The Emergency Response Planning Group and University Police will conduct a test of the university’s outdoor emergency alert horn at 1:30 p.m. today, October 31.

People who are outdoors during the test will hear a series of three loud 60-second horn blasts emanating from the central heating plant. Please note: The horn is primarily intended to be audible at outdoor locations on campus—not inside buildings.

In a real emergency, the horn would sound for a minimum of five full minutes. If a real emergency alert is signaled, immediately seek shelter and await further instructions communicated via Buff State Alert, email, the Emergency Information website, or direct instructions from University Police.

Approximately 30 minutes before the test horn sounds, the university will issue a campuswide test of the Buff State Alert emergency communication system. At this time, all students, faculty, and staff members who have registered with the service will be sent a test message.

Students, faculty, and staff members are strongly encouraged to enroll in Buff State Alert, or modify their preferences, by visiting the Buff State Alert website and logging in with their Buffalo State username and password. Those who do not have a Buffalo State username or password but want to receive text messages from Buff State Alert can sign up by texting the phrase “buffalostate” to 79516.

More information about the university’s comprehensive emergency response plan is available online. Faculty, staff, and students are also encourage to bookmark the Emergency Information website. This page will serve as a destination that chronicles all messages (organized by date and time, newest at the top) during an ongoing situation or emergency.

Bengala, Buffalo State’s largest fundraising event, has generated over $6 million in scholarship support throughout its history. We invite all current and retired Buffalo State faculty and staff members to help continue this tradition by attending our first Bengala 2025 Gift Gathering on Thursday, November 7, from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. in the upper lobby of Butler Library.

We are seeking creative gift baskets for our silent auction that showcase your department by combining tangible items with unique Buffalo State experiences. Suggested ideas might include a “Plant Lover” basket with gardening tools plus a tree-planting experience with the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum; a “Fitness Fans” package with workout gear and a rowing and picnic experience with the Small Business Development Center; a “Night at the Theater” basket including theater memorabilia and a walk-on role in a 2025 fall theater production from the Theater Department; a “Home Chef Starter Kit” with cooking utensils and a VIP couples cooking class from the Hospitality and Tourism Department; and a “Traveler’s Delight” featuring travel accessories and a special experience from the School of Education. You may also pledge an item or experience to be delivered by February 2025 and connect us to distinguished alumni who are willing to provide an experience.

Visit us at the Gift Gathering and receive a complimentary Starbucks coffee when you either provide a gift basket or purchase your Bengala ticket. Choose our convenient payroll-deduction option for ticket purchases before December 31 and you’ll be automatically entered to win a special edition Bengal Pride orange electric scooter. The scooter winner will be announced at Bengala, though you need not be present to win. Want to increase your chances? For each person you recruit who signs up for Bengala tickets using payroll deduction, you’ll receive an additional entry in the scooter giveaway.

You may also visit our gift registries at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore on campus and digitally on Amazon. Items purchased on Amazon are delivered directly to Buffalo State for the auction.

If you have any questions about your department’s auction item donation or signing up for tickets through payroll deduction, please contact Elizabeth Grady, director of development events. Remember, no gift is too small—your contribution helps support our students while highlighting the excellent work of your department. Please join us in making Bengala 2025 a success!

At its October 11, 2024, meeting, the College Senate voted to recommend to the interim president the adoption of the following resolution:

WHEREAS, in June 2024, the SUNY chancellor approved a 4.0 percent increase in broad-based fees for 2024/2025; and

WHEREAS, Buffalo State reduced the undergraduate transportation fee from $110 to $80 (27 percent decrease) as part of the overall changes to 2024/2025 broad-based fees; and

WHEREAS, Buffalo State made the decision to remove the partially subsidized NFTA Metro Bus and Rail passes from the undergraduate transportation fee due to rising costs of service and declining ridership; and

WHEREAS, undergraduate students received limited communications about the removal of the NFTA Metro Bus and Rail passes, including the “2024/2025 Broad-Based Fee Student Consultation” video sent to all students on August 6, 2024, and the “Obtaining an NFTA MetGo Card through Buffalo State University” email sent to 2,237 students on August 12, 2024; and

WHEREAS, students who relied on the NFTA to commute to campus, work, internships, and student teaching were left with an unexpected financial burden; and

WHEREAS, there has been zero communication to faculty and staff by email or the Daily Bulletin regarding the removal of NFTA bus passes from the transportation fee,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Buffalo State use several communication methods, including email (e.g., Bengal Buzz), social media, websites, flyers, and word-of-mouth, to inform undergraduate students of the availability of a Bus Pass Appeal Program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Buffalo State analyze campus shuttle service data and survey undergraduate students to determine expanded service options such as to NFTA transfer stops or to Elmwood Avenue shopping centers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Buffalo State review student parking policies; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Buffalo State communicate an update to faculty and staff in the Daily Bulletin regarding the recent changes to the transportation fee and short-term solutions for students.

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate regarding the adoption of the Transportation Fee and NFTA Bus Pass Resolution, and I authorize the interim vice president for financial management to make the changes listed above as soon as possible. I also direct the interim vice president for financial management to communicate these changes to the campus as appropriate. I thank the Student Welfare Committee for its work in developing this recommendation.

The holidays are just around the corner. This year we invite every department, club, and organization to join in the holiday spirit and submit an ornament to be hung on the Presidential Holiday Tree at the president's residence. Each submitted ornament will be tagged with the department, club, or organization name and date. All ornaments will be displayed on the tree for the season and become a legacy item for the university.

Please send submissions to Presidential Events and Protocol, Cleveland Hall 515B. We have extended the deadline to Friday, November 22.

Please direct any questions to Carolyn Morris-Hunt, director of presidential events protocol.

The next meeting of the Buffalo State University Council will be held at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 12, in Cleveland Hall 518.

Agenda (Subject to Change)

1. Call to Order
2. Action Items
   Approval of the Minutes: October 8, 2024
3. Chair’s Report
4. President’s Report
5. Committee Reports
6. Announcements
7. Executive Session (If Necessary)
8. Adjournment

The holidays are just around the corner. This year we invite every department, club, and organization to join in the holiday spirit and submit an ornament to be hung on the Presidential Holiday Tree at the president's residence. Each submitted ornament will be tagged with the department, club, or organization name and date. All ornaments will be displayed on the tree for the season and become a legacy item for the university.

Please send submissions to Presidential Events and Protocol, Cleveland Hall 515B by Friday, November 22.

Please direct any questions to Carolyn Morris-Hunt, director of presidential events protocol.

Internal applications are being accepted for the following position on campus. This is an internal job posting open to employees of Buffalo State University who are currently paid from any state-appropriated-funds payroll.

Title: Senior Staff Assistant / Assistant to the Chief Diversity Officer
Department: Equity and Campus Diversity
Rank: SL-3
Negotiating Unit: UUP

Brief Job Description
Position Summary:
The assistant to the chief diversity officer within the Equity and Campus Diversity Office manages the daily administrative and operational tasks of Equity and Diversity, encompassing oversight of significant programming operations and project management related to equity, diversity and inclusion and social justice initiatives. The assistant to the CDO will report to and provide direct support for the chief diversity officer.

Essential Job Functions:

• Develop and maintain a system for monitoring and managing departmental budgets and provide periodic ad hoc reports. Assist with planning and preparation of departmental budget requests, designation of accounts; track expenditures and reconciliation.
• Develop and maintain a system for logging and monitoring discrimination and harassment complaints, providing periodic reports, updating forms, and ensuring that all policy and website information is current and accessible.
• Provide oversight of operations for various functions such as cultural heritage events, speakers, disability, and sexual violence awareness programing. This may include tasks such as securing venues, purchasing items, booking travel, etc.
• Collaborate with Professional Development to ensure campus compliance with mandated trainings.
• Develop and implement department-wide training, policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Provide professional administrative support to the chief diversity officer, including scheduling meetings, using electronic calendar system to manage and coordinate schedules, directing phone call inquiries and responding to inquiries as appropriate, coordinating travel and processing appropriate documentation per the requirements of the university.
• Draft, edit, and distribute documents, manuals, and publications related to supporting divisional leadership including but not limited to divisional communication messages, newsletters, agendas, and reports.
• Develop training for student staff, both graduate and undergraduate, and ensure that all students are trained annually in office protocol and procedures.

To view the required qualifications and to apply, please view the posting on the Buffalo State Job Opportunities website.

This internal review date closes Tuesday, November 19.

The Grant Allocation Committee (GAC) requests proposals from individuals, departments, and student clubs and organizations for funding of programs, speakers, and events to take place during the 2024–2025 academic year. 

The deadline to submit applications under this funding cycle is Monday, December 16, for spring 2025 program proposals. Applications for funding and complete details of requirements may be found on the Student Affairs website. All proposals must be submitted electronically to Stacy Erokwu, assistant to the vice president for student affairs.

Questions about the GAC may also be addressed to Stacy Erokwu.

The Grant Allocation Committee (GAC) requests proposals from individuals, departments, and student clubs and organizations for funding of programs, speakers, and events to take place during the 2024–2025 academic year. 

The deadline to submit applications under this funding cycle is Monday, December 16, for spring 2025 program proposals. Applications for funding and complete details of requirements may be found on the Student Affairs website. All proposals must be submitted electronically to Stacy Erokwu, assistant to the vice president for student affairs.

Questions about the GAC may also be addressed to Stacy Erokwu.

Kelly Marczynski has retired from her position as director of the Institute for Community Health Promotion (ICHP) after almost 30 years of service to the Buffalo State University community. Her last day on campus was Friday, November 15. Dr. Marczynski served as an epidemiologist and research scientist who oversaw numerous projects that positively influenced health and social behavior in and around Buffalo and across New York State. We thank Dr. Marczynski for her service and wish her well in this new phase of her life.

Staffing Updates
Following Dr. Marczynski’s retirement, ICHP and the two units composing it, the Center for Health and Social Research (CHSR) and Learning Engagement and Development Services (LEADS), are being reorganized. The two remaining CHSR employees, Jonathan Lindner and Alan Delmerico, will relocate to other campus units. Dr. Lindner has elected to move to a new position in the Weigel Health Center, where he will serve as director of health promotion and wellness. There he will expand on his previous work with Buffalo State students on broad issues of health and wellness. Dr. Delmerico will move to Continuing Professional Studies, where he will continue his grant-funded community health work and assume oversight of the grant-funded LEADS unit. These changes result in the discontinuance of the ICHP and CHSR units.