This summer, a search for the senior adviser for student success and retention was conducted, and we are pleased to announce that Gabriel Marshall has been selected to serve in the role. He will begin on October 14, 2019. Dr. Marshall brings a strong background in student success work, most recently serving as the director of student access and achievement programs at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, which included the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program, Project Excel, Young Scholars Program, and First Generation Student Initiatives. Dr. Marshall has also used predictive modeling, statistical analysis, and qualitative methods to assess and improve student success and retention efforts during his higher education career. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Marshall to Buffalo State College.

During this summer’s First-Year Orientation, 396 students were identified and paired with a completion coach and BEAT Team peer mentors (supported in part by the Federal Title III Insight to Impact: Increasing Student Achievement, Retention, and Degree Attainment Grant) who will provide intrusive and proactive support throughout their time at Buffalo State. Douglas Hoston and Marvin Smith joined the Student Leadership and Engagement team last month to serve as completion coaches and lead this program, “Roar to Success.” If you have questions about Roar to Success, please contact David Cox, assistant dean of student leadership and engagement. Information about all Title III efforts can be found on the Title III website.

Please remind first-year students: As part of our federal Title III grant efforts, all incoming first-year students received an electronic invitation to complete the Noel Levitz College Student Inventory (CSI). The CSI is a nationally recognized readiness assessment for incoming students. The results are useful for identifying student strengths and weaknesses in their preparation for college. The survey takes less than half an hour to complete, and the results will prove particularly useful for advisers. The CSI will be open through Saturday, October 19, and first-year students will receive weekly reminders. Please encourage first-year students to complete the CSI. Thank you.

At its April 12, 2019, meeting, the College Senate voted to recommend to the president a revision to DOPS Policy Number: I:04:00. The revision is included in number 2(d) of the “Graduation Requirements” section below.

DOPS Revision on Collegewide Degree Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees
Introduced at the April 2019 Senate meeting by the Standards for Students Committee
Voted on and approved by the Senate on May 10, 2019

WHEREAS, the maximum number of transfer credit hours increased from 88 to 90; and

WHEREAS, that means the required remaining courses to be completed at Buffalo State College must decrease from 32 to 30; and

WHEREAS, the current policy requires students to complete the last 16 of those 32 credits at the college; and

WHEREAS, the required residency policy does not consider study abroad, cross registration, transfer credit, and other alternative methods to earning credit that may come in late, which all become exceptions to the 16-credit residency requirement; and

WHEREAS, the 16-credit on-campus residency policy becomes more of an impediment to graduation when it is already implied that at least 32 credits (or, rather, now 30) must be completed through Buffalo State,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Buffalo State amend its DOPS policy on Collegewide Degree Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees as revised in this document to enhance student success and completion; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this policy change go into effect beginning with the 2019–2020 academic year and that the college catalog and college website be updated to ensure that DOPS language is consistently reflected in the catalog and on the website for this policy.

Policy Number: I:04:00
Date: December 2017

Subject: Collegewide Degree Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees

Graduation Requirements
All students expecting to qualify for a degree must fulfill the following requirements:

1. Meet all financial obligations to the college and return all college property.

2. Meet all curricular requirements. Students must have completed the prescribed curriculum for their major. If requirements have changed since they were admitted to a program, they may choose to graduate under the old or new requirements.

a. Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework taken at the college. The minimum cumulative GPA for the courses taken in the major field must also be 2.0.

b. Complete the 33–39 credit hours of Intellectual Foundations requirements.

c. Complete a minimum of 33 credit hours of upper-division coursework, courses generally considered advanced and numbered 300–499.

d. Complete a minimum of 30 credit hours through the college.  

e. Complete a minimum of 120 academic credit hours.

3. Education majors leading to certification for teaching in the early childhood and upper-elementary grades must fulfill a drug-education requirement and should file a certification application with the Teacher Certification Office.

4. No students will be cleared for graduation until all grades of I, N, or X have been replaced with an appropriate letter grade.

Undergraduate students can apply for graduation online through Banner Self-Service. Graduate students should visit the Graduate School website for degree applications and information about applying for graduation. Students who apply for graduation after the application deadline will not be charged a fee.

After the application deadline has passed, the Registrar’s Office will review the records of students who have not applied for graduation but are likely to graduate and will administratively register these students for graduation. These students will be alerted via e-mail that they have been registered for graduation and that they may opt out of review for graduation by contacting the Registrar’s Office.

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate regarding the DOPS Revision on Collegewide Degree Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees at Buffalo State. I charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change and for communicating the change to the campus community.

New York State enacted legislation in 2018 requiring all employers, including Buffalo State College, to ensure that their employees, including work-study students, graduate assistants, and students assistants, complete sexual harassment prevention training by October 9, 2019.

The Equity and Campus Diversity Office is offering the following options to comply with this requirement:

1. Online Sexual Harassment Prevention Training:
   All Buffalo State employees, including work study students, graduate assistants and student assistants have access to the training through Blackboard Learn, where participants will view two sexual harassment prevention training videos, and review and acknowledge that they have read and understand Buffalo State’s policy and procedures on sexual harassment. All parts of the online training are conducted through Blackboard Learn after they log in under “My Organizations.”
2. In-person sessions are available for those employees who do not have access to Blackboard Learn (for example, Facilities staff members). For more information, please contact Karen Jones, chief diversity officer and Title IX coordinator, 878-6210.

Online Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
The following training meets all New York State requirements for sexual harassment prevention training. Employees can complete the online training in their offices or anywhere else that they have access to Blackboard Learn at a time that is convenient for them. The training takes between 45 minutes and one hour to complete.

This online training is composed of three sections:

1. Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Part 1
   This video explains the definition of sexual harassment and provides examples of harassing conduct.
2. Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Part 2
   This interactive video features quizzes and case studies.
3. Acknowledgment
   After completing the second video (Part 2), participants must read the Buffalo State Policy on Sexual Harassment  (PDF, 137 KB) and acknowledge that they have read and understand the policy.

Accessing the Videos
The sexual harassment prevention training videos may be accessed through the "My Organizations" section of Blackboard Learn. The training link is titled "New York State Sexual Harassment Learning Modules." Completing the training videos and reviewing Buffalo State’s Policy and Procedures on Sexual Harassment complies with the college’s obligation to provide the sexual harassment prevention training and your requirement as a New York State employee to receive and complete sexual harassment prevention training.

For more information, please visit the Equity and Campus Diversity website or review the list of frequently asked questions. For all other questions, please contact the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, 878-6210.

At its March 8, 2019, meeting, the College Senate voted in favor of a memo of support on broad-based fee increases as follows:

Buffalo State College
Budget and Staff Allocations Committee
and
Student Welfare Committee
Introducing and voting on motion at the March 8, 2019, Senate meeting

MEMO OF SUPPORT ON BROAD-BASED FEE INCREASES
February 19, 2019

The Budget and Staff Allocations Committee (BSAC) met with the Student Welfare Committee (SWC) to review the administration’s fee proposal for the 2019–2020 year. Presentations were given by Comptroller Thor (administrative liaison to BSAC) and fee custodian representatives. The proposal calls for a $37 increase from the current $1,340: Athletics and Health will increase by $10 each; Technology will increase by $11; and Transportation will increase by $6. 

In light of the discussion between the two committees, BSAC and SWC believe that the 2.8 percent increase is appropriate at this time and therefore support the recommended fee increase. The following joint motion was passed unanimously:

We (BSAC and SWC) support the administration’s proposed fee increase of $37 for the 2019–2020 academic year, raising the total fee from $1,340 to $1,377, a 2.76 percent increase. The fee increase is in line with SUNY’s policy recommending fee increases of no greater than the annual change in Higher Education Price Index (2.8 percent in the 2018 fiscal year). 

While BSAC and SWC support the fee increase, we do so with the following additional recommendations:

1. The institution should evaluate the effectiveness (cost benefit) of recent campuswide software purchases used to improve retention. (Students specifically questioned the use of Tech Fee money for an administrative-focused program, Starfish.)
2. To reduce cost pressures arising from benefit payments, we (again) encourage the institution to move (some) staff from Income Fund Reimbursable (IFR) funding sources to State funding sources. When Athletics and Health staff are paid from IFR fee accounts, we must cover both salary and benefit costs; whereas with staff paid from state-appropriated dollars, benefits are paid by the state. Currently, IFR accounts are required to pay a 64 percent fringe benefit rate, so we pay an additional $64,000 for every $100,000 in salary. Shifting staff to state funds would both reduce cost pressures and free up more funding to support these student services.

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate regarding the Memo of Support on Broad-Based Fee Increases at Buffalo State. I charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change and for communicating the change to the campus community.

At its April 12, 2019, meeting, the College Senate voted in favor of a resolution on a revised DOPS Policy on Alternate Methods to Earning College Credit, to be implemented as follows. Proposed revisions to the policy are indicated below in ALL CAPITALS, ITALICIZED, BOLDFACE TYPE.

Introduced at the March 8, 2019, College Senate meeting by the Standards for Students Committee.
Voted on at the April 12, 2019, College Senate meeting.

WHEREAS, the current policy does not include or currently address credit for International Baccalaureate (IB) courses/exams; and

WHEREAS, our current practices and standards for awarding International Baccalaureate exam credit are higher than those of some of our peer institutions (i.e. Oneonta, Geneseo, and Oswego), who award credit for Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL) exams in which a student earned a 4+; and

WHEREAS, our current practice is to award credit only for SL and HL exams in which a student earned a 5+; and

WHEREAS, Buffalo State may be interested in recruiting students who have successfully completed IB courses and exams,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Buffalo State amend its DOPS policy on Alternate Methods of Earning College Credit as revised in this document to enhance recruitment efforts; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this policy change go into effect beginning with the 2019–2020 academic year and that the college catalog and college website be updated to ensure that DOPS language is consistently reflected in the catalog and on the website for this policy.

BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS
Policy Number: I:04:01
Subject: Alternate Methods of Earning College Credit (only edited sections included)

Advanced Placement Examinations
Credit may be granted for acceptable scores in approved Advanced Placement examinations, provided the subjects meet the curricular requirements of the specialized units of the college. Approved examinations include New York State College Proficiency Examinations (CPEP), College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement Examinations (AP), INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB), and College Entrance Examination Board College Level Examinations (CLEP).

Students receiving the lowest passing grade may be admitted to an advanced course but will receive no credit for the beginning course that was exempted. All other passing grades carry college credit. Before taking such an examination for credit, students already enrolled at the college must receive advance approval from the appropriate department chair. When the examination subject is the same as or overlaps a college course already credited, no new credit will be granted.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB) CREDITS
CREDIT MAY BE GRANTED FOR STANDARD LEVEL IB COURSES OR HIGH LEVEL IB COURSES FOR WHICH A SCORE OF 4 OR BETTER WAS EARNED ON EXAMS. CREDIT AWARDED MAY RANGE FROM 3-4 CREDITS AND VARIES PER COURSE AND LEVEL. STUDENTS MAY BE AWARDED NO MORE THAN 30 CREDITS TOTAL THROUGH PUBLISHED EXAMINATIONS.

Credit by Evaluation (Undergraduate)
Up to 45 credit hours may be accepted from the following sources:

Source: Maximum Credit Hours

Published Examinations: 30

No more than 18 credit hours may be in general examinations.

Course Challenge: 15

Military Service Courses: 15

Non-Collegiate Institutions: 15

Proprietary Institutions: 15

Published Examinations: Included in this category are nationally given subject and general examinations sponsored by the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement Program (APP), INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB), and College Proficiency Examination (CPE). Passing grades are required for credit.

I hereby accept the resolution of the College Senate regarding the revision of the DOPS Policy on Alternate Methods of Earning College Credit at Buffalo State. I charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change and for communicating the change to the campus community.

At its April 12, 2019, meeting, the College Senate voted in favor of a resolution on a new DOPS Policy on Repeating Graduate Courses, to be implemented as follows:

Introduced at the February 8, 2019, College Senate meeting by the Standards for Students Committee.

WHEREAS, there is no current policy for determining and distinguishing graduate repeat eligibility from undergraduate eligibility; and

WHEREAS, there is no current college policy for establishing the time limit for degree completion at the graduate level; and

WHEREAS, current Graduate School policy establishes a six-year time limit for degree completion at the graduate level; and

WHEREAS, good academic standing at the graduate level is considered a minimum of 3.00 (B grade); and

WHEREAS, grades of less than a B carry weight of less than 3.00 so should be repeatable at the graduate level,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Buffalo State create a new DOPS policy for Repeating Graduate Courses as proposed in this document to enhance student success and completion; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this policy change go into effect beginning with the 2019–2020 academic year and that the college catalog and college website be updated to ensure that DOPS language is consistently reflected in the catalog and on the website for this policy.

BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS
Policy Number: I:16:10 (New Policy)
Subject: Repeating Graduate Courses

A student may repeat a given graduate course once for which a B-, C+, C, C–, D+, D, E, EV, F, or U grade was earned. The course must be repeated in the same grading mode as the first attempt and have the same prefix, number, and credit. The repeated course must be taken at Buffalo State. When a course is repeated, only the higher grade earned and associated credit hours will count toward the GPA.

Repeating Courses Over Six Years
All coursework and degree requirements must be completed within a six-year period beginning with a student’s matriculation term into his or her graduate program.

Courses completed more than six years preceding a student’s graduation, regardless of grade earned, cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements unless a waiver is approved by the adviser, department chair, and academic dean. Without a waiver, such courses must be repeated to be applied to the degree requirements, and only the grade and credit hours earned on the last attempt will apply to the GPA and degree or certificate program requirements.

All grades remain on the permanent record. A passing grade will not replace a U grade, since the U is not computed in the GPA. Courses repeated outside of the parameters listed above will not be used in the calculation of the cumulative GPA, and the credit hours will not be applied to degree or certificate program requirements.

Policy regarding practicum courses may differ. Contact the academic department.

Repeating courses may affect financial aid. Contact the Financial Aid Office for the current policy.

Once a student has completed a master’s degree or certificate of advanced study, a final average for that degree or certificate is computed. Courses for that degree or certificate may not be repeated, and that final average is not affected by any subsequent coursework completed at Buffalo State.

I hereby accept the resolution of the College Senate regarding the new DOPS policy on Repeating Graduate Courses at Buffalo State. I charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change and for communicating the change to the campus community.

At its April 12, 2019, meeting, the College Senate voted in favor of a resolution on a revised DOPS Policy on Repeating Courses, to be implemented as follows. Proposed revisions to the policy are indicated below in ALL CAPITALS, ITALICIZED, BOLDFACE TYPE.

Introduced at the March 8, 2019, College Senate meeting by the Standards for Students Committee.
Voted on at the April 12, 2019, College Senate meeting.

WHEREAS, the current policy does not allow students to repeat courses outside of Buffalo State and penalizes students for a failed repeat at Buffalo State; and

WHEREAS, students who wish to improve their academic standing or GPA by completing courses at another institution are prevented by current policy from applying successfully completed transfer courses (except for Cross Registration courses) to their Buffalo State transcripts and from removing the earlier Buffalo State grade from their GPA; and

WHEREAS, students who are able to repeat a course successfully at another institution when that course is not being offered at Buffalo State may be more likely to recover, maintain their plan of completion, and/or successfully graduate in a timely manner from Buffalo State; and

WHEREAS, 73 percent of our student population receives federal financial aid that is governed by Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards (Pace and GPA),

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Buffalo State amend its DOPS policy on Repeating Courses as revised in this document to enhance student success and completion; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this policy change go into effect beginning with the 2019–2020 academic year and that the college catalog and college website be updated to ensure that DOPS language is consistently reflected in the catalog and on the website for this policy.

BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS
Policy Number: I:16:08                                                         
Subject: Repeating UNDERGRADUATE Courses

A student may repeat a given course once for which a C-, D+, D, E, EV, F, OR U grade was earned. The course must have the same prefix number, title, and credit hours. The repeated course must be taken at Buffalo State College. Only the HIGHER OF THE TWO GRADES AND those semester hours completed will be used in determining the GPA. A student may not repeat a course for a third time.

All grades remain on the permanent record. Students may not use pass/fail to repeat a course for which a C-, D+, D, E, or EV grade was earned. COURSES MUST BE REPEATED IN THE SAME GRADING MODE AS THE FIRST ATTEMPT. A passing grade will not replace an F or a U grade, since F and U are not computed in the GPA. Courses with letter grades above C- cannot be repeated. Courses that were illegally repeated will not be used in computing the cumulative average. Practicum courses may differ. Check with the department that offered the course. Repeating courses affects financial aid. Students should check with the Financial Aid Office for more information regarding repeating courses and financial aid policy.

Once a student has completed a bachelor’s degree, a final average for the degree is computed. Courses from that degree may not be repeated, and that final average is not affected by any subsequent coursework at Buffalo State College.

REPEATING COURSES AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS

A BUFFALO STATE COURSE IN WHICH A C-, D+, D, E, EV, OR F WAS EARNED MAY BE REPEATED AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION PROVIDED THE STUDENT HAS RECEIVED PRIOR DEPARTMENT APPROVAL OF COURSE EQUIVALENCY AND FILED THE APPROPRIATE OFF-CAMPUS STUDY FORM THROUGH THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE.

A MINIMUM GRADE OF C IS REQUIRED FOR TRANSFER CREDIT TO BE APPLIED AS A REPEATED COURSE. THE TRANSFER CREDIT WILL COUNT TOWARD DEGREE COMPLETION, BUT THE TRANSFERRED COURSE GRADE WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE OVERALL BUFFALO STATE GPA. UPON TRANSFER OF THE REPEATED COURSE, THE BUFFALO STATE COURSE WILL BE EXCLUDED FROM THE GPA AND WILL BE SO INDICATED ON THE TRANSCRIPT. 

NO MORE THAN 16 CREDITS MAY BE AWARDED THROUGH COURSE REPEAT AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION. TRANSFER CREDITS OBTAINED THROUGH COURSE REPEAT OUTSIDE OF BUFFALO STATE WILL COUNT TOWARD THE MAXIMUM TRANSFER CREDIT ALLOWANCE.

I hereby accept the resolution of the College Senate regarding the revision of the DOPS Policy on Repeating Undergraduate Courses at Buffalo State. I charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change and for communicating the change to the campus community.

I am pleased to announce the following appointments to the 2019–2020 Commencement Operations Group:

Chair: Michael Lewis, Director, Events Management*
Co-chair: Bernadette Gilliam, Assistant Director, Events Management

Patricia Alessandra, Commencement Director for Academics, Academic Affairs*
Cheryl Byer, Director, Facilities Business Operations Services
Peter Carey, Chief of Police, University Police
Brent Ford, Athletics Facilities Manager, Intercollegiate Athletics
Mary-Jo Jagord, Director, Alumni Engagement
Brian Kantz, Director of Publications, Marketing and Communications
Melaine Kenyon, Director, Technology Support Services, Information Technology
Margaret “Marnie” Letzelter, Executive Assistant to the Dean, Graduate School*
Nigel Marriner, Registrar, Registrar’s Office
Lynn Puma, Manager, Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore
Crystal Rodriguez, Chief of Staff, President’s Office*
Rita Zientek, Interim Dean, School of the Professions*

The Commencement Operations Group serves as the support and implementation arm to the Commencement Committee. This group consists of nonvoting members who by virtue of their position on campus have responsibilities for implementation of Commencement activities and events.

*Also serves on Commencement Committee