Experts tell us to begin ramping up our studying three weeks before finals. It's almost time!

How do we ramp up? Find out during our "Preparing for Finals" workshop on Thursday, November 18, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 314. Pick up FREE finals prep handouts and tools, and enjoy homemade cookies baked by a real grandma! Students, staff, and faculty welcome.

Download the Preparing for Finals workshop flier (PDF, 137 KB).

Brought to you by Buffalo State Tutoring Services.

Please contact Lauren Copeland, coordinator of tutoring services, with questions.

To honor Veterans Day this year, Buffalo State Dining is offering some fresh goodies on us! These offers are open to all current and retired members of the United States military and reserves.

November 8–12
Free entry to the Bengal Kitchen (Come one day or every day and enjoy this token of our appreciation.)

Veterans Day - November 11
Free fresh-brewed coffee at the Starbucks in Butler Library

Please contact Maggie Balcerzak, Chartwells marketing manager, (585) 317-4921, with questions.

National Distance Learning Week is November 8–12. National Distance Learning Week is a long-standing tradition of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), and many campuses and organizations have continued to share in the traditions to generate greater awareness and appreciation for distance learning, discuss current issues and emerging trends, and highlight best practices.

Upcoming Sessions

• The Course Design Review Process with OSCQR
  Wednesday, November 10
  10:00–10:45 a.m.
• Online Learning Consortium Webinar: How to Increase Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online and Distance Learning
  Wednesday, November 10
  Noon–1:00 p.m.
• Microsoft Teams Meetings
  Wednesday, November 10
  2:00–3:30 p.m. (or request an individual appointment to learn about Teams meetings)
• Interactive Technology Tools
  Thursday, November 11
  9:30–10:30 a.m.
• Digital Content: Equitable Access to Course Materials and Resources
  Friday, November 12
  11:00–11:45 a.m.

Registration for these and other sessions is available on the Workshop Registration System.

Internal applications are being accepted for the following position on campus. This is an internal job posting open to employees of Buffalo State College who are currently paid from any state-appropriated-funds payroll:

Title: Staff Assistant / Staff Assistant for Financial Operations
Department: Financial Operations
Rank: SL-2
Negotiating Unit: UUP

Brief Job Description
This position reports to the associate vice president for finance and management/comptroller. The staff assistant for financial operations will provide support to the financial operations of the college, through the associate VPFM/comptroller. This position will support areas of compliance, financial analysis, financial reporting, banking and investments, insurance, small claims, moving expense reimbursements, audits, charitable gift annuity program, and academic affiliation agreements. Additionally the position will support projects and initiatives as directed by the associate VPFM/comptroller.  

To view the required qualifications and to apply, please view the posting on the Buffalo State Job Opportunities website.

This posting will close Wednesday, November 24.

Please join the Chemistry and Physics departments for the seminar "Creation of Environmentally Benign Fluorocarbon Replacements for CFCs," presented by Robert J. Stewart, senior scientist at Honeywell, on Thursday, November 11, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 170.

Please join us for a live Narcan online training session, presented by Weigel Health Promotions and Horizon Health Services, on Thursday, November 11, at 12:15 p.m. Narcan is a nasal spray that can revive people who have overdosed and reverse the effects of heroin and other opioids.

Join the Zoom meeting.

Please contact?Paula Madrigal, assistant director of prevention and health promotions, with questions.

Follow us on social media for updates or cancellations. 

Like us?on Facebook?(Buffalo State Health Promotions) 
Follow us on Twitter?(@BSCHealthPromo) 
Watch us on YouTube??(BSCHealthPromotions) 
Find us on Instagram??(@Buffalostate_healthpromotions) 
Follow us on Pinterest?(bschealthpromo)

The Buffalo State College Counseling Center will offer a new program to assist students in reducing harms associated with marijuana use. Cannabis Screening and Intervention for College Students (CASICS) aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to make empowered choices regarding their use.

Marijuana use among college students is the highest it has been in 35 years and is associated with negative physical, mental, emotional, relational, and academic effects. With marijuana becoming legal in New York State, there can be a lot of conflicting messages and confusion about the risks of use, and many students may find that their marijuana use is having a harmful effect on their lives.

CASICS is a two-session, brief motivational interviewing-based intervention in which students are provided information about the impact of cannabis use, explore personalized feedback and recommendations based on their own experiences, set goals related to their use, and identify ways to minimize the impact of marijuana on their lives. 

As faculty and staff members, we are often the first to identify that a student is struggling, and we are in a unique position to support our students. If you would like more information about CASICS, how to have a conversation with a student about his or her marijuana use, or how to refer a student to the program, please contact Ashley Maracle, L.C.S.W., case manager and senior counselor in the Weigel Wellness Center.

This program is being evaluated as part of a doctoral capstone project. If you’re willing and able to, please complete a brief survey about any information you receive about CASICS.

Blackboard will deploy its Collaborate Ultra v21.20 release on Thursday, November 11, between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m. Collaborate Ultra customers will experience intermittent availability during the maintenance window.

For more information on the update, please see Blackboard's Release Notes for Collaborate Ultra.

Individual Collaborate training can be scheduled through the Innovation and Learning Collaborative Bookings page.

Please join the Civic and Community Engagement Office for the webinar "Anchor Institutions, Coalitions, and Collective Impact Approaches: More Than the Sum of the Parts," presented by Alan Delmerico, Laura Hill Rao, and Talia Rodriguez from Buffalo State College; and Kevin Aman from Rich Products on Friday, November 12, at 1:30 p.m.

Broad and robust community partnerships are essential for the success of institutions of higher education in fulfilling the anchor mission. Collective impact approaches that leverage the position of anchor institutions as backbone organizations are a key strategy deserving of more attention and discussion. A backbone organization such as a higher education institution or corporate partner can provide essential infrastructure support including space, technology, procurement supports, professional development, management, and more. Higher education anchors and corporate anchors are naturally aligned to serving as central and coordinating bodies within coalition structures and other collaborative collective impact approaches. These anchors and their community-based peers bring the power to convene diverse community partners, technical and scientific expertise, experience in governance and strategic and action planning, and the stability to propel collaborative community-based projects. A case study of the West Side Promise Neighborhood coalition in Buffalo, New York will be exhibited, demonstrating the multi-anchor supports provided by Buffalo State College and Rich Products Corporation and their support of anchor mission-aligned coalition efforts and impacts. A discussion of challenges and future directions will also be included, including how these approaches might be integrated into the current quantification of anchor efforts and impacts within the metrics of the Anchor Learning Network.

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Immediately following this presentation is "Case Study: A University-Community Partnership in Health Equity," presented by Jamie Byrne-McCollum from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.

The University of Arkansas-Little Rock and the American Cancer Society worked together to provide funding for raised garden beds in the University District area of Little Rock to help address food insecurity. Takeaways would include the value of a metropolitan university having a dedicated University District where it can focus time, resources, and talents; the value of faculty being involved with the University District as well as with community nonprofit organizations; and the fact that this work can occur in an environment where  participants are not in a face-to-face environment.

This hour-long event is presented by the CUMU Learning and Sharing Virtual Series and is free to members of the Buffalo State community. Please register online for this webinar and any others in the series you may be interested in.

Milligan’s Food Pantry at Buffalo State College is committed to supporting the health and well-being of our guests and our community by offering healthier food choices at our pantry. Please promote the Milligan's November Thanksgiving Food Drive in your departments to assist us in increasing the healthful options available to our guests. We ask that you donate what you are able; no donation is too little. Please do not donate rusty or unlabeled cans, homemade items, noncommercial canned or packaged items, open or used items, alcoholic beverages, and outdated or expired products. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kristen Helling, student resource coordinator.