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

Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence, Distinguished Faculty Ranks
Distinguished Professor, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Distinguished Service Professor, or Distinguished Librarian; Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Professional Service, Librarianship, Scholarship and Creative Activities, or Faculty Service nominations
Due Date: Monday, October 17, 2022

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; Graduate Research Mentor; Librarianship; Research, Scholarship, and Creativity; Service to the College; Teaching; or as an Undergraduate Research Mentor nominations
Due Date: Monday, March 6, 2023

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.

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

I am pleased to announce the updated membership of the 2021–2023 President’s Council on Equity and Campus Diversity:

Co-chair: Carlos Jones, Associate Dean, School of Arts and Sciences
Co-chair: Charles Lyons, Director, E. H. Butler Library

Tiffany Bromfield, Associate Director of Residence Life and Inclusion, Residence Life Office
Mary Codick, Administrative Assistant I, Teacher Certification Office
Justin Crossfox, Senior Assistant Librarian, Butler Library
Karen Edmond, Coordinator of Field Education, Social Work Department
Ruth Goldman, Associate Professor, Communication Department
Jonise Hall, Assistant Director, Anne Frank Project
Luke Haumesser, Associate Director, Student Leadership and Engagement
Michael Heflin, Assistant Dean of Inclusion and Equity, Dean of Students Office
Douglas Hoston, Visiting Scholar, Social and Psychological Foundations of Education Department
Yanick Jenkins, Director, Educational Opportunity Program
Amy Pedlow, Assistant Chief of Police, University Police
Laura Hill Rao, Director, Civic and Community Engagement
Jennifer Ryan-Bryant, Professor, English Department
Julie Setele, Senior Assistant Librarian, Butler Library
Celestine Simmons, Administration Assistant 1, Muriel A. Howard Honors Program
Bruce Swan, Associate Professor, Mathematics Department
John Torrey, Assistant Professor, Philosophy Department
Ariana Veltri-Clark, Academic Advising, Academic Success
Marcus Watson, Assistant Professor, Individualized Studies

Administrative Liaison: Lisa Morrison-Fronckowiak, Interim Chief Diversity Officer

The President’s Council on Equity and Campus Diversity was established at Buffalo State College in 1996 to address discrimination, harassment, and campus climate issues as they relate to recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff; curriculum development; and student life on campus. The president receives and reviews recommendations from the council. The chief diversity officer provides administrative support for the council.

As we begin the new semester, it is important to remember the Buffalo State policy on religious observances, which states: "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 the said student such equivalent opportunity."

As a reminder, the Buffalo State community is composed of individuals from a wide array of faith-based communities and practices. We honor and respect everyone’s right to practice their faith. For the full Policy on Discrimination Based on Religion, please visit the Equity and Campus Diversity website.

Additionally, here are a few 2022–2023 religious observance dates to keep in mind:

Rosh Hashanah
Sunday, September 25, 2022 (sundown)–Tuesday, September 27 (sundown)

Yom Kippur
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 (sundown)–Wednesday, October 5 (sundown)

Diwali
Monday, October 24, 2022

Ramadan
Thursday, March 23, 2023 (30 days and dates dependent on the sighting of the new moon crescent)

Passover
Thursday, April 6–Thursday, April 13, 2023

Good Friday
Friday, April 7, 2023

The next meeting of the Buffalo State College Council will be held at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 4, in Cleveland Hall 518.

Agenda

1. Call to Order
2. Action Items
   Approval of the Minutes: April 19, 2022
3. Chair’s Report
4. President’s Report
5. Committee Reports
6. Announcements
7. Executive Session (If Necessary)
8. Adjournment

Progress was made over the summer on the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Self-Study report. MSCHE Self-Study Steering Committee co-chairs Abdi Hajikandi, assistant director of the Educational Opportunity Program, and Kelly Frothingham, associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, along with Kim Barron, campus MSCHE accreditation liaison officer (ALO), worked to assemble an MSCHE Self-Study Writing Group, which includes Mary Beth Sullivan, lecturer in the College Writing Program, and Kevin Williams, associate professor of earth sciences. Tiffany Fuzak, research analyst in Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, continued working on the self-study team, and Carolynn Krupp, director of institutional planning, is also supporting self-study work. This group reviewed the Self-Study Working Group chapter drafts to ensure that the drafts addressed the Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation, Verification of Compliance with Accreditation-Relevant Federal Regulations, and to ensure that the report reads as “one voice.”

Monthly MSCHE Steering Committee meetings have commenced, and committee members can track progress of the self-study draft report. We learned this summer that Kean University President Lamont O. Repollet will serve as our MSCHE team chair. His preliminary visit is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, November 7 and 8; a “nearly complete draft” of the self-study report will be provided to Dr. Repollet before his visit. The purpose of the preliminary visit is to introduce the team chair to the institution, its people, and its environment so that the chair and team of peer evaluators can begin the upcoming on-site evaluation visit efficiently and effectively. Dr. Repollet will also provide feedback to ensure that the self-study process and document will support a useful on-site evaluation visit.

I am pleased to announce the members of the 2022–2023 Campus Safety Forum and Community Policing Committee:

Co-Chair: Jill D’Angelo, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice Department
Co-Chair: Sarah Young, Dean of Students

Philip Badaszewski, Assistant Dean, Residence Life
Maria Brickhouse, Coordinator, Academic Center for Excellence, Educational Opportunity Program
LeVar Burke, Chief of Staff, President’s Office
Colleen Callahan, Director of Digital Communications, Marketing and Communications Office
Patrick DeWind, Senior Database Administrator, Information Technology Services
Lisa Fronckowiak, Interim Chief Diversity Officer, Equity and Campus Diversity Office
Gail Gauda, Associate Registrar, Registrar’s Office
Daniel Harris, University Police Officer 2, University Police Department
Stephen Mayoral, Chief of Police, University Police Department
Amy Pedlow, Assistant Chief of Police, University Police
Ksenia Petlakh, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice Department
Nina Pierino, Assistant Director, Student Conduct and Community Standards
Candace Williams, Assistant Director of Sexual Violence Prevention and Education, Dean of Students Office
Student Representative: Tayllor Clark, President, United Students Government

The committee will review current campus policies and procedures for compliance and make recommendations for improvements related to

1. educating the campus community about sexual assault, personal safety, and crime prevention;
2. reporting sexual assaults and interacting with victims during investigations;
3. referring complaints to appropriate authorities;
4. counseling victims and responding to inquiries from concerned persons.

This group will also represent the Buffalo State community in creating, evaluating, and implementing a community-oriented policy designed to create an environment focused on crime prevention, problem solving and education.

It’s no secret that across campus, we are all doing more with less these days.

No one is more keenly aware of this problem than Institutional Advancement. That is why we want to partner with you to fundraise for your department’s most important and pressing needs.

During the spring semester, we will be hosting Buffalo State Gives 2023, our fifth annual Day of Giving. Every year, this 24-hour crowdfunding event gets bigger and better as we raise money for important programs across campus. Buffalo State Gives 2022 was our best Day of Giving yet, thanks to the many departments that raised their hands to fundraise with us.

This year, we want to open the doors to allow as many departments as possible to participate. So if you are interested in participating in Buffalo State Gives, please sign up online by Friday, October 28.

Questions about Buffalo State Gives? Please contact Kate Lockhart, assistant to the vice president, (716) 878-3077.

Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff members are encouraged to review the college's emergency closings policy (PDF, 124 KB) and sign up for the Buff State Alert system to receive emergency notifications. If you have already signed up for Buff State Alert, please take a few moments to verify or update your contact information.

Because the weather in Western New York can vary greatly within just a few miles, there are times each winter when conditions on campus are favorable for classes to be held as scheduled, but some students, faculty, and staff members may experience difficulty traveling to campus. In those situations, students must communicate with their instructors, faculty with their students, and staff with their supervisors if they cannot travel to campus safely.

Students will not be penalized if they cannot attend face-to-face or hybrid classes in person because of severe weather but are responsible for making up any assignments, quizzes, or exams promptly, in consultation with faculty. Students are responsible for the prompt completion of any alternative assignments. If an absence situation between a student and instructor cannot be resolved, an appeal should proceed sequentially to the department chair, dean, and finally the provost.

Faculty members who are unable to travel to campus are responsible for making alternative arrangements for their students. If a faculty member must cancel class(es), affected students should be notified via Blackboard and/or direct email as soon as possible.

During inclement weather, essential-critical employees are expected to report to campus at scheduled times. Non-essential and essential-remote employees who may be able to conduct work from an alternate location must consult with their supervisors in advance on all such decisions. Non-essential and essential-remote employees who do not report to work must communicate the absence to their supervisor and charge the absence to appropriate leave accruals, even when the college cancels classes and activities.

The Association of Faculty and Staff of African Descent (AFSAD) will hold its first meeting Thursday, October 6, at 12:15 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205. 

AFSAD is an employee resource group (ERG). ERGs foster inclusivity and diversity and provide a forum for those who share a common identity to support one another and build community. Equity and Campus Diversity aims to continue its partnership with faculty and staff members who are interested in cultivating ERGs to foster inclusivity, diversity, and community. If you would like assistance in forming a new ERG, please email Equity and Campus Diversity.

New York State enacted legislation in 2018 requiring all employers, including Buffalo State College, to ensure that their employees complete sexual harassment prevention training annually. The Equity and Campus Diversity Office has developed a 20-minute online program that meets all New York State requirements for sexual harassment prevention training. The training must be completed online using BizLibrary no later than Friday, October 21, 2022.

Employees can log in to BizLibrary to complete the training by following these steps:

1. Visit BizLibrary (http://buffalostate.bizlibrary.com), which will bring you to a Microsoft page. Enter your Buffalo State College email address.
2. The Buffalo State log-in page will appear. Enter your campus username and password. After you enter your password, expect a multi-factor authentication prompt.
3. Complete the “2022 Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training” under “My Assignments,” which includes a 12-minute video and associated quiz and a five-minute video and associated quiz.

Student employees, including graduate students, work-study students, and student workers, are also required to complete the mandatory sexual harassment training.

Student employees should take the following steps to complete the training:

1. Visit BizLibrary (http://buffalostate.bizlibrary.com), which will bring you to a Microsoft page. Enter your student username with @buffalostate.edu after your username (your username is the first part of your email address before “@”). DO NOT enter your student Gmail address.
2. The Buffalo State log-in page will appear. Enter your student username and password.
3. Complete the “2022 Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training” under “My Assignments,” which includes a 12-minute video and associated quiz and a five-minute video and associated quiz.

If you experience log-in issues, please contact the IT Help Desk. Please visit the Equity and Campus Diversity Frequently Asked Questions page, or contact the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, (716) 878-6210, with questions about the training.