Three at-large College Senate positions will become vacant on August 31, 2024. At-large senators represent the entirety of the university. In order to abide by Article III. C. of the Bylaws of the College Faculty, two of the at-large seats must be filled by academic staff members, while the other seat can be filled by either an academic or professional staff member. 

Eligibility
Current non-UFS college senators who are completing two consecutive terms in their respective positions are not eligible for election to these positions. For additional information on eligibility requirements, please consult the Bylaws of the College Faculty available on the College Senate website.

University Faculty Senate Vacancies
One University Faculty Senate (UFS) position and one alternate University Faculty Senate (UFS) position will become vacant on August 31, 2024. All full-time academic and professional staff members are eligible to seek the UFS and alternate UFS seats.

Eligibility
Current UFS senators who are completing two consecutive terms are not eligible for reelection. There are no term limits on alternate UFS positions. For additional information on eligibility requirements, please consult the Approved Bylaws of the UFS available on the SUNY UFS website.

Campaigning
The College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee strongly discourages using Buffalo State email services for campaigning.

Nominations
Nominations for all positions can be submitted between Monday, April 1, at 12:01 a.m. and Friday, April 5, at 5:00 p.m. If you wish to nominate yourself or another eligible person, please contact special assistant to the Senate Kristen Mruk via email at collegesenate@buffalostate.edu.  

Individuals running for a College Senate position in another election may not be nominated or self-nominate for the at-large senator positions or the UFS position while the other election is being conducted. If the other election concludes during the period when nominations are being accepted, eligible individuals may be nominated for the at-large senator positions or the UFS position. 

Elections
Elections for all positions will run from 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, April 9, to 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, April 16.

College Senate Caucus 
The 2024-2025 College Senate Caucus will be held at noon Friday, May 10, in Newman Lecture Hall, Bulger Communication Center 215.

All 2024-2025 college senators are welcome to attend this event and may self-nominate or nominate other 2024-2025 college senators for the following positions at this event:

Chair, Academic Plan Committee 
Chair, Budget and Staff Allocations Committee 
Chair, Bylaws and Elections Committee 
Chair, College Senate Curriculum Committee 
Chair, Faculty and Staff Welfare Committee 
Chair, Instruction and Research Committee 
Chair, Standards for Students Committee 
Vice-Chair, Student Welfare Committee 
Vice-Chair, College Senate 
Chair, College Senate 

2024-2025 college senators who are nominated for one of these positions at the caucus will be asked to make a candidate statement at the time of nomination. 

2024-2025 college senators who are not able to attend the caucus may self-nominate for the positions listed above by contacting the chair of the Bylaws and Elections Committee before the caucus and sharing an appropriate candidate statement, which will be read at the caucus.

The Buffalo State University community is saddened by the death of David A. Brinson, '90, former lecturer in the Fashion, Textile, and Technology Department, who died March 22, 2024. Mr. Brinson joined the campus in 1995 and retired in 2019. He is survived by two brothers, two sisters, and many nieces and nephews. Services were held March 30. More information is available online.

Let the countdown to Commencement begin! Commencement Kickoff will take place Thursday, April 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby. The event showcases the first day that graduates (bachelor's, master's, and advanced certificates) can pick up their guest tickets and purchase caps, gowns, and accessories in the bookstore.

We are looking for faculty and staff volunteers to be part of the celebration by assisting with distributing cupcakes to graduating students and helping with the 2024 Class Banner signing and the inflatable chair photo station. Anyone interested can sign up for one or more slots by completing the Commencement Kickoff volunteer form.

Volunteers are also needed for the Commencement ceremonies on May 18. Please visit the Commencement website for more information about this year's ceremonies!

The collective bargaining agreements between the State of New York and CSEA, PBANYS, NYSCOPBA, and PEF allow for waiver of holiday compensation.

Employees may notify the Payroll Office in writing between April 2 and May 15, 2024, of their selection to waive holiday pay in favor of compensatory time off for holidays worked. The waiver will be in effect until at least April 1, 2025. Conversely, employees may also elect to revoke any waiver of holiday pay now in effect by filing the election form (PDF, 110 KB) with the Payroll Office by May 15, 2024.

Please contact the Payroll Office with questions or to submit the form.

Butler Library will be closed all day Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, for the 27th annual Buffalo State Foundation Gala, Bengala 2024. The goal of this event is to raise funds for financial assistance and scholarships for all Buffalo State students.

The library's StudyQuad space will remain open for regular hours and will be available for use during that time. StudyQuad can be accessed through the library entrance facing Cleveland Hall. The StudyQuad space provides access to 100 desktop computers, printer, scanner, group study room, and tables and chairs of various sizes for studying. Complete library hours can be accessed on the library's website.

Please help get the word out to students! Signs will be posted in the library alerting students of this change.

Participate in the mobile silent auction or purchase tickets to the event. Limited discounted tickets for faculty and staff members and young alumni (2020-2023) are available at $150 each. A single full-price ticket is $250. Your department may become a sponsor at $1,500, which includes two student or alumni tickets. Visit the Bengala website for tickets and more information about our annual fundraiser for Buffalo State student scholarships and financial aid. Please contact Elizabeth Grady, staff assistant in Institutional Advancement, with questions or concerns.

Are you planning to need meals for your group, team, or organization this summer? Book your dates with Chartwells Buffalo State Dining before the summer fills up!

Please contact us with your dates, meal periods, and number of guests. 

Thank you!

The Speech-Language Pathology Department is excited to host a community eclipse-focused event on Thursday, April 4, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 423. Join us for an introduction to American Sign Language and learn to sign the refrain from the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart." RSVP to Belinda Lyndsley, administrative assistant 1. We hope to see you there!

Facilities is currently accepting paint requests for summer 2024. Please complete the paint request form (PDF, 415 KB) and submit it electronically to facilities@buffalostate.edu by Friday, April 19, to be considered. Submitting the form does not guarantee work but improves our ability to plan. The finalized paint schedule will be made by Friday, May 24, and all requestors will then be notified.

If you have already submitted a paint request to Facilities, please disregard this notice.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of service. If you have questions, please contact Facilities.

Extra eclipse glasses can be purchased on Wednesday, April 3, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Geosciences Department office, Science and Mathematics Complex 160. Glasses are $2 per pair. Payment is by credit card only. We will also be selling glasses on Saturday, April 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the planetarium lobby and at all our public programs. The Buffalo proud glasses with Buffalo State branding were designed by Jake Bertram, Buffalo State alumnus, and Kaylene Waite, senior graphic and web designer. As a reminder, all faculty and staff members will receive a free pair of eclipse glasses this week through their units. Students can pick up their free pair at the Information Desk in the Campbell Student Union.

The campus is implementing some changes to the process for setting up and connecting to Remote Desktop in order to comply with new data-security requirements for computer resources accessed from off-site. If you use Remote Desktop, you must complete the steps below on the device you use at home by Monday, April 15, to avoid any disruption in service. Those not using Remote Desktop will not be affected.

The new configuration requires you to install an application called Cloudflare WARP on the device you use from home. WARP is a "zero trust" application that protects an organization's applications, data, and services. It provides end-to-end protection, similar to a VPN, and is backed by our existing multi-factor authentication (MFA) system. This is a one-time setup for each off-campus computer used to connect, and the feature is toggled on and off whenever needed for the remote connection.

• If you use a PC at home to connect, follow this step-by-step guide.
• If you use a Mac at home to connect, follow this step-by-step guide.

If you have questions or encounter problems with the new configuration, you may find answers on the frequently asked questions page. You can also report issues to the Help Desk by opening a Technology Help ticket or by emailing the IT Help Desk. Please include a detailed description of your problem or question along with relevant screenshots.