Fanny Olaya, ’20, a graduate of the Spanish program at Buffalo State College, will return to campus with the Baila Salsa Dance Company on Friday, October 1, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Student Union Assembly Hall to demonstrate a salsa dance and, for the adventurous, lead a lesson. Hosted by the Modern and Classical Languages Department, this event is part of the college's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and 150th Anniversary, timed to coincide with Homecoming Week.

Please contact Graziela Rondon-Pari, assistant professor of modern and classical languages, with questions.

Please join us for "Restoration and Resolve: Guided Yoga Nidra Meditation," facilitated by Melissa Meehan, web administration director for Marketing and Communications, on Tuesday, September 28, from noon to 12:45 p.m. in Butler Library 318 or via Zoom. 

Yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, is a practice that invites us into the state between wakefulness and sleep. This powerful meditation technique draws on the yogic limb pratyahara (withdrawal of senses) and can be surprisingly helpful for reducing stress and mitigating feelings of depletion. Further, yoga nidra's use of the sankalpa, or heart's intention, is an interesting exercise in uncovering what we truly yearn for in our lives. Please prepare a warm, comfortable place where you can rest in savasana during this extended guided meditation; your comfort is key. 

A series of life experiences led Melissa Meehan, web director, Marketing and Communications Office, to mindfulness and yoga. She loves sharing how these mind-body practices can help reduce symptoms related to anxiety and depression, while also helping practitioners build resilience, self-regulation, and autonomy. 

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Please join us for a Campus Green Infrastructure Tour to see what Buffalo State College is doing to protect our local waterways on Thursday, September 23, during Bengal Pause (12:15 to 1:30 p.m.). The tour will be led by Mary Perrelli, GIS lab supervisor in the Geography and Planning Department, and John Bleech, environmental programs coordinator in Environmental Health and Safety. We will meet in the lobby on the south side of the Technology Building at 12:15 p.m. and walk to different sites on campus. This event is open to all students, faculty, and staff.

Runoff from stormwater is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas. Green infrastructure systems such as rain gardens, bioswales, bioretention ponds, rainwater harvesting, and permeable pavement can be used to filter and absorb stormwater before it reaches local waterways.

Additional Applied Geography Bengal Pause activities will take place throughout the fall 2021 semester. Each activity is a low-stress, relaxed affair (many outdoors) designed to provide you with a unique hands-on experience. Consider these sessions an antidote to Zoom! Updated informational posters can be found in the Classroom Building, Science and Mathematics Complex (SAMC), and Campbell Student Union. More information is available under the “Applied Geography Bengal Pause” link on the left side of the Geography and Planning Department website under "News and Events."

These activities are brought to you by the Buffalo State Grant Allocation Committee and the Geography and Planning Department.

The Buffalo State College Counseling Center will host Mindfulness Skills Workshops with mindfulness instructor Maria Kahn on Thursdays starting today, September 16, through December 16, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Campbell Student Union 419 (a.k.a. the Bengal Stripes Global Learning Lab).

Learn and practice a new mindfulness skill each week, including how to

• manage stress and anxiety from within,
• reground and reset post-pandemic,
• recognize and process difficult emotions,
• improve your focus and memory,
• listen and learn more effectively,
• settle your mind to access your wisdom and talent,
• access your own internal resources to better navigate change and uncertainty.

Open to all students. Come just once or join us every week to learn a new skill. Seating will be distanced, with masks required in Student Union.

For more information about Counseling Center workshops and other services, please visit the Counseling Center website or call 878-4436.

Please join the Political Science and Public Administration Department on Friday, September 17, at 10:00 a.m. in Bulger Communication Center 214 as we explore constitutional law as a form of public discourse in observance of Constitution Day 2021.

The following department faculty members will serve as our distinguished panelists:

• Assistant Professor A. K. Shauku will discuss the distinction between the Constitution as a forward-looking document and constitutional law as an authoritative commentary about our society’s highest ethical commitments.
• Lecturer Jon Lines will discuss our nation’s commitment to popular decision-making through voting and contemporary efforts to expand or limit access to the ballot box.
• Associate Professor Peter Yacobucci will discuss the 14th Amendment’s guarantee that all persons be treated equally under the law, and how that commitment continues to evolve over time.

Now in its 234th year, the U.S. Constitution is far from a systematic body of instructions for how to run a country. The text is rather brief, frequently vague, and aspirational. This document is not the end of the conversation but a beginning.

A Q&A will follow the discussion. Join us for an informative and nuanced reflection on the enduring significance of the U.S. Constitution to American life!

The event will also be available live via Zoom: 

Zoom link
Meeting ID: 890 9186 3110
Passcode: 837250

Please join us for the Teaching and Learning Center's "Basically HIP (High-Impact Practices) Certificate Program," presented by John Draeger, professor of philosophy and director of the TLC, on Monday, October 18, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Butler Library 318.

High-impact practices are experiences that have been shown to significantly improve student retention and academic outcomes for the students who engage in them. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has identified a number of high-impact learning practices (HIPs), for example, undergraduate research, collaborative assignments, learning communities, service learning, study abroad, and freshman seminars. HIPs involve a significant investment of student effort over time with multiple interactions among faculty, students, or relevant community partners about substantive matters as well as frequent, constructive feedback from faculty and regular, structured processes for reflection and integration.

This certificate program falls into three parts: First, participants will watch short videos (about 10 minutes each) and complete worksheets before the face-to-face workshop. Second, participants will attend the face-to-face workshop. Finally, participants will submit revised course materials based on the Basically HIP program.

Anyone interested in the program should complete this online form.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Please join us for the session "Workplace Health and Safety Concerns," on Friday, September 24, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Bengal Kitchen (Room A) or via Zoom. 

What are you seeing in your work space? What can you do if when you see concerns? The United University Professions (UUP) Buffalo State Chapter and the Professional Development Center will share some campus resources and strategies that employees can use to support their personal well-being and productivity during times of continuous change. We will discuss processes and procedures which may be of use to members.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Please join the Teaching and Learning Center for a scholarly discussion of chapter 3 of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (2020), on Friday, October 15, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. in Butler Library 318. 

Coffee, tea, and light breakfast snacks will be served. 

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Faculty members are invited and encouraged to request service-learning designation for courses that meet the College Senate criteria for service-learning courses. We are currently reviewing courses that will be taught in spring 2022.

Designating your course will allow students to easily identify service-learning courses during registration. It will also enable the Civic and Community Engagement Office to track participation to ensure accurate representation of community engagement efforts. In addition, it will afford us the opportunity to celebrate and recognize students, faculty, and community partners involved in this important work!

Please submit your request by completing the service-learning designation request form by Friday, October 15.  For more information on requesting designation, please visit the Service-Learning Designation website.

We also encourage you to take advantage of our faculty training videos, review our new taxonomy, and use the CCE for Faculty LibGuide for community-engaged and service-learning resources. 

Are you already teaching a designated service-learning course this fall semester? Please send your finalized fall 2021 syllabus and community partners to cce@buffalostate.edu.

The Teacher Education Council (TEC) will meet Friday, October 8, via Zoom only. All TEC meetings will be held on the second Friday of the month from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. via Zoom until further notice. TEC representatives will receive a meeting invitation and Zoom link via e-mail. All TEC representatives and Teacher Education Unit members are encouraged to attend. Non-members who would like to attend may contact their TEC representative or Kathy Doody, associate professor of exceptional education, for Zoom log-in information.