Weeks of Welcome at Buffalo State College is a programming series hosted by student organizations and the campus community to welcome our students back for the start of another successful semester.

Information on programs and events for fall 2021 can be found on the Weeks of Welcome Schedule through the Student Leadership and Engagement website. Campus departments and student organizations are encouraged to submit programs to be included in the Weeks of Welcome schedule of events. To submit an event, please complete the Weeks of Welcome program submission form.

Please email Student Leadership and Engagement with questions or to learn more.

All faculty, staff, student, and visitor vehicles parked on the Buffalo State College campus are required to display current parking permits appropriate to the lot designation (PDF, 4.3 MB) and according to permit instructions. Parking meters provide short-term parking for visitors and are available in lots R-3, R-4, G-25, and I-30. Vehicles in metered spaces must display a valid meter receipt.

To ensure proper use of campus lots with the return to in-person operations for the fall 2021 semester, full parking enforcement will resume Monday, August 2. Questions about parking at Buffalo State may be directed to parkingservices@buffalostate.edu.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The College Senate Standing Committee Member Interest Form is now available for those interested in serving on one or more of the eight College Senate standing committees for the 2021–2022 academic year. The form will be available until Sunday, August 1.

Bengals Dare to Care Day is Saturday, September 25, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Join President Katherine Conway-Turner for this important Buffalo State College day of service. The event is in great need of 80 site coordinators to keep track of volunteers, facilitate a reflection discussion, and be a point of contact with the community partner. We are also in need of event assistants to assist with check-in, support crowd control, assist with getting students on buses, and other general support. Sign up today!

Please note that the registration process has been updated for volunteer registration. Everyone must register, including individuals in a group or class. Walk-ins may be able to participate, but we cannot guarantee a spot to anyone who has not registered in advance.  

Any faculty member teaching a course whose students want to participate on a project together must email Aurora Schunk, assistant director of the CCE, for pre-assignment. The BDTC Guide for Courses (PDF, 359 KB) will help faculty members prepare their students to participate and reflect on the day in relation to their course content and civic learning.

Please contact the CCE, 878-3919, with questions.

Bengals Dare to Care Day will be held Saturday, September 25, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and we need your help! The Civic and Community Engagement Office is seeking 80 site coordinators and 20 event assistants to volunteer.

There will be several community service projects throughout the city of Buffalo, and each project needs a site coordinator to assist with logistics. Please consider signing up for this important but very simple job. Your responsibilities will include signing students in to your project, greeting and communicating with your community partner on the day of the event, keeping your volunteers motivated and safe, facilitating a reflection discussion after the project is complete, and being a point of contact with the CCE throughout the morning.

We are also in need of event assistants to assist with check-in, support crowd control, assist with getting students on buses, and other general support.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to get to know a great group of community-minded students, meet incredible community members doing great work throughout our city, receive a free T-shirt, and enjoy a delicious lunch when they return!

Site coordinators must be available for one of the following mandatory trainings:

• Tuesday, September 21, 12:30–1:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, September 22, 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Event assistants must be available for one of the following mandatory trainings:

• Tuesday, September 21, 12:30–1:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, September 22, 1:00–1:30 p.m.

Please complete the site coordinator and event assistant registration form to let us know your interest.

Thank you for your consideration. Please contact the CCE, 878-3919, with questions.

The grace period for the 2020 Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAA) plan year has been extended to Wednesday, September 15. Employees can now submit claims for expenses incurred between January 1, 2020, and September 15, 2021, for reimbursement from their 2020 DCAA. Additionally, employees can seek reimbursement from their 2020 DCAA for children who turned 13 during the 2020 plan year. The last day to submit DCAA claims is Thursday, September 30, 2021, for expenses incurred through September 15, 2021. The grace period temporarily expands the ability for certain employees to use any unused amounts in their 2020 DCAA that would normally be forfeited at the end of a plan year. The grace period is applicable for the DCAA only, as long as the employee had a DCAA as of December 31, 2020.

Please email or call WageWorks–Health Equity at (800) 358-7202 with questions about the grace period.

The Data Science and Analytics program will offer a Focus in Genomics program in collaboration with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center beginning in fall 2021. This pathway will give students the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how data science is being applied in the field of genomics and cancer research. 

Students will

• analyze and probe human genomic data;  
• manage genomic data including organization, storage, cleaning, and manipulation using appropriate software and programming languages (Python, SQL, SAS, Excel, R, SPSS);
• weigh the evolving social, ethical, and legal issues associated with genomic data science; 
• visualize and effectively communicate results using dashboards, charts, graphs, and written and oral reports.  

This partnership with Roswell Park offers students hands-on experiential learning opportunities including the opportunity to complete an internship with real-world projects at Roswell Park.  

Roswell Park is also generously funding the DSA Focus in Genomics Fellowship. Fellows will receive tuition support and a stipend.

More information about the fellowship is available on the Data Science and Analytics website.
 
Courses will include

• BIO 587 Advanced Bioinformatics 
• BIO 670 Advanced Biostatistical Analysis 
• Topics in Genomics Medicine  

As part of this new focus, the DSA program and Roswell Park have collaborated on a National Institutes of Health R25 grant, "Exploring Genomic Data Using Data Science and Analytics: A Buffalo State–Roswell Park Partnership," that, if awarded, will further support the growth of the DSA program and help foster greater diversity in the field of data science and analytics. 

For more information, please visit our website.

As part of the ongoing reconstruction of the Central Heating Plant, contractors will drive piles to stabilize the site on the west side of the plant from Thursday, July 22, through roughly Tuesday, August 10, in preparation for the removal of fuel oil tanks. This work will occur during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Occupants of buildings near the heating plant will experience some noise and vibration associated with this activity. We appreciate your patience as this important project proceeds.

Questions about the heating plant rehabilitation project may be addressed to vpfm@buffalostate.edu.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The College Senate Standing Committee Member Interest Form is now available for those interested in serving on one or more of the eight College Senate standing committees for the 2021–2022 academic year. The form will be available until Sunday, August 1.

The Civic and Community Engagement Office invites the Buffalo State College community to attend the Homelessness and Housing Insecurity Action Summit, hosted by the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), on Tuesday, July 27, and Thursday, July 29, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The virtual summit will address issues of homelessness and housing insecurity for CUMU-member institutions and their community partners. The Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative at Portland State University will lead the design and implementation with a focus on the growing challenges of housing insecurity and homelessness among students, employees, and community members—all through an equity lens. The summit is offered at no cost to attendees through the generous support of the Kresge Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. CUMU is seeking member feedback so it can best tailor sessions to meet attendee needs. Please register online.

For more information, please contact the CCE, 878-3919.