Expect another large crowd tonight at the Performing Arts Center in Rockwell Hall when comedian and actor Brian Regan performs live to a sold-out house at 7:30 p.m. Large crowds should be expected on campus between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Very limited tickets may available at buffalostatepac.org.

From the Chair of the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee
Following his appoint as interim associate dean for curriculum and assessment within the School of Arts and Sciences, Senator Julian Cole has resigned from the Senate.

According to the Bylaws of the College Faculty, since there is more than one year left on his term of office, the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee must hold an election to fill the remainder of his term.

Eligible members of the College Faculty—all professional and academic employees who are not currently serving on the Senate and who did not serve on the Senate in 2022–2023—may self-nominate to serve the remainder of this term by sending an email expressing interest to the College Senate between 9:00 a.m. Monday, November 13, and 5:00 p.m. Friday, November 17.  

Elections for this position will run from 12:01 a.m. Monday, November 20, to 11:59 p.m. Friday, November 24.

Campaigning: The College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee strongly discourages using campus email services for campaigning. Please limit campaigning to the candidate statement posted on the College Senate website (available to the university community on Monday, November 20).

For further information about this position, please email Kristen Mruk at collegesenate@buffalostate.edu. We look forward to your participation in this vital process of campus shared governance.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar “Through Their Eyes: What Fish Reveal about Mercury in a Hypoxic World,” presented by Roxanne Razavi, assistant professor of environmental biology at SUNY ESF, on Monday, November 6, at 3:00 p.m. in Science and Math Complex 151. Attendees are welcome to arrive at 2:30 p.m. to enjoy coffee and cookies before the seminar.

Abstract
Climate change–induced deoxygenation threatens aquatic ecosystems in several ways, including by potentially increasing bioavailability of a potent neurotoxicant, methylmercury. This talk investigates whether exposure to hypoxia results in elevated Hg concentrations in fishes via changes in trophic structure. Dr. Razavi's lab's approach involves a novel combination of tools to track hypoxia and mercury exposure, namely the combined use of fish otolith and eye lens microchemistry. They present a comparison of round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from the Western and Central Basins of Lake Erie, basins that experience large differences in extent and intensity of hypoxia. They find that benthic round goby exhibit greater hypoxia exposure in the Central Basin, and that elevated hypoxia exposure coincides with elevated Hg exposure as determined from their eye lens approach. Central Basin yellow perch showed little exposure to hypoxia and correspondingly low Hg exposure. They also find differences in food web position between basins for round goby, suggesting that hypoxia restricts diets. Otoliths and eye lenses offer powerful insights into fish life history as they provide chronometric resolution at the lifetime scale of an individual.

Buffalo State Athletics will host a ConnectLife Blood Drive on Tuesday, November 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Houston Gym. All donors will receive $5 in Moe’s Southwest Grill Bucks. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are accepted.

All the blood that ConnectLife collects stays local, helping nearly every hospital in Western New York's eight counties maintain safe inventory levels while saving them millions of dollars in out-of-state sourcing costs. And for every pint of blood donated, we save the lives of three of our neighbors.

Schedule your donation today.

The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan (NYSDCP) will host the following free educational webinars for all employees who wish to attend. The NYSDCP is a supplemental retirement plan, also known as a 457(b) plan, designed to help state and local public employees achieve their retirement savings goals and help bridge any potential financial gap in retirement. Employees may contribute to a 457(b) in place of or in addition to a 403(b) plan.

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Countdown to Retirement
Friday, November 10
11:00 a.m.
This webinar discusses some important considerations for those planning for or contemplating retirement. The presentation will discuss longevity, income sources, asset consolidation, and withdrawals or required minimum distributions.
Please register for this workshop.

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Enrollment
Friday, November 10
1:00 p.m.
This webinar will explain the benefits of enrolling and participating in the NYS Deferred Compensation Plan and how it can help you better prepare for and live in retirement. The presentation will include the basics of investing, investment options, and pre-tax contributions and an overview of the easy and secure online enrollment process.
Please register for this workshop.

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You may also schedule an individual appointment online with Buffalo State's campus representative, Mark Wallace, if you are unable to attend the workshops or as a follow-up.

Funtastic Friday is way to say thank you for being good members of the community. To qualify for consideration, students must not have any conduct violations or open sanctions. Stop by for refreshments today, November 3, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby. Please bring your Buffalo State ID. Sponsored by Student Conduct and Community Standards.

The NYS Employee Assistance Program continues to host the very popular WellNYS Daily To-Do email. This program sends a daily email with a tip that encourages a healthful behavior. Sign up to receive the WellNYS Daily To–Do email every morning.

November Daily To-Do: Give a compliment to someone today.

Comedian Randy Rainbow's performance tonight, November 2, at 8:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall is expected to sell out. Expect large crowds on campus between 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. this evening. Very limited tickets may still be available and can be purchased online at buffalostatepac.org.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next meeting of the College Senate will be held Friday, November 10, at 3:00 p.m. in Newman Lecture Hall, Bulger Communication Center 215. Ken Fujiuchi, head of information commons in Butler Library, serves as chair of the Senate for the 2023–2024 academic year.

We encourage everyone to visit the Senate website to catch up on Senate news, find podcasts and minutes of past meetings, review reports and resolutions, and more. Documents for the upcoming meeting can be found on the Senate SharePoint site.

The campus community is invited to attend the New York State EAP monthly webinar “Share Your Favorite Compliments” on Wednesday, November 8, from noon to 12:30 p.m.

The WellNYS Daily To-Do for November is to give a compliment to someone today. Compliments build relationships, improve communication, and motivate people. Join us as we share research regarding giving and receiving compliments in the workplace and invite participants to share their favorite compliments. This 30-minute seminar will be presented by Linda Carignan-Everts, WLS wellness coordinator, NYS Work-Life Services. 

Please register for this free 30-minute webinar through the WebEx meeting registration page. You will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the session.