Chartwells Dining at Buffalo State is hosting focus groups to gain insights and feedback from the Buffalo State community on what they would like to see change in dining around campus. The faculty and staff focus group will be held on Tuesday, February 27, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Each participant will receive $20 in dining dollars! Only 15 spots are open. An email with the location will be sent to those who sign up.

The Residence Life Office is looking for faculty and staff volunteers to assist with the interviewing of candidates for Residence Life student staff employment positions.

Residence Life employs students that live in the residence halls to provide information, guidance, and support to other students. These student leaders foster an exceptional residential experience that provides opportunities for growth and development for the diverse residential population. We are looking for volunteers to ask a series of provided questions and take notes on the candidates' answers to those questions.

Volunteers are needed at the following times:

• Friday, March 1, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 2, 9:00 a.m.-noon
• Saturday, March 2, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Please email Tiffany Bromfield, associate director of residence life and inclusion, if you are willing and able to help. Please include the shift(s) that you prefer to assist with. Thank you.

Are you thirsty for some inspiration, new knowledge, and making connections with colleagues? Networking is the best thing you can do for your professional development! Share, learn, and grow from other professionals. Instructional Design and Distance Learning and the Teaching and Learning Center will host events during February with themed discussions led by topic experts. All are welcome.

Our fourth session on Thursday, February 22, will focus on Academic Integrity and will be facilitated by Maggie Herb, associate professor of English and director of the Writing Center. The session aims to equip faculty members with tools and strategies to address issues of academic integrity and plagiarism in the classroom. We will also discuss the proactive steps that faculty members can take to avoid these problems early in the semester, before students write and submit their work, focusing in particular on intentional assignment design and scaffolding. Bring your own device (optional) if you would like to explore possibilities during the session.

Please join us! Register through the Workshop Registration System. Walk-ins are always welcome.

Coffee Talk sessions are held on Thursdays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Butler Library 318. The format includes a brief 15-minute presentation, a 30-minute discussion, and 15 minutes to conclude with topic resources and the next steps to further the discussion. The final session on February 29 will be faculty members showcasing how they use features in Brightspace.

The spring 2024 midterm grading window is now open and will close Friday, March 22, at 9:00 p.m.

Students will be able to view their midterm grades in Banner, Degree Works, and the Bengal Success Portal as soon as they are posted. Advisors can obtain copies of the midterm grading reports for their academic intervention use through their deans' offices.

Thank you for your commitment to our students' success.

The midterm grading window for spring 2024 will open in Banner on Monday, March 11, at 9:00 a.m. and close Friday, March 22, at 9:00 p.m. In addition to issuing a midterm grade, faculty members can mark how regularly a student has attended a course by entering 0 (never attended), 1 (sporadic, unsatisfactory attendance), or 2 (consistent, satisfactory attendance) in the "Hours Attended" field. Midterm grade submissions for all registered students are helpful for campuswide academic intervention and retention efforts. 

Students will be able to view their midterm grades in Banner, Degree Works, and the Bengal Success Portal as soon as they are posted. Advisors can obtain copies of the midterm grading reports for their academic intervention use through their dean's office.

Thank you for your commitment to our students' success.

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 cost of supplies and other materials necessary to conduct the project. Award recipients will be required to participate in the 26th annual Buffalo State Student Research and Creativity Conference to be held Friday, May 3, with abstracts due by Wednesday, March 20. The spring semester SGA application deadline for submission of the student portion is Wednesday, February 21; required faculty mentor approval is due by Friday, February 23. For more details and the online application portal, please visit the Small Grants Program web page on the Undergraduate Research website.

The Undergraduate Research Office is accepting applications for the spring 2024 Early Undergraduate Research Opportunity (EURO) Program, which provides lower-division students with the opportunity to serve as a research or creative assistant to a faculty mentor. Stipends of $1,000 (full EURO award) and $500 (EURO micro-projects) are provided for student participation, with an additional $100 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 contributions to a faculty research or creative project must be presented at the 26th annual Student Research and Creativity Conference to be held Friday, May 3, with abstracts due by Wednesday, March 20. EURO faculty applications are due online by Wednesday, February 21. For more details on spring semester programs, please visit the Undergraduate Research website.

The Student Progress Survey will be deployed via the Bengal Success Portal twice during the semester. The first survey will be deployed during the first three weeks of the semester, starting Sunday, February 18, and closing Friday, March 8, at 11:00 p.m.

The second survey will be deployed after spring break, starting Monday, April 1, and closing Monday, April 29, at 11:00 p.m. The spring semester deadline for Course Withdrawal and Pass/Fail is Friday, May 3.

Each survey will be accompanied by specific kudos, flags, and referrals that are relevant at that particular point in the semester. 

Raising kudos, flags, and referrals is the first step in alerting other campus members of the status of students, enabling professional staff members to follow up with students and close the loop of communication with faculty; however, before raising any flag, please make every attempt to communicate and resolve an issue with a student. If your attempt is unsuccessful, please proceed with raising flags in the Bengal Success Portal so the appropriate staff member can provide support.

It is expected that all faculty members (full time and adjunct) will raise kudos, flags, or referrals for each course survey, acknowledging where students stand in their respective courses so support staff can proactively reach out and respond to student needs and concerns. If no kudos, flags, or referrals are raised for your course(s), please simply open your course survey and click the submit button to mark your course survey(s) complete.

A video on how to complete the Student Progress Survey for courses is available online. Please email Bob Hudson, coordinator of advisement student systems and senior academic advisor, with questions about completing course surveys or raising kudos, flags, or referrals.

Thank you all for caring about the success of our students. It is essential that we continue to work collaboratively as a campus community, making every effort to increase students' academic achievement, persistence, retention, and graduation rates.

The Buffalo State University community is saddened by the death of Clifford V. Lochhaas, professor of learning and behavioral disorders, who died March 11, 2023. Dr. Lochhaas joined the campus in 1967 and retired in 1991. He was predeceased by his wife and is survived by five children. He had been living in Gerry, New York.

Start the Lenten season with the Newman Center today as we celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass at 12:05 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall. If you are unable to attend our service, ashes will be available upon request. Please contact the Newman Center for more information.