The Center for English Teaching at Buffalo State University and the Western New York Network of English Teachers present the eighth annual Youth Voices Conference, a celebration of the remarkable stories and talents of students in grades 7-12 from across the region, on Thursday, May 2, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the Buffalo State campus.

A keynote address by Buffalo-based writer Ariel Aberg-Riger focused on the power of youth voices will kick off the conference in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Dinner will follow the event. Presentations will be held in Rockwell Hall and Bacon Hall.

The series seeks to reclaim space for the voices of youth and their teachers, and to reposition classrooms as learning spaces of meaning, purpose, and power in the Buffalo Niagara and Rochester regions. The first Youth Voices Conference was held in a small room in Ketchum Hall in April 2015. In 2023 the conference drew more than 500 attendees with 162 students from across our region presenting their work throughout the Buffalo State campus.

Student presentations at the Youth Voices Conference have included talks, short documentaries, spoken word poetry, podcasts, and TED Talks based on creative classroom projects. Past presentations have featured student work exploring childhood and families, popular music, Islamophobia, the impact of genocide, identity and immigration, race and gender, the environment, religious beliefs, and many other topics.

The conference gives young people the opportunity to showcase their academic work along with their thoughts, beliefs, and ideas about issues that are important to them and our community. Youth Voices is the only student-centered conference that brings young people together from across our region to share the work they are doing in their classrooms.

Past participants include Alden High School, Amherst Central High School, City Honors High School, Elmwood Village Charter School, Lafayette International, Maryvale Union Free School District, McKinley High School, Olmsted at Kensington High School, Sweet Home Middle School, West Irondequoit Central Schools, West Seneca East and West High Schools, and Wilson High School. 

Schedule of Events
3:30-4:30 p.m.: Registration
4:30 p.m.: Keynote (Campbell Student Union Social Hall)
5:00-7:15 p.m.: Student Presentations (Various Locations)
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Dinner and Dessert with Music by DJ Too Tall (Campbell Student Union Social Hall)

Learn more about the conference.

Please contact James Cercone, associate professor of English education, with questions.

From the Chair of the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee
The College Senate has concluded the election for three at-large Senate seats (two academic only) and one University Faculty Senate seat. We would like to congratulate the following individuals who have successfully been elected to the following roles with the College Senate:

At-Large Senators

• Justin Crossfox, Senior Assistant Librarian, Butler Library (Academic Only)
• Gliset Morales, Associate Professor, Exceptional Education Department (Academic Only)
• Dean Reinhart, Associate Director, Admissions Office

University Faculty Senator

• John Draeger, Professor, Philosophy Department; Director, Teaching and Learning Center

The 2023-2024 Individual Development Awards Program has been reopened for a second round of applications for the period July 2, 2023-July 1, 2024. Employees who missed the previous deadline for the current program year or did not apply but would like to have until Tuesday, April 30, to submit a new application.

This award program is intended to assist employees in the UUP bargaining unit in developing their full professional potential and preparing for advancement by funding professional development activities. Information on eligibility requirements, types of projects or activities funded, funding priorities, and expenditure limitations, along with the application and instructions, are available on the Human Resource Management website. Please be sure to complete the application in its entirety, including the budget section, where you must indicate the funds requested from UUP IDA in the final column, and submit it with all required supporting documentation listed on the last page of the application form.

The maximum amount that can be awarded for each employee under this program is $2,000. Employees may be funded for up to two projects or activities, not to exceed a total of $2,000. The funded activity must take place between July 2, 2023, and July 1, 2024. 

Applications for this award period must be received at uupida@buffalostate.edu no later than April 30.

Individual Development Awards committee members are Lisa Marie Anselmi and Jude Jayatilleke representing UUP, and Erika Grande and Charles Lyons representing management. Please contact Erika Grande, manager of personnel operations in Human Resource Management, with questions regarding the awards.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Beyond Love Canal," presented by Luella Kenny, former research scientist and environmental advocate, on Monday, April 29, at 3:00 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 151. Attendees are welcome to enjoy coffee and cookies during the seminar

Abstract
Rachel Carson's 1962 warning to the world became a reality in 1978 when 20,000 tons of buried chemicals surfaced in a canal and spread into the yards and basements of homes in a nearby Niagara Falls neighborhood that became known as Love Canal. These chemicals, including halogenated hydrocarbons such as dioxin and known carcinogens such as benzene, which had been buried there in the 1940s by Hooker Chemical (later known as Occidental Petroleum), posed an existential threat to the health of Love Canal residents. Complaints of foul odors emanating from basements and unknown substances appearing in yards and drainage ditches went unheeded by local officials. Reports over time of an inordinate number of miscarriages, babies born with birth defects and intellectual disabilities, and children with respiratory illnesses were also initially dismissed by local and state authorities. Ms. Kenny's 7-year-old son died because of the chemicals in her backyard.

Residents of the area united and fought for over two years until they were finally given the option to be evacuated. The Love Canal disaster led to the passage of the Superfund Act in 1980 (a.k.a. the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), and Love Canal was the first Superfund site listed. It also contributed to the inception of the environmental justice movement.

Despite the health risks, some Love Canal residents, even those whose homes were closest to the canal and declared uninhabitable, chose not to be evacuated in the early 1980s. Now these condemned homes are being sold to unsuspecting buyers. The area has no signage to indicate that the neighborhood is Love Canal and that 20,000 tons of chemicals are still buried in the old canal.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Beyond Love Canal," presented by Luella Kenny, former research scientist and environmental advocate, on Monday, April 29, at 3:00 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 151. Attendees are welcome to enjoy coffee and cookies during the seminar.

Abstract
Rachel Carson's 1962 warning to the world became a reality in 1978 when 20,000 tons of buried chemicals surfaced in a canal and spread into the yards and basements of homes in a nearby Niagara Falls neighborhood that became known as Love Canal. These chemicals, including halogenated hydrocarbons such as dioxin and known carcinogens such as benzene, which had been buried there in the 1940s by Hooker Chemical (later known as Occidental Petroleum), posed an existential threat to the health of Love Canal residents. Complaints of foul odors emanating from basements and unknown substances appearing in yards and drainage ditches went unheeded by local officials. Reports over time of an inordinate number of miscarriages, babies born with birth defects and intellectual disabilities, and children with respiratory illnesses were also initially dismissed by local and state authorities. Ms. Kenny's 7-year-old son died because of the chemicals in her backyard.

Residents of the area united and fought for over two years until they were finally given the option to be evacuated. The Love Canal disaster led to the passage of the Superfund Act in 1980 (a.k.a. the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), and Love Canal was the first Superfund site listed. It also contributed to the inception of the environmental justice movement.

Despite the health risks, some Love Canal residents, even those whose homes were closest to the canal and declared uninhabitable, chose not to be evacuated in the early 1980s. Now these condemned homes are being sold to unsuspecting buyers. The area has no signage to indicate that the neighborhood is Love Canal and that 20,000 tons of chemicals are still buried in the old canal.

As part of the Ethics Commission Reform Act of 2022, all New York State employees are required to complete the Comprehensive Ethics Training Course (CETC) every year.

Employees have two options for completing the initial CETC requirement:

• Complete one of the live CETC sessions offered on campus. Please register for a session through the Workshop Registration System. A mix of in-person and virtual options is available through April and May.
• Complete the live virtual CETC session through the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. Training sessions are held on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Please see the commission's website for registration information. Make sure you select SUNY College at Buffalo as your agency. Human Resource Management will be notified by the commission of all course completions by employees. There is no need to forward your training certificate to us if you indicated SUNY College at Buffalo as your agency at registration.

Supervisors are asked to ensure that all their employees are allotted time to complete this mandatory training by June 30, 2024. 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 2023 or 2024, please send a copy of your certificate of completion to Rebecca Eggleston, professional development assistant, so that we can document that you have fulfilled this mandatory training requirement at a different state agency.

Buffalo State Athletics will host a ConnectLife Blood Drive on Wednesday, April 24, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Houston Gym. Please consider making a donation to help save lives right here in Western New York.

To schedule an appointment, please visit the ConnectLife website.

Please note that students have until midnight Friday, May 3, to submit their pass/fail requests for spring 2024 through Banner. Advisors are encouraged to monitor their Buffalo State email for last-minute notifications regarding requests.

CEP week is a busy week at Student Accessibility Services. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a successful end to the semester.

Please read closely and note the guidelines for the administration of tests at Student Accessibility Services during CEP week, May 13-16:

• The SAS Testing Center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 13, through Thursday, May 16.
• Tests will be administered to start at times specified for the CEP week schedule: 7:40 a.m., 9:40 a.m., 11:40 a.m., 1:40 p.m., and 3:40 p.m. 
• Faculty members are asked to please upload their finals to the Accommodate Portal at least 24 hours (one day) before the scheduled test date and time.
• Faculty members should answer all questions on the form to ensure that SAS staff members clearly understand the parameters of the test.
• The last day for students to make a seat reservation at the testing center is Thursday, May 9. (After this date, students will have to meet with us to schedule tests in person.)
• The last time slot to schedule for students with 2.0X (double) accommodated time will be 1:40 p.m.
• Students with three or more tests are encouraged to work with at least one of their faculty members to schedule their test for a different day. 
• If the tests are shorter than the 110 minutes allowed, please specify this in the notes section of the form so that SAS staff members can manually adjust the accommodated test time for the student.  
• Faculty members will receive an email when a student makes a seat reservation. Please check for accuracy the scheduled date and time selected by the student. SAS staff members will assume that students have approval from their faculty members to take the test at the time specified in the correspondence.  
• Students with back-to-back tests may need to select a time that differs from the scheduled time, but one that is closest to it.
• Please feel free to upload your tests if you know you have a student with accommodations in your course.
• All completed tests will be scanned and uploaded in Accommodate, unless otherwise stated.

Please note: SAS will not administer tests that are in Brightspace. Please follow the directions to extend the time in Brightspace Quizzes.

On a nice spring day, consider taking a stroll to the Science and Mathematics Complex to visit the "Colors of Our Sky" poster display, located in the atrium behind the planetarium. Learn why our sky is blue and sunsets orange. What are fire rainbows, ice pillars, sprites, and other colors in the sky?

While there, walk down the atrium to one of the glass display cases and view the Golden Snowball trophy. The trophy is awarded yearly to the city receiving the most snow. Buffalo State University is currently hosting the trophy on behalf of the City of Buffalo. The competition began during the winter of 1976-1977 and continues to this day. It looks like we won it again this year (winter of 2023-2024) three years in a row! And four out of the past six years.