Please join us for a guided meditation session facilitated by Raquel Schmidt, chair and associate professor of exceptional education, on Tuesday, October 4, from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. via Zoom. 

Meditation is something most of us do whether we call it meditation or not. A few deep breaths in a hectic day. Shutting the door to close out the outside world while we recalibrate, problem solve, and figure out the best way to move forward in any challenging situation. This session is designed to show how we can all integrate meditative practices into our day-to-day lives without needing a soft cushion, a quiet room, or a dark corner. Meditation is in part about giving your active brain a break so it can focus on other priorities, including being still. 

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Buffalo State College Veteran and Military Services Office invites all members of the campus community to join us as we honor Veterans Day with the 14th annual Silent March on Thursday, November 10, from noon to 1:00 p.m. The march will start at the veterans memorial (in front of Rockwell) at noon and conclude in the Student Union Plaza. Show your support for your fellow student veterans and honor those who have served.

A catered reception in the Student Union will follow the march.

In an effort to promote health and wellness in the campus community and to recognize our military student veterans, the Veteran and Military Services Office and the Weigel Wellness Center invite Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students to attend a series of free introductory tai chi classes on Mondays and Thursdays from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. in Houston Gym 125 (dance studio) starting today, September 26, and running through the end of the semester. This ancient Chinese discipline is used for stress reduction and other health benefits.

These sessions will offer beginner-level information and movements to promote health and wellness in the campus community. There is no cost to attend. Please wear comfortable clothing and appropriate sneakers. Bring a water bottle and a friend!

Grammy-nominated music producer Tom Ammermann will offer an immersive audio workshop at Buffalo State on Thursday, October 13, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Ciminelli Recital Hall (third floor of Rockwell Hall). This event is free and open to the public; please register in advance.

Immersive audio is a hot topic in the audio industry. What is immersive music and how is it produced? What kinds of formats are available? Are there possibilities beyond home entertainment, cinema, and AR/VR? In this workshop, immersive audio pioneer Tom Ammermann will answer these questions and offer a general overview of the current state of immersive audio. The workshop will offer an in-depth look into immersive mixing sessions and prepare participants for producing their own immersive content.

This workshop is sponsored by the Buffalo State Music Department. For more information, please contact Thilo Schaller, assistant professor of music.

Buffalo State’s Anne Frank Project is pleased to announce that registration for volunteers is now open for the 14th annual social justice festival, AFP 2022: Healing through Stories, on campus October 12–14. Volunteers can expect to provide support for check-in, fully engage in or lead sessions, or help set up presentation spaces.

AFP’s annual festival is an experiential exchange of ideas with a focus on processing theory into practice. We share diverse performances, workshops, and exhibits that actively engage participants in kinesthetic learning opportunities that connect to the festival's theme, AFP’s mission, and the story of Anne Frank.

As we make our way into our new post-COVID lives, the wounds of the past two years surface regularly. We cannot ignore the multiple impacts of isolation, loss, grief, anxiety, and frustration. The 14th annual social justice festival features how broken stories can be put back together. Sessions focus on what has healed and what can heal the individual, group, national, and global wounds. This sharing of unique skill sets, knowledge, and approaches to healing is in direct alignment with President Conway-Turner’s JEDI commitment (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion).

New York Times best-selling author Nic Stone, the first in the Donn Youngstrom featured speaker series, will kick off the festival with a community keynote on Tuesday, October 11, at 7:00 p.m. in Burchfield Penney Art Center’s Tower Auditorium. A Q&A and book signing will follow the lecture.

Remember, it was Anne Frank’s wish to “repair the world.” Participating in this year’s festival is a way to actively respond to this challenge.

To learn more about the Anne Frank Project, please visit the AFP website. Follow us on Instagram @annefrankproject and Twitter @annefrankprjct for regular updates about events and presenters. Please contact Jonise Hall, festival coordinator, with questions about the festival or schedule.

Keep your financial goals on track with TIAA’s free live webinars. Reserve your spot today at TIAA Webcasts.

Tuesday, October 4

• Understanding Health Savings Accounts
  3:00 p.m.

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Tuesday, October 11

• Looking to Turn Your Retirement Savings into a “Paycheck” for Life?
  Noon

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Wednesday, October 12

• Quarterly Economic and Market Update With TIAA’s Chief Investment Strategist
  Noon
• Money at Work 1: Foundations of Investing
  3:00 p.m.

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Thursday, October 13

• Live with Confidence in Retirement: Five Steps to Creating Your Retirement Income Plan
  Noon

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Wednesday, October 19

• Social Security Considerations
  3:00 p.m.

Over the summer, a group of Buffalo State community members met virtually to discuss mental health and wellness programs past, present, and future, and what we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was suggested that we put together a comprehensive list of all the wellness programing that is offered or has been offered on campus in the past (small, large, passive, grant-funded, one-time, recurring) and revisit the conversation after a few weeks.

We have created a form to collect information to compile the list. The form must be completed for each program or event you wish to submit. If you would prefer to send an email with the same information requested on the form, you may send it to madrigpa@buffalostate.edu. We will meet again on Wednesday, October 5, at 3:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams to continue the conversation.

Please feel free to forward or share this meeting with anyone else, including students, who you think might be interested in participating and contributing to the conversation.

Join the Teams meeting.
Meeting ID: 244 991 427 688
Passcode: m7FNmR
Join on the web.

Here are a few upcoming events and resources that you may be interested in attending or sharing with students for extra credit:

• Prevention Week with the Dean of Students: Starting September 26
• Health Promotion Events
• NEW: BOW (Bengals on Wellness) Lounge Dates and Guests
• Fall 2022 Flu and COVID Clinics

Please email Paula Madrigal, assistant director of prevention and health promotion for the Weigel Wellness Center, with questions.

Under the terms of the 2016–2022 UUP contract, 2022 discretionary awards will be additions to base salaries rather than one-time lump-sum payments.

The contract provides for a pool equal to 1 percent of the total basic annual salaries of UUP employees as of June 30, 2022. One half of that pool will be available for discretionary awards, and one half is to be used to address salary equity, compression, and inversion.

Discretionary salary increases will appear in paychecks dated December 21, 2022. For the portion of the 1 percent pool that is to be distributed at the discretion of the president, the campus will follow guidelines used for past discretionary awards. For the portion of the 1 percent pool that is to be distributed to address salary equity, compression, and inversion, the campus will continue to follow State, SUNY, and UUP guidelines and methodology.

The following documents are available on the Human Resource Management website:

• 2022 UUP Discretionary Award Schedule (PDF, 100 KB)
• 2022 UUP Discretionary Award Process Outline
• 2022 UUP Discretionary Award Nomination Form (DOCX, 32 KB)

Please note that eligible employees may self-nominate for a discretionary award by completing a Nomination Form and submitting it to their department chair, director, associate vice president, or other direct supervisor by September 28, 2022. Self-nominations and nominations initiated by supervisors and department heads will continue to be forwarded through all appropriate approval levels. Please refer to the process outline for eligibility requirements.

Employees will not be notified of the recommendation at each level. There will be an opportunity to appeal after the president has made her decisions and sent out letters to employees informing them of their awards. Award letters will be sent on November 2, 2022. A brief period to submit appeals will follow the distribution of award letters.

Please contact Jamie Warnes, interim associate vice president of human resource management, with questions.

The Buffalo State community is saddened by the death of Russell D. Utz, assistant professor emeritus of business, who died September 9, 2022. Dr. Utz joined the college in 1971 and retired in 1984. He is survived by his wife, Judith Bondurant-Utz; three children; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Visiting hours will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday, September 23, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 94 Buffalo Road, in East Aurora, where a Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, September 24, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a reception for family and friends. More information is available online.

The Student Conduct and Community Standards Office is seeking faculty and staff volunteers to serve as student advisers and board members of the Student Conduct Board. 

Conduct advisers are trained members of the college community who are available to assist students through the conduct process. Advisers are provided by the college free of charge. Students have the right to a conduct adviser from the college should they choose. Advisers are meant to be a support and guidance system for students in the conduct process.

The Student Conduct Board consists of volunteer members of the campus community who are current faculty, staff, or students. Board members hear cases on a rotating basis.

If you are interested in serving as a conduct adviser or board member, please complete the Conduct Board Application form on the Student Conduct website.

Please call the Student Conduct and Community Standards Office at 878-3051 with questions.