The next Drop Hammer Student Reading Series will take place on April 17, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 302. This event will involve a reading and celebration of the publication of the ELJ (Elm Leaves Journal)'s Endurance Edition. Contributors Nancy McCabe, T.L. Sherwood, Carol Townsend, and Theresa Wyatt will read from their works, as well as a virtual reading from National Book Award Recipient Jean Thompson. Student editors will also read selections.

This event will also reveal the theme and cover of the next issue! 

Snacks and refreshments will be provided. Free and open to the public.

Elm Leaves Journal (ELJ) is SUNY Buffalo State’s historic literary and arts journal. In production since 1948, Elm Leaves Journal has been administered, edited, and produced by students at Buffalo State University.

The journal is edited by Kim Chinquee, associate professor of English and coordinator of the Writing Major. ELJ is produced, in part, through the work of students in ENG 327: Editing and Publishing Elm Leaves Journal. In this course, Professor Chinquee takes students through the process of producing the journal, from selection to editing to layout.

This series is a tribute to the legacy of our late colleague Emanual Fried.

Student Accessibility Services at Buffalo State University is privileged to induct the 2025 class of the Epsilon Chi chapter of the Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society.

Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society was founded in 2004 to recognize the academic accomplishments of students with disabilities. In addition to recognizing academic achievement, Delta Alpha Pi seeks to lessen and eventually eliminate the stigma and negative stereotyping historically associated with disability. The members of Delta Alpha Pi challenge society to view disability as an aspect of diversity, existing on a continuum throughout an individual’s lifespan, and encourage the implementation of universal design, so that the environment (learning, physical, attitudinal), not the individual, adjusts to provide access to all individuals.

Students who become members of Delta Alpha Pi identify themselves as honor students who have a disability. By their open acknowledgment of their disability status, they serve as role models for other students with disabilities and advance the goals of Delta Alpha Pi on their campuses and in the community.

Each year Student Accessibility Services will continue to recognize these students’ academic accomplishments by honoring and acknowledging their determination and perseverance. This year’s class will receive a Delta Alpha Pi letter of recognition and a Certificate of Initiation.

Please visit the Student Accessibility Services website to see the complete list of students who wish to be recognized from all induction years.

Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of these amazing students!

Undergraduate Students

Ezraela Belanger

Collin Bostock

Dylan Bradford

Chantelle Brewer

Elleana Bush

Grace Cottone

Noah Downes

Stephanie Flowers

Ana Gaona-Mendoza

Samantha Griffen

Giuseppe Guidi

Gabrielle Hall

Amanda Harroun

Max Herner

Shazeda Islam

Fedeline Jean-Philippe

Red Jones

Mohammed Karim

Nickolas Kennison

Arianna King

Joshua  Mayer

Cecilia Nowak

Iris Ofray Rivera

Isohie Ogiugo

Cindy Paul

George Reimers

Abigail Rockcastle

Kaden Strong

A'Zaeja Washington

Megan Wild                                        

Brandon Willard

Dylan Williams

Marcus Williams

Samantha Woods

Valentina Zapryagaeva

Ethan Zydel

Graduate Students

Suzanne Colligan

Jennifer Giambra-Ort

Greta Llanes Serrano

Alyssa Schmitt

Andrew Szumla

The Senate's Budget and Staff Allocation Committee invites you to complete a brief Qualtrics survey. This survey was created by a BSAC subcommittee chaired by Kari D'Amico. It focuses upon whether personnel changes due to downsizing have affected your workplace responsibilities and what, if any, suggestions you may have. The last day to complete the survey is April 25. Once again, we encourage you to take part in the survey (it only takes a few minutes). 

Thank you for your interest and support. BSAC looks forward to learning about your perspective on this important issue.

Link to the BSAC survey.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar “From Buffalo State through Nutrition Educator and Dietitian to Family Medicine – A Career Journey Calling the Shots: How Vocal Roles Shape Collective Decisions in Disk-winged Bats,” presented by Dr. Maria Sagot on Monday, April 14, at 3:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 214. Attendees are welcome to arrive at 2:30 p.m. to enjoy coffee and cookies leading up to the seminar.

Research Seminar Abstract: Social animals often rely on communication and coordination to navigate collective challenges like foraging or finding shelter, especially in unpredictable environments. In this talk, I explore how Thyroptera tricolor (Spix’s disk-winged bat), a species that roosts in ephemeral furled leaves and forms stable social groups, uses vocal communication to coordinate group decisions during roost finding. Individuals differ consistently in vocal behavior, forming a dynamic similar to producer–scrounger systems in other animals: some bats generate social calls that others follow. We investigated how these stable vocal roles affect group efficiency and cohesion, whether non-vocal individuals rely more on social information, and how kinship and associations influence calling behavior. Through a combination of field and flight cage experiments in Costa Rica, we found that groups with a mix of vocal and non-vocal individuals locate roosts more efficiently, but a high proportion of vocal bats can lead to group fragmentation. Non-vocal individuals were more responsive to social calls, supporting the idea that behavioral diversity improves collective outcomes. However, relatedness and association strength did not predict calling rates—vocal behavior was instead best explained by individual identity, suggesting these roles are intrinsic traits rather than responses to social bonds. Together, these findings highlight the role of stable individual differences in shaping social dynamics and demonstrate how collective decision-making emerges from a balance between signalers and receivers. This work contributes to our understanding of how behavioral variation and communication systems support group living in complex ecological contexts.

April is National Donate Life Month.

Give blood and save lives at the Connect Life Blood Drive at Buffalo State University on Thursday, April 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Houston Gym.

All April blood and platelet donors will receive a free Buffalo Sabres t-shirt and be entered in DoorDash gift card raffles.

To make an appointment: call (716) 529-4270 or visit ConnectLifeGiveBlood.org and enter sponsor code 001047. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Visit ConnectLife.org/Register to become an organ, eye, and tissue donor.

Please let your students know over 100 Fall 2025 scholarship applications are available now in the CAPS Scholarship Portal! Students may apply for Fall 2025 scholarships until April 17th.

https://buffalostate.academicworks.com/

Edmund Haspett from TIAA will be on campus for individual consultations with Buffalo State faculty and staff members on May 6, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 416.

Appointments are required. Please visit the TIAA website to schedule an appointment or call (800) 732-8353 weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. There is no cost for these consultations.

No matter where you are in life—just getting started or planning for retirement—a consultation session can help you create a plan for your goals. You’ll get answers to these questions and more:

Am I invested in the right mix of investments to help meet my goals?
Am I saving enough to create the retirement income I need?
How do I take income from my retirement account once I stop working?

Space is limited. Sign up today.

We are asking faculty to submit the second and final Progress Report for Spring 2025. With this report we are particularly looking at giving students your guidance as it relates to taking the class pass-fail or withdrawing from the class. The Late Semester Progress Report will be open from 4/7/2024 and will close on 4/25/2025.

Need some training on how to complete the Spring 2025 - Late Semester Progress Report? That’s okay, we’ve got you covered! Over the next two weeks, via Microsoft Teams, we will be offering multiple training opportunities. Each training session will be 30 minutes.

• Tuesday, April 15, 2025 – 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. – Teams Meeting Link
• Friday, April 18, 2025 – 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. – Teams Meeting Link
• Tuesday, April 22, 2025 – 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. – Teams Meeting Link
• Friday, April 25, 2025 – 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. – Teams Meeting Link

Thank you for your work in supporting our students!

The Buffalo State community is cordially invited to attend the 68th Honors Convocation on Friday, April 25, at 3:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. 

This traditional ceremonial event celebrates students’ academic achievements and also recognizes faculty who have contributed to their success. Student honorees will receive an honors pin (to be pinned on the honoree during the ceremony) and a certificate at the conclusion of the program.

Light refreshments will follow the event.

Do not miss this special ceremonial event as we honor our best and brightest at Buffalo State University. We look forward to seeing you at Honors Convocation, April 25!`

Contact Kimberly Jackson, deputy director of commencement operations and ceremonial events regarding questions about Honors Convocation.

Governor Hochul is directing flags on state building be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday, April 14, in honor of former Western New York Congressman John LaFalce, who died at the age of 85.