The Grant Street lane closures scheduled for August 7–18 have been canceled because of unforeseen conditions encountered in the field. New lane closure dates will be announced when the work is rescheduled.

Your patience and understanding are appreciated. Questions about this undertaking may be directed to (716) 878-6111.

Please join us in celebrating Amella “Mel” Johnson, janitor in the Custodial Services Department, on her upcoming retirement from Buffalo State University on Wednesday, August 16, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the Moore Complex lounge.

Ms. Johnson has been with Buffalo State since August 1980. During her career, she has distinguished herself in her service by breaking down traditional barriers and leading her colleagues by example.

She began her career in food service with the Faculty-Student Association and joined Custodial Services in June 1988. In her custodial position, Ms. Johnson has been responsible for both the academic buildings and residence halls and has worked all three shifts.

She is a wonderful team member and a true ambassador for Custodial Services. We are grateful for her service and for the honor of her sharing her career with us. She will be missed.

We hope to see you on the 16th. RSVP by email to Scott Kent, custodial manager, if you plan to attend.

Buffalo State University’s annual First-Year Convocation will be held Friday, August 25, at 10:00 a.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall as part of the final day of students’ welcome to campus. Overflow seating with simulcast viewing will be available in Ciminelli Recital Hall.

This event requires the enthusiastic participation of our campus community to succeed. Faculty, librarians, and professional staff members are urged to process in academic regalia* to demonstrate Buffalo State’s commitment to incoming students. Please register online by today, August 14, if you are available to march.

*Note regarding regalia: The Academic Affairs Office maintains a limited inventory of gowns for loan. Limited mortarboards, tams, and hoods are also available; hood colors will not match your discipline, and caps or tams may not be to size. You are encouraged to provide your own hood and cap, either rented or owned, if possible.

Please email Ann Delmont, administrative assistant 2 in Academic Affairs, to request a regalia loan. Please provide your highest degree earned, requested size (SM, MD, LG, XL), and whether you need a cap and/or hood as well. All requests must be made by Friday, August 18. Pickup is Wednesday, August 23, and Thursday, August 24, in the Academic Affairs Office, Cleveland Hall 519, where loans are to be returned the following week.

Thank you for helping us welcome the newest members of our Buffalo State community.

Please contact Carlos Jones, associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, with questions.

Mass for the Feast of the Assumption will be celebrated Tuesday, August 15, at 12:05 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall. All are welcome.

The feast of the Dormition (falling asleep) of Mary was celebrated as early as the fifth century and observed universally in the East by the end of the sixth. In the West, the feast gained wide acceptance by the seventh century and was called the Assumption.

To improve efficiency in processing and filling key requests, paper key forms will no longer be accepted. As previously announced, key requests must now be submitted digitally in order to enhance the workflow and intake processes.

All requestors should use the new fillable key request form. Upon receipt, Facilities Operations will obtain the appropriate authorization for the request via email from keyrequest@buffalostate.edu. Requestors will be notified by email (from keyrequest@buffalostate.edu) when keys are available for pickup. Please allow two business days from the date of authorization. Key pickup is available at Clinton Center 106 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. ID will be required at the time of pickup.

Please contact Cheryl Byer, director, or Sean McCabe, senior staff assistant, in Facilities Operations and Business Services with questions or concerns.

To improve efficiency in processing and filling key requests, paper key forms will no longer be accepted. Effective Monday, August 14, key requests must be submitted digitally in order to enhance the workflow and intake processes.

All requestors should use the new fillable key request form. Upon receipt, Facilities Operations will obtain the appropriate authorization for the request via email from keyrequest@buffalostate.edu. Requestors will be notified by email (from keyrequest@buffalostate.edu) when keys are available for pickup. Please allow two business days from the date of authorization. Key pickup is available at Clinton Center 106 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. ID will be required at the time of pickup.

Please contact Cheryl Byer, director, or Sean McCabe, senior staff assistant, in Facilities Operations and Business Services with questions or concerns.

Instructors can enable Turnitin within the Assignment tool in Brightspace. Turnitin allows instructors to choose whether or not to run student paper submissions through a program that checks for plagiarism, assists in generating feedback for students on revision strategies, and serves as a platform for instructors to provide electronic feedback to students. 

For more information on using Turnitin within Brightspace, please reference the Knowledge Base articles within the IT portal:

• Create a Turnitin Assignment in Brightspace
• Turnitin Policy Statement
• Turnitin Support Center

For additional support with Turnitin, please call the Turnitin assistance line at (866) 816-5046.

An updated Buffalo State University campus map (PDF, 3.54 MB) is now available for download. The map includes the most current building, parking lot, and transportation plan. Please be sure to use this newly revised map when directing visitors to campus.

In accordance with the Office of the State Comptroller, Accounts Payable Advisory No. 47, all agencies are required to use Procurement Cards (P-Cards) to purchase goods and services less than $500 when a vendor accepts the P-Card for payment.

Any department that does not currently have a designated procurement cardholder should obtain a P-Card by Friday, September 15. Please note that it takes seven to 10 business days to process a Procurement Card application (DOC, 750 KB). Purchase requisitions should no longer be submitted to Procurement for the purchase of items or goods under $500 unless there is an extenuating circumstance.

Please contact Bonnie Heim, director of non-contract procurement and corporate card administrator, with questions or concerns.

As Student Accessibility Services (SAS) has implemented the Accommodate system for all students and faculty, SAS recommends that faculty members replace the existing accommodation statement in their course syllabi with a new syllabus statement. The new statement is located on the Resources for Faculty and Staff page. Please update your course syllabi to use this statement.

As faculty members strive to create engaging, user-friendly content for their courses, the Universal Design for Learning Resources page will provide additional resources to support these efforts. This page provides access to archived webinar series published by SUNY and opportunities to enroll in self-paced online courses to learn more about UDL.

We appreciate the collaboration and coordinated work of our Buffalo State campus community and hope to be a resource in your efforts to create an inclusive environment for all our students.

The SAS team looks forward to a wonderful fall 2023 semester!