Deferred raises for various employee groups will be paid according to a schedule in the coming weeks and months. We want employees to be aware of the ability to defer this compensation to the SUNY 403(b) Plan and/or the NYS Deferred Compensation Program (NYSDCP) ahead of the payment dates. Below is the schedule of upcoming raise payments, along with the respective deferral election windows (PDF, 222 KB) for the SUNY 403(b) Plan:

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Bargaining Unit: PBANYS APSU BU31 2015-18 Salary and Other Increases
Check Dates: July 7, 2021 (Admin.)
SUNY 403(b) Deferral Election Window: June 10–23, 2021

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Bargaining Unit: M/C BU 06, 13 (SUNY) 2020 Salary Increase
Check Dates: July 21, 2021 (Admin.)
SUNY 403(b) Deferral Election Window: June 24–July 7, 2021

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Bargaining Unit: M/C BU 06 2020 Performance Advance/Longevity
Check Dates: July 21, 2021 (Admin.)
SUNY 403(b) Deferral Election Window: June 24–July 7, 2021

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Bargaining Unit: M/C BU 06 2021 Performance Advance/Longevity
Check Dates: August 4, 2021 (Admin.)
SUNY 403(b) Deferral Election Window: July 8–21, 2021

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Bargaining Unit: UUP BU08 2020 Salary Increase
Check Dates: August 4, 2021 (Admin.)
SUNY 403(b) Deferral Election Window: July 8–21

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Bargaining Unit: UUP BU08 2021 Salary Increase
Check Dates: August 18, 2021 (Admin.); September 15, 2021 (Admin.); September 29, 2021 (Admin.)
SUNY 403(b) Deferral Election Window: July 22–August 4, 2021; August 19–September 1, 2021; September 2–15, 2021

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To make a change to a contribution in your SUNY 403(b) plan or to open a new plan, please visit the SUNY website and be aware of the election window provided in the chart above in order to capture the correct paycheck date.

For a contribution into the NYS Deferred Compensation Plan, please contact Mark Wallace at (800) 422-8463.

If you have questions, please call the Payroll Office at 878-4124 or the Benefits Office at 878-4821.

As an extension of NFTA Metro’s College Riders Accessing Metro (CRAM) Pass Program, students taking at least one summer class at Buffalo State College are eligible to purchase a 2021 summer CRAM Pass for $60. This price is not subject to proration and will not be discounted if lost, stolen, misplaced, or replaced.

• The summer CRAM Pass provides unlimited access to Metro Bus and Rail from June 1 through August 30, 2021.
• Valid Buffalo State student ID is required for purchase.
• Summer CRAM passes can be purchased at the Butler Library Circulation Desk (lower lobby) Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
• Acceptable forms of payment are cash, MasterCard, Visa, and Bengal Bucks.
• Passes are nontransferable; valid college photo student ID is required for use with summer passes.
• Students must follow all standard Metro passenger policies.

Questions about this program may be directed to vpfm@buffalostate.edu.

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 a Weeks of Welcome program submission form.

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

All academic, co-curricular, and functional departments will submit their annual reports via Taskstream. The Institutional Effectiveness and Planning Office is offering Taskstream Annual Report Workshops through Tuesday, July 13. Registration through the Workshop Registration System is required. Please note: these sessions are for department and unit reports only, not for individual annual reports.*

Monday, June 14, 10:00–11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, June 15, 1:00–2:00 p.m.

Monday, June 21, 10:00–11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, June 22, 1:00–2:00 p.m.

Monday, June 28, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, June 29, 1:00–2:00 p.m.

Monday, July 12, 10:00–11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, July 13, 1:00–2:00 p.m.

Deadlines

• Individual Faculty Annual Reports (online form – Qualtrics): Wednesday, June 30
• Individual Staff Annual Reports (online form – Qualtrics): Wednesday, June 30
• Chairs’ Department Annual Reports (Taskstream): Friday, July 16
• Functional Unit Annual Reports (Taskstream): Friday, July 16
• Deans’ Annual Reports (Taskstream): Friday, August 20
• AVP Annual Reports (Taskstream): Friday, August 20, 2021

Taskstream resources can be found on the Institutional Effectiveness and Planning Resources web page.

*If you did not receive an email with a link to your individual annual report form, or if you have technical questions about individual, department, or unit reports, please contact Tiffany Fuzak, research analyst, (716) 725-4090. If you have questions about content, please contact Kim Barron, assistant vice president for institutional effectiveness and planning, (716) 878-5550. Thank you.

Degree Works gets a new look starting in mid-June. Please watch the following Buffalo State YouTube videos for a visual walk-through of how to navigate the latest version, and please share these with your advisers and advisees:

Faculty and Staff How-To Video
Student How-To Video

The Civic and Community Engagement Office's West Side Promise Neighborhood Initiative is planning eight coordinated days of outreach in our local West Side neighborhood. We need your help to pitch in to make summer lunch memorable for our students and families. 

We will be working alongside the Buffalo Public School's Summer Lunch project to bring positive activities and resources to the neighborhood. We are in need of volunteers who want to interact with families and help share information and giveaways. Our sites are within 2 to 5 miles of campus.

Please see our Google form to learn more and sign up, or email annikamsmith20@gmail.com or rodrigte@buffalostate.edu. Thank you.

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.

As a result of an interest arbitration award between New York State and the Agency Police Services Unit (APSU) represented by the Police Benevolent Association of NYS (PBANYS), NYSHIP rate changes will take effect Sunday, August 1, 2021. The new rates will be in effect through the end of the year.

A Special Option Transfer Period will be offered from July 1 to 30, during which PBANYS-represented employees may change their health insurance option. Employees may choose the Empire Plan or a NYSHIP-approved HMO serving the area where they live or work.

If you wish to change your option, you must submit a completed Health Insurance Transaction Form (PS-404, PDF, 78 KB) to the Employee Benefits Office, Cleveland Hall 410, by Friday, July 30.

No action is required if you wish to keep your current health insurance option.

If you are considering changing your health insurance option for the remainder of 2021 or wish to review your current option, the “Choices” booklet (PDF, 3.5 MB) offers plan comparisons.

Please remember that you are choosing a benefit package for yourself and your covered dependents for the remainder of the 2021 plan year. Be sure you understand how your benefits will be affected if you change options.

If you have questions, please call the Human Resource Management Benefits Office at 878-4821.

Come and celebrate National Iced Tea Day with a free iced tea at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Café on Thursday, June 10. Choose from passion, black, or green. Exclusions may apply.

Our app is required for redemption and can be downloaded at APPBNC.com or by simply searching My College Bookstore in the app store or Google Play store.

The app is also used for our Café Loyalty Program: purchase nine café beverages and get one free! Ask the barista at the register for the QR code to scan when making a beverage purchase.

As a reminder, faculty and staff members get a 10 percent discount in the store and in the café. Simply show your Buffalo State faculty-staff ID to get the discount. Exclusions may apply on some items.

Upon entering the store, you will see that we are being remodeled, but both the store and café are open for business. Please pardon our dust.

Mother’s Day, a dramatic portrait of mental illness written and directed by Buffalo State College television and film arts alumnus Travis Carlson, ’13, will make its world premiere on Saturday, June 18, at the North Park Theatre, with subsequent screenings throughout the week.

Filmed in an unbroken, continuous shot, this two-person film features a demanding performance from Michael Charles Wagner, ’15 (theater), who met Carlson on campus through the improv group Friday Night Live. There, they also formed a relationship with Lee Becker, ’13 (theater), who also appears in this Buffalo film. Marc Braun, ’17 (psychology), and Maria (Marinaccio) Braun, ’18 (creative studies), produced the film with Pan-American Film Division, the production company they co-founded with Carlson. Julia Bottoms, ’12, ’17 (art education, multidisciplinary studies), created original artwork for the poster. Tickets and more information are available at panamericanfilms.com.