Pursuant to the Ethics Commission Reform Act of 2022, all New York State employees are required to complete ethics training every year. For those employees who have not completed the Comprehensive Ethics Training Course (CETC) in 2024, the deadline to complete this mandatory training is Friday, November 29, 2024.

New hires are required to complete this training within 90 days of date of hire. Employees who have not yet taken the CETC in 2024 have two options for completing this requirement:

1. Complete one of the live training sessions offered in a hybrid format (in-person and through Microsoft Teams) on campus. Please register using the links below:
   • Monday, September 23, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
   • Tuesday, September 24, Noon-1:30 p.m.
2. Complete the live virtual training session through the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. Type "SUNY College at Buffalo" under Agency and the option will automatically populate underneath. Be sure to click SUNY College at Buffalo to receive the green check mark next to the name. You also must type in your NYS Employee ID (beginning with N), which can be found in the top left corner of your paycheck in SUNY Self-Service/View Paycheck (see user guide). Then type in your full first and last name and email address and select "Find a Training" to register. Human Resource Management will be notified of all course completions by employees.

Supervisors are asked to ensure that all their employees are allotted time to complete this mandatory training.

Please note: If you are employed at a state agency other than Buffalo State University and have already completed the Comprehensive Ethics Training Course through the New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government or through your state agency in 2024, please send a copy of your certificate of completion to Human Resource Management so that we can document that you have fulfilled this mandatory training requirement at a different state agency.

It's that time of year again. Nothing says autumn more than watching a plummeting pumpkin smash onto pavement! In a decade-old tradition, the Geosciences Department invites you to observe the Annual Autumn Pumpkin Drop, where we toss pumpkins from the top of Buckham Hall. The event takes place Tuesday, September 24, from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m.; the pumpkin drop will take place about 1:15 p.m. Swing by to celebrate the upcoming fall season. Come early to sign or decorate the large pumpkin (brings good luck) and enjoy cider and cookies. There will be plenty of time left over to allow you to get to your classes afterward. The drop zone will be in Lot R-12, located on the southeast side of Buckham Hall. Look for the yellow tape cordoning off the drop zone.

In keeping with last year, an invitation will go out to campus clubs and organizations to decorate their own pumpkin, bring it for display, and watch it drop from the roof. There will be a first-come five club or organization limit. Please contact Stephen Vermette, professor of geosciences, to receive your pumpkin.

Experience the exhibition opening of Ann Clarke: Interior Landscapes at the Burchfield Penney Art Center during M&T Second Friday, tonight, September 13, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Plus, participate in the interactive art performance Patricia Schnall Gutierrez: The Package Project and enjoy live music by Buffalo Music Hall-of-Famer Doug Yeomans. Get creative with all-ages art-making in the Useum Studio. Thanks to the generosity of M&T Bank, every Second Friday is free and open to the public. See you there!

P.S. Gallery admission is free anytime for Buffalo State students and faculty just show your ID at the front desk.

Learn more about what's on tap for September M&T Second Friday.

Please join us for a virtual SUNY-wide civic dialog, "Our Freedom of Speech + The Perils of Misinformation," on Tuesday, September 17, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

This dialogue will collaboratively explore and discuss the complexity of today's media and information landscapes in relation to a commitment to our freedom of speech. Moderated by Joe Scanlon, associate professor of political science at Monroe Community College; Babette Faehmel, professor of liberal arts at Schenectady County Community College; and Ashley Mercado-Liege, assistant director of the Center for Civic Justice at Stony Brook University, this virtual dialogue is specifically geared toward SUNY students. In a non-partisan manner, we will discuss the roles and responsibilities of news media, misinformation and disinformation in shared digital spaces, our individual information consumption habits, and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence. Students will meet with other students from across the SUNY system to discuss, think about, and share thoughts on these topics in small groups via Zoom. Register online.

This event will be presented as a public dialogue, and facilitators are needed to lead an inclusive conversation. Please email civicfellows@suny.edu if you are interested in acting as a facilitator. Participation will be beneficial for faculty and staff as we consider the recent recommendation for a civic dialogue core competency.

Additional civic learning and civic engagement professional development opportunities are offered through the SUNY Civic Learning and Civic Engagement Fall 2024 online series.

Please join the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) for the session "Putting in the (Self) Work: Growing Your Social Justice Potential" on Tuesday, September 24, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 318. The workshop will be presented by Natalie Szymanski, assistant professor of English and director of the College Writing Program; Amy McMillan, director of the Honors Program; Tristin Salter, program coordinator with Continuing Professional Studies; and John Draeger, professor of philosophy and TLC director.

The goal of this workshop is to up your social justice quotient in the classroom. Change doesn't happen all at once, but it can happen with healthy doses of humility and radical self-work. For example, how do you handle uncomfortable moments with your students, colleagues in your department, and other disciplinary practitioners? How might your presuppositions, blind spots, or even privilege inadvertently influence your course design and delivery? This workshop will prompt you with challenging questions to reassess your own current disciplinary and classroom practices and then help you take steps toward manageable and sustainable change.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Buffalo State University's Anne Frank Project is thrilled to host its 16th annual social justice festival AFP 2024: Home: Building Our Collective Story September 25 and 26. This signature two-day celebration of stories is less than two weeks away. View the schedule of events and register on our website today!

AFP 2024 Highlights

• Lazarus Lynch, Donn Youngstrom Featured Speaker
  - An Evening with Lazarus Lynch - Tuesday, September 24, 7:00-9:00 p.m., LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center
  - Lazarus Lynch Workshop - Wednesday, September 25, 10:00 a.m.-Noon, Campbell Student Union Social Hall

• Addison Henderson, Award-Winning Director, Writer, and Actor - Finding Your Creative Voice: Exploring Home through Filmmaking. Wednesday, September 25, 4:00-5:50 p.m., Campbell Student Union Social Hall

• Mark Tally, Buffalo State Alumnus, Founder of Agents for Advocacy - Empowering Maternal Health: Tackling Disparities in Low Socioeconomic Communities. Thursday, September 26, 1:40-2:55 p.m., Campbell Student Union Social Hall

• Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Amitra Wall and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Wayne Brumfield - Mastering Difficult Conversations. Wednesday September 25, 2:00-3:50 p.m., Campbell Student Union Social Hall

• Rwanda 2024 Delegation - Remarkable Rwanda Stories. Wednesday, September 25, 6:00-7:50 p.m., Campbell Student Union Social Hall

About Our Theme
This year's festival we challenge our university students, faculty, staff, alums, and our off-campus audiences to define Home. Buffalo State University is a campus that welcomes students from all over the world to immerse themselves in education, diversity, and social justice. How can we bring our different stories together to build our collective story; our Home? A home where our stories are protected, honored, and shared without fear. At AFP 2024 - Home: Building Our Collective Story, we have the opportunity to achieve Anne Frank's wish to "repair the world" by deconstructing and rebuilding what we call Home.

Questions about the festival? Please contact AFP's assistant director, Jonise Hall.

Please join us for the Teaching and Learning Center's session "Introduction to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at SUNY Buffalo State," presented by Jill Norvilitis, professor of psychology, and Gina Game, research compliance manager for sponsored programs, on Thursday, October 3, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Buckham Hall B145.

Before the review process, researchers must be sure that their project is, in fact, research with human participants as defined by the federal government. To qualify as research with human participants, the following must be true: (1) The participants must be living. The use of records is still considered research with human participants, although oral history and journalism are specifically excluded. (2) The project is a systematic investigation; that is, it is designed to be a study. For example, instances in classrooms where teachers ask students' opinions on the material to gauge progress are not research; however, if that same teacher designs a study to evaluate two methods of teaching the material to see which is more effective, this would be research if the third criterion is met. (3) The project is designed to contribute to the generalized knowledge. To qualify as research, the person conducting the project must intend for it to be disseminated at some level. On our campus, we also review student projects that may not be disseminated but that meet the first two criteria so that our students will learn the process of research with human participants and because we have contracted with the federal government to do so.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

A closing reception for Across the Visual Arts XV: Dean's Creative Associates Awards Exhibition will be held today from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery and Upton Hall foyer. All are welcome!

Across the Visual Arts XV features one outstanding student artist from each Art and Design concentration. The students in this exhibition were awarded the Dean's Creative Associates Award in May 2024:

Domenico Bindig (Art History)
Paula Carver (Metals/Jewelry)
Tallulah Gordon (Photography)
Marissa Guercio-Apolito (Ceramics)
Gabrielle Hall (Fibers)
Evan Jaskula (Interior Design)
Sarah Kurdziel (Art Education)
Emily Kush (Graphic Design)
Alexis Mittelsteadt (Printmaking)
Caitlin Riley (Sculpture)
Shauna Smith (Painting)
Caroline Williams (Wood/Furniture)

Czurles-Nelson Gallery Fall 2024 Hours*
Monday
10:00 a.m.-Noon
2:00-5:30 p.m.

Tuesday
10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
2:00-5:30 p.m.

Wednesday
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
2:00-5:30 p.m.

Thursday
10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
2:00-5:30 p.m.

Friday
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Saturday, Sunday
Closed

*Or by appointment

Please contact Marie Bogner, Czurles-Nelson Gallery coordinator, (716) 878-4390, with questions.

Buffalo State Catering has updated its catering guidelines to better serve the needs of the campus. The updated guidelines will improve communication regarding catering events on campus. The new guidelines are available online.

The Undergraduate Research Small Grants program provides up to $400 to assist undergraduate students in carrying out a research, scholarly, or creative activity during the academic year. Up to $600 may be requested for a single project that involves two or more students. Funding is intended to help defray the costs to conduct the project, and is limited to equipment, supplies, and domestic travel expenses. Award recipients will be required to participate in the Student Research and Creativity Conference (SRCC) at Buffalo State on Friday, May 2, 2025. The fall 2024 deadline for submission of the student portion of the online application is Monday, September 30; the faculty mentor approval is due by Wednesday, October 2. For more details, please visit the online application portal on the Undergraduate Research website.