Hundreds of campus representatives joined live last month for "Re/Designing Democracy," a free webinar hosted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities' Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE). The high level of participation demonstrates a clear interest in the future of democracy. If you could not attend, we invite you to watch the webinar on demand.

During this hour-long recording, you'll become acquainted with Democracy Re/Designed, a national effort to encourage classroom and campus discussions about envisioning a democracy that works for everyone. IDHE Executive Director Nancy Thomas reviewed how and why Democracy Re/Designed came to be and how the framework and toolkit can help you listen to and empower your students.

The Democracy Re/Designed toolkit includes a conceptual framework, discussion guide, and institutional self-assessment tool. We encourage educators to download and use these free resources to engage students and the campus community in envisioning a more aspirational democracy that works for everyone.

Please email IDHE with questions about Democracy Re/Designed or the on-demand webinar.

The Buffalo State Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is looking for a volunteer to serve as an EAP coordinator. EAP is a free, voluntary, confidential information and referral service available to all New York State employees, their family members, and retirees. EAP assists with many kinds of challenges, including family, marital, medical, financial, legal, grief and loss, elder care, and substance abuse issues. EAP does not provide direct therapy but serves as a link between Buffalo State employees and skilled professionals in the community. EAP is a neutral office, not associated with any disciplinary procedures, whose services are designed to improve the quality of working families' lives.

An EAP coordinator is specially trained to assist Buffalo State employees and their family members in finding professionals in the community best suited to help solve problems or address concerns.

A coordinator must have a strong commitment to the goals of NYS EAP, excellent interpersonal skills, a history of productive relationships with co-workers, the ability to communicate with individuals and groups, interest in the community and its services and resources, flexibility and willingness to learn, the initiative and ability to work independently, and a strong sense of confidentiality. A coordinator reports to and works with the EAP committee to increase awareness of EAP on site, expand referral services, and help coordinate EAP-sponsored programs on campus. A coordinator must attend training sessions, including monthly regional trainings, as well as a three-day New Coordinator Institute and campus EAP committee meetings. Candidates must have supervisory support and approval to assume this role. Faculty members are strongly encouraged to apply.

The EAP committee is the executive body that administers the EAP. The committee meets monthly to implement and monitor all aspects of the program, including outreach, education, and evaluation.

Please contact Gina Game, EAP chair, to apply or to obtain more information. A letter of interest is due by Friday, September 20.

Please join us for the workshop "Creating User-Friendly Pages in Brightspace" on Tuesday, September 10, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in Butler Library 318.

Learn how to create accessible, user-friendly pages in your Brightspace course! While PDFs and Word documents may have their place in online courses, instructor-created documents are best suited as web pages. Brightspace web pages can help you create interactive, responsive, and accessible content for your learners.

In this workshop, we'll discuss the following:

• When to use web pages and when to use Word documents or PDFs
• How to create a web page in Brightspace
• How to use Brightspace document templates to create accessible and responsive content
• How to transfer existing content from Word documents and PDFs to Brightspace web pages

A computer is not required for this session, but please bring your own device if you would like to work in your Brightspace course during this session.

Please register for this session through the Workshop Registration System.

To learn more about creating web pages in Brightspace, please see the Knowledge Base article Create a File (Web Page) in Brightspace in the IT portal.

Student Accessibility Services is continuously processing and sending out letters of request for accommodations to faculty members. All letters must be reviewed and signed by faculty members. 

Please follow the process below:

• Log in to the Accommodate Portal.
• "Letters to Review" are on the home screen of Accommodate.
• The names of all students who have submitted their requests will appear on this first screen.  
• Please click the "Review" button to open the letters, and to sign and acknowledge receipt of the accommodations. 

Please note: The intake process is continuous; faculty members will be notified by email each time they have a new letter awaiting their signature in Accommodate. 

Please contact SAS with any questions or concerns, (716) 878-4500.

The Undergraduate Research Office is accepting applications for the fall 2024 Early Undergraduate Research Opportunity (EURO) Program, which provides lower-division students with the opportunity to serve as a research assistant to a faculty mentor. Awards of $1,000 (full EURO award) and $500 (EURO micro-projects) are provided for student participation in the program, with up to $200 available for supplies. Students must be classified as freshmen or sophomores with at least 12 and no more than 60 earned Buffalo State credit hours at time of application. Student assistants should be encouraged to present at the 27th annual Student Research and Creativity Conference in May. Faculty applications are due by Friday, September 20. For more details, please visit the Undergraduate Research website.

Do you need help registering to vote, making changes to your voter registration, or applying for or filling out your absentee ballot? Stop by the weekly "Get Election Ready" information table in the Technology Building lobby on Thursday, October 17, between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to meet civically engaged student advocates from SWK 302 and receive help with your questions. For more information and resources, please visit the Bengals Vote web page. Questions? Email the Civic and Community Engagement Office or call (716) 878-3919.

Students, faculty, and staff members are cordially invited to attend the fall 2024 Study-Away Fair on Tuesday, September 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby. Stop in to meet with representatives from Buffalo State and SUNY and hear about opportunities for study abroad, exchange, international internships, and National Student Exchange.

More information can be found on the Study Away website; questions may be sent to studyaway@buffalostate.edu.

Do you need help registering to vote, making changes to your voter registration, or applying for or filling out your absentee ballot? Stop by the weekly "Get Election Ready" information table in the Campbell Student Union lobby on Thursday, October 10, between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. to meet civically engaged student advocates from SWK 302 and community partners from the NAACP and receive help with your questions. For more information and resources, please visit the Bengals Vote web page. Questions? Email the Civic and Community Engagement Office or call (716) 878-3919.

Do you need help registering to vote, making changes to your voter registration, or applying for or filling out your absentee ballot? Stop by the weekly "Get Election Ready" information table in the Campbell Student Union lobby on Tuesday, October 1, between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. to meet civically engaged student advocates from SWK 302 and receive help with your questions. For more information and resources, please visit the Bengals Vote web page. Questions? Email the Civic and Community Engagement Office or call (716) 878-3919.

Do you need help registering to vote, making changes to your voter registration, or applying for or filling out your absentee ballot? Stop by the weekly "Get Election Ready" information table in the Campbell Student Union lobby on Thursday, September 12, between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. to meet civically engaged student advocates from SWK 302 and community partners from the NAACP and receive help with your questions. For more information and resources, please visit the Bengals Vote web page. Questions? Email the Civic and Community Engagement Office or call (716) 878-3919.