Say Yes Buffalo has a new program called Fair Futures that you may be interested in. In the program, you are paired with a coach who will work with you to identify your goals. Coaches can assist with academic goals, career exploration and development, and more.

To be eligible for the Fair Futures program, you must be at least 18 years old and you must be actively enrolled in foster care. If you are interested in the program, please contact Stan Simmons, Buffalo State Say Yes coordinator.

The Buffalo State Counseling Center is partnering with Civic and Community Engagement’s Bengals Dare to Care Day for our annual participation in the Out of the Darkness Walk for Suicide Prevention on Saturday, September 23. This event will be part of the Raising Our Voices series of events for September to provide students with opportunities to get involved and have their voices heard! 

Our team this year is “Paws Up for Suicide Prevention.” Please share this opportunity with students to participate in our day of service by walking with our team and helping to clean up after the event. Please see the Bengals Connect event page to register and for more details.

Students are asked to use the link on our Bengal Connect page to register for Bengals Dare to Care Day. Faculty, staff, friends, and family are encouraged to sign up by using the link to our team page.

The event location is Canalside in Buffalo. Students will be directed to the Campbell Student Union to kick off Bengals Dare to Care Day and will be provided with transportation to Canalside.

Please contact Charlene Vetter, clinical manager of the Weigel Counseling Center, with questions.

We look forward to having our biggest team ever!

Fall 2023 classes begin Monday, August 28. Any student who is waiting on a response from an instructor should contact the instructor now. If instructors are not available, students can call the departmental office and ask if someone can assist them. A list of departments and phone numbers is available online.

Students who are on a waitlist for a course should check the schedule to see if another section has seats available. It’s always a best practice to encourage students to secure a seat in a course as soon as possible, and not wait until the start of the semester.

Students should be referred to the Registrar’s Office Registration web page for detailed information.

Changes requiring instructor assistance should be completed no later than Friday, August 25. Registration ends Tuesday, September 5, at 11:59 p.m. Students who are attending a class that does not show on their Banner Student Detail Schedule must add the class as soon as possible but no later than September 5.

If students decide they no longer want a course, it is their responsibility and very important that they drop the course as soon as possible. Non-attendance does not equate to a drop. Students who no longer want a class must drop the course no later than Tuesday, September 5. Students should be reminded that failure to drop a registered course that they don’t attend will result in a final grade of E.

There are no drops after September 5. Starting September 6, students must withdraw online in Banner to leave a class. September 5 is the last day to leave a class without financial penalty. Refund percentages based on date of withdrawal are available on the Student Accounts Refund and Liability Schedule web page.

Students may email the Registrar’s Office or call (716) 878-4811 with questions.

While signed in to Banner, students can click on the Schedule Planner link, where they can then easily search for Open Classes Only (classes that have seats available) by selecting this in the Course Status field and selecting Fall 2023 for the term.

The Buffalo State University community is saddened by the death of John J. Bruno, professor emeritus of elementary education and reading, who died August 14, 2023. Dr. Bruno joined the campus in 1966 and retired in 1995. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; four children; and nine grandchildren. Friends may call today, August 17, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Perna, Dengler, Roberts Funeral Home, 1671 Maple Road in Williamsville, New York. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated from St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church tomorrow, August 18, at 8:45 a.m. More information is available online.

From the Associate Provost
Please join us for the Pedagogical Institute session “Using Crucial Conversations Concepts to Promote Student Success and Conversation with the Associate Deans,” presented by Rita Zientek, Kelly Frothingham, and Raquel Schmidt, on Tuesday, August 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Technology Building 160. A light lunch will be provided.

Instructors and coordinators of student success, first-year, and general education courses; TRIO personnel; student services professionals; and administrators will benefit from this session.

Learn how to create a welcoming environment when speaking about expectations and seeking solutions to problems. Dr. Zientek will describe and apply the Crucial Conversations model and other concepts to classroom dynamics. The associate deans will share information that leads to success in the first-year course. 

Please email Sandra Flanigan, administrative assistant 1, by 5:00 p.m. Friday, August 18, to register.

University Police will conduct an emergency response training fire drill on campus today, August 16, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Conducted in partnership with the Buffalo Fire Department, the Buffalo State Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Buffalo State Residence Life, and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, the drill will include a mock fire in Perry Hall using fog machines to simulate smoke.

Those in the areas of the buildings near Perry Hall—Upton Hall, Science and Math Complex, Weigel Health Center, and Chase Hall—may see fire trucks, police action, smoke, and actors portraying victims around Perry Hall, and need not be alarmed. This is a simulated event; the goal of this exercise is to train first responders in the event of a fire, shooting, terrorist attack, or other critical incidents on campus.

Questions about this drill may be directed to University Police at (716) 878-6333.

University Police will conduct an emergency response training fire drill on campus on Wednesday, August 16, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Conducted in partnership with the Buffalo Fire Department, the Buffalo State Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Buffalo State Residence Life, and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, the drill will include a mock fire in Perry Hall using fog machines to simulate smoke.

Those in the areas of the buildings near Perry Hall—Upton Hall, Science and Mathematics Complex, Weigel Health Center, and Chase Hall—may see fire trucks, police action, smoke, and actors portraying victims around Perry Hall, and need not be alarmed. This is a simulated event; the goal of this exercise is to train first responders in the event of a fire, shooting, terrorist attack, or other critical incident on campus.

Questions about this drill may be directed to University Police at (716) 878-6333.

The deadline for students to request a Leave of Absence for the fall 2023 semester is Tuesday, September 5, and must be submitted electronically. The form can be found on the Forms and Services page of the Registrar's Office website.

Do you have an hour and a half to spare every six weeks? Buffalo State has a dynamic team that has partnered with FeedMore WNY to deliver nutritious meals to our shut-in neighbors in the Black Rock community. FeedMore WNY serves over 3,700 unique clients each year in Erie County alone. The Buffalo State team delivers meals on Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the year. Not only do we bring nutritious meals to the homebound, but the delivery can also serve as a welfare check (the delivery person is often the only person who sees the client all day).

The commitment is a minimum of one meal delivery every six weeks, which takes an hour and a half with a two-person team (total time from leaving campus to return).

Please consider volunteering. Training is provided, and participants work together, plus you get to know other people on campus. If you are interested, please contact Carol DeNysschen, dean of the School of the Professions, or Laura Hill Rao, director of the Dr. Katherine S. Conway-Turner Civic and Community Engagement Office. Thank you!