aviles, Director, Career Development Center
Rita Zientek, Interim Dean, School of the Professions

Committee Charge
The Orientation Advisory Committee is charged with ensuring comprehensive consultation with campus constituents on the orientation program for new students. The committee provides support, feedback, and advice for the New Student and Family Programs Office and its director. The committee provides input into the design, implementation, and assessment of orientation for first-year students, transfer students, and their families.  

The committee will:

1. Review the existing orientation program and provide feedback on its elements.
2. Provide feedback on the connections between orientation programming, student learning outcomes, service outcomes, and the college mission.
3. Review the college's strategic plan and ensure orientation alignment.
4. Provide advice for the orientation director as new programming is initiated.
5. Act as ambassadors for the New Student and Family Programs Office, with respect to the orientation program, to provide clarity of orientation programming for multiple campus constituents.
6. Provide insight from orientation stakeholders throughout the Buffalo State College community.
7. Provide feedback on new and innovative ways to orient students to Buffalo State College.
8. Review NODA—Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education—best practices and Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) in Higher Education to ensure programmatic cohesion, as requested. 

The orientation program is an integral part of a comprehensive engagement and completion framework. As such, the advisory committee will consider how its recommendations ensure that Buffalo State College is designing programs that provide students with the right balance of mandatory and essential content that ensures they are learning what is necessary to make the transition into the community.

I cordially invite you to join me in celebrating Charles Kenyon on the occasion of his retirement from Buffalo State College on Friday, November 3, at 4:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall. Dr. Kenyon served in a number of positions over his more than 25 years at the college, including most recently as associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

The favor of a reply is requested by October 27.

The temporary disruption in the campus fire alarm systems has been fully remedied. Fire alarm systems in all buildings will automatically alert University Police or the Buffalo Fire Department and provide audible and visible notification to evacuate when they detect any indication of fire. There is no longer a need to call UPD if a fire alarm sounds. Thank you for your cooperation while we worked to resolve this matter.

I encourage the Buffalo State community to nominate deserving colleagues for Buffalo State President’s Awards and SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. Guidelines can be found on the Academic Affairs website. Please visit the Nomination Resources section for helpful tips and guidance for assembling nomination dossiers.

Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence

Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching
Due Date: Friday, September 15, 2017

Distinguished Teaching Professor; Distinguished Service Professor; Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Professional Service, Librarianship, Scholarship and Creative Activities, or Faculty Service
Due Date: Monday, October 16, 2017

Please submit nominations with supporting materials electronically to the Provost’s Office.

Please note: For SUNY Chancellor’s Awards, nominators should prepare their nomination letters in the format of a Summary Presentation as specified in the SUNY Award guidelines. A Buffalo State Nomination Checklist Cover Sheet (PDF, 272 KB) should be included as the first page of all nominations.

President’s Awards for Excellence
President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advisement; Advancement of Equity and Campus Diversity; Career Achievement for Faculty; Career Achievement for Professional Staff; Faculty and Staff Mentoring; as a Graduate Research Mentor; Librarianship; Research, Scholarship, and Creativity; Service to the College; Teaching; or as an Undergraduate Research Mentor
Due Date: Monday, March 5, 2018

Please submit nominations with supporting materials electronically to the Provost’s Office.

Questions may be directed to Carolyn Martino, assistant to the provost.