Most Valuable Parents of Buffalo (MVP) will be in the Campbell Student Union lobby on Tuesday, February 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. MVP is an organized body of concerned citizens (parents) and organizations who stand in unity to make our city a better and safer place to live. They are concerned citizens who stand in solidarity to address issues that affect our city and communities. Their target area is wherever their services are needed most, starting with Buffalo's East Side, where crime and violence is most pervasive and where programs, intervention, representation, and awareness are required.

Please contact the Civic and Community Engagement Office, (716) 878-3919, with questions.

The director of the Graduate Studies Office, Kevin Miller, will host the spring 2024 Graduate Studies Meeting with Interim Provost Wall and graduate faculty today, February 23, at 3:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 217. The meeting will focus on graduate student and graduate studies related policies, Graduate Studies Office operations, recent shifts of admission operations, and updates regarding the Graduate Student Association.

The director of the Graduate Studies Office, Kevin Miller, will host the spring 2024 Graduate Studies Meeting with Interim Provost Wall and graduate faculty on Friday, February 23, at 3:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 217. The meeting will focus on graduate student and graduate studies related policies, Graduate Studies Office operations, recent shifts of admission operations, and updates regarding the Graduate Student Association.

WBNY-FM 91.3, Buffalo State's student-run radio station, will hold two general interest meetings on Tuesday, February 13 one at 12:15 p.m. and one at 6:00 p.m. in Campbell Student Union 220 (North hall, across from the bookstore). Anyone interested in radio is very welcome to attend either meeting (only need to attend one).

As the hub of involvement on campus, the Campbell Student Union proudly hosts numerous events each semester for the campus community. For an event to be successful, university staff members do their best to accommodate the unique needs of each host organization.

We understand the role that custom lighting plays in bringing your event visions to life, and it's with a request for collaboration and support that we're transitioning to a new approach. Student Leadership and Engagement is no longer able to offer multiple custom lighting options for individual events held in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Moving forward, campus departments and student organizations will be limited to one pre-set lighting option for each event with limited customization. The decision is based on a review of our current services and staffing capabilities.

The decision to discontinue multiple custom lighting services for the Campbell Student Union Social Hall is not taken lightly, and we understand this may affect annual events that have relied on this service. When accommodating requests for use of the Social Hall, Student Leadership and Engagement will work with the campus community during event planning meetings to discuss and recommend suitable lighting options to ensure a successful event.

Although we'll be moving to a pre-set lighting option, we're excited about the flexibility it still offers campus and student organizations. This change allows us to maintain a high level of service within our current staffing capabilities. Additionally, campus departments and student organizations will not be charged any fees for sound and lighting.

For additional information on policies and procedures for the Campbell Student Union, please visit the Student Leadership and Engagement website.

Chartwells at Buffalo State is looking to hear from you! Sign up to participate in our focus group on Tuesday, February 27, at 2:00 p.m. in Caudell Hall 110. Chartwells at Buffalo State truly values your opinion, and we are looking for feedback on the dining program in exchange for $20 in dining dollars! We hope to see you there.

Hurry and sign up; only 15 spots are open.

The International Institute of Buffalo will be on campus Tuesday, February 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby. The International Institute's mission is to make Western New York a better place for, and because of, immigrants and refugees.

Do you have a passion for human rights? Would you like to help welcome people to Western New York? Are you part of a group that helps others? Find out about volunteer opportunities (PDF, 170 KB) and, after you read through the opportunities, fill out the general volunteer application to get in contact with the International Institute. Intern positions can be arranged as well.

Please email the Civic and Community Engagement Office or call (716) 878-3919 with questions or comments.

The Music Department is pleased to present "Ich Liebe Dich," a special Valentine's Day concert featuring students from the Buffalo State voice program, on Wednesday, February 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Ciminelli Recital Hall (third floor of Rockwell Hall). Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

General admission is $10; students admitted free with student ID.

Tickets available online.

Note: This concert has been canceled.

The Black Rock Historical Society will be on campus Tuesday, April 23, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby. The Black Rock Historical Society was established in 2011 to preserve the heritage and history of the neighborhoods and people associated with the area defined as the communities of northwest Buffalo, most easily identified as the current neighborhoods of Black Rock, Grant-Amherst, Riverside, and West Hertel. The heritage and culture of these communities have been tied together from the beginning, before the City of Buffalo, when it was the Village of Black Rock. Telling this story is the culmination of many years of work to define and recognize these long-overlooked neighborhoods.

Please contact the Civic and Community Engagement Office, (716) 878-3919, with questions.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Fatty Acid: Markers as Food Web Tracers in Inland Waters," presented by Olesia N. Makhutova, research scientist with the Great Lakes Center at Buffalo State University, today, February 12, at 3:00 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 151. Attendees are welcome to enjoy coffee and cookies during the seminar.

Abstract
Ecosystem functioning is based on fluxes of matter and energy in food webs. There are a number of methods for untangling food web interactions in aquatic ecosystems. In recent decades, fatty acids (FAs) have been widely used as food web tracers in aquatic ecosystems. Based on FAs, feeding spectra of many consumers have been specified. FA-marker analyses also contribute to differentiating between allochthonous and autochthonous organic matter inputs to food webs of inland water ecosystems. In this lecture, Dr. Makhutova will describe FAs and their use as food web markers in aquatic ecosystems and describe the identifying characteristics of FAs in the main taxonomic groups of organisms inhabiting freshwater ecosystems (bacteria, algae and other photosynthetic eukaryotes, non-photosynthetic eukaryotes).