Ready up and relax for your finals during our free virtual Bengal Study Nights event on Monday, May 3, and Tuesday, May 4, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event will feature final exam reviews, extended tutoring, games, and relaxation activities.

Find the link(s) to your session(s) on the Bengal Study Night web page. The page is updated continuously, so check back often! For more information, please download the Bengal Study Night flier. A text-only version of the flier is available on the Tutoring website.

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

Brought to you by the Buffalo State Student Achievement Programs and Tutoring Centers.

The spring 2021 “Conversations in and out of the Disciplines” series concludes Friday, April 30, as A. K. Shauku, assistant professor of political science and public administration, presents "Considering the Costs of Circuit Conflict" at 3:00 p.m. on Zoom. As usual, following each talk, we will have a Q&A with the speaker. Everyone is welcome.

Join the Zoom meeting.
Meeting ID: 837 0877 7389
Join by phone: (929) 205-6099 (New York)

Stay tuned over the summer for information on the 2021–2022 Conversations series, which will feature talks by Cameron Herman, Meg Knowles, Sue McGuire, Anita Senthinathan, Gehan Senthinathan, and Natalie Szymanski.

The Conversations series was started over a decade ago by Ann Colley, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emerita of English, to “celebrate and draw attention to the research being done in various departments at Buffalo State College.” Over the last decade, colleagues from Anthropology, Art Conservation, Art History, Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Political Science, and Secondary Education, among others, have shared their work with the Buffalo State and Buffalo communities.

Buffalo State College’s Political Science and Public Administration (PSPA) Department and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Buffalo Niagara Chapter welcome the community to a free virtual conference celebrating Public Service Recognition Week on Saturday, May 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Schedule

10:00–10:15 a.m. Welcome Remarks from Brian Cronk, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences

10:15–11:30 a.m. Panel 1: “Lessons from the Field: Local Government and the COVID-19 Pandemic”

11:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Panel 2: "Governing New York State through Crises"

1:00–2:00 p.m. Lunch Break

• 1:00–1:30 p.m. ASPA Informational Session (with Tony Astran)
• 1:30–2:00 p.m. Informational Sessions for the MPA, Poli Sci, and IR Programs

2:00–3:15 p.m. Panel 3: "Chatting with Alumni: Professional Experiences and Reflections”

3:30–4:45 p.m. Panel 4: "Effects and Responses to COVID-19 from a Nonprofit Perspective"

5:15–5:30 p.m. Remarks from President Conway-Turner

5:15–6:00 p.m. Keynote Speaker: Senator Sean Ryan, New York State 60th Senate District

6:00–7:00 p.m. PSPA Student and Community Member Awards

For more information about the event, please visit the conference website. To join us, please register online. Zoom details can be found on the confirmation page.

From the University Faculty Senators
The University Faculty Senate (UFS) is accepting applications for service on UFS committees for 2021–2022. The application page provides details on the service commitment, and the list of UFS standing committees and their charges can be found on the SUNY website. The application process requires submission of a two-page CV and a completed application by Thursday, May 20. Service on a UFS committee is open to all Buffalo State College faculty and staff members who are eligible to run for UFS senator seats. If you have questions about serving on a UFS committee, please contact UFS senators Heather Maldonado and Amy Rosen-Brand or the UFS office. Buffalo State has a strong tradition of UFS involvement, and we hope that involvement will continue!

From the Chair of the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee
Three at-large College Senate positions will become vacant on August 30, 2021. Additionally, one University Faculty Senate alternate position is vacant. Two at-large Senate seats will be open to academics only, and one at-large seat will be open to professionals and academics. All full-time faculty and professional staff members are eligible to run for these seats provided they meet other eligibility requirements (see below).

At-large senators represent the entirety of the college. The University Faculty alternate senator is a senator within both the College Senate at Buffalo State College and the SUNY University Faculty Senate. The alternate attends SUNY University Faculty Senate meetings only in the absence of the University Faculty senator.

A call for nominations and information about candidates’ statements is posted on the College Senate website. The call for nominations begins at 12:01 a.m. Monday, April 26, and continues through 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 30. Elections for these positions will run from 12:01 a.m. Monday, May 3, to 11:59 p.m. Friday, May 7.

Eligibility: Current College Senate members who are completing two consecutive terms in their respective positions are not eligible for reelection. For additional information on eligibility requirements, please consult the Bylaws of the College Faculty on the College Senate website.

Campaigning: The College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee strongly discourages using college e-mail services for campaigning. Please limit campaigning to the candidate statement posted on the College Senate website, available to the college community on Monday, April 26.

Please note: Individuals running for a senator position in another election may not also run for an at-large senator position while the other election is being conducted. If the other election concludes during the period when nominations for at-large senators are still being accepted, eligible individuals may self-nominate for the position.

If you are interested in being a candidate, please contact Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate. We look forward to your participation in the vital process of campus governance.

The Community Health Center of Buffalo Inc. (CHCB), in collaboration with the Buffalo Documentary Project (BDP) and the Burchfield Penney Art Center, will present the virtual premiere of Fight for Good, a 20-minute film documenting the center’s efforts to provide continuous care to underserved patients of color in the face of inequity and systemic racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, today, April 22, at 7:00 p.m. The screening and subsequent panel discussion will be livestreamed on the BDP website and on the Burchfield Penney Facebook page.

Fight for Good explores the impact of CHCB physicians, the leadership role of women of color, and the challenges presented by health-care disparities. The film captures candid, firsthand experiences, personal and organizational challenges in providing treatment, difficulties faced by families, and the impact of racism in the broader health-care system.

“In Fight for Good we give our voice to our common humanity,” said LaVonne Ansari, chief executive officer of CHCB. “This includes our innermost fears of personal vulnerability and loss, our frustrations, and hopes for a health-care system that is on one hand truly miraculous, and on the other, afflicted.” 

Panelists
LaVonne Ansari, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, CHCB
Kenyani Davis, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer, CHCB
Shilpa Kapoor, D.D.S., M.S., B.D.S., Dental Director, CHCB
Mani Mehrvarz, Founding Director, BDP
Maryam Muliaee, Art Director, BDP
Naila Ansari, Assistant Professor of Theater and Africana Studies Buffalo State College, BDP film curator and interviewer

In the summer of 2020, the BDP approached the health center to explore sharing their stories about the virus plaguing the world, severely threatening lives in the communities it serves. Founded by director Mani Mehrvarz in 2016, BDP tells the untold stories of Buffalo and Western New York through documentary filmmaking. Maryam Muliaee, a media artist, scholar, and educator, serves as the art director, researcher, and animator. Naila Ansari, Buffalo State assistant professor of theater and Africana studies, serves as the documentary’s curator and interviewer.

From the Chair of the Bylaws and Elections Committee
As a result of the merger of the School of Natural and Social Sciences and the School of Arts and Humanities, the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee brought forth a motion at the March 12, 2021, College Senate meeting to change Article III, Section C, Number 5 of the Bylaws of the College Faculty. 

The motion is regarding the allotment of Senate seats for the new School of Arts and Sciences. The motion can be viewed on the College Senate SharePoint drive. The College Senate voted in favor of this motion at its April 9, 2021, meeting. It will now be brought before the Buffalo State College faculty (defined by the bylaws as all academic, professional, and managerial employees) for a vote.

Important Voting Instructions
An email was sent to all eligible faculty and staff members on Tuesday, April 20. Because of  problems with the survey's deployment, we have closed the previous survey. We issued a new survey on Wednesday, April 21, at midnight. Please cast your vote again.

If you are eligible to vote and did not receive the email, please check your Junk Email folder for misdirected messages. The vote will be conducted between midnight Wednesday, April 21, and 11:59 p.m. Saturday, April 24.

The email contains instructions for voting. Please click on the provided link in the email to take the Qualtrics poll, which will serve as your vote, or copy and paste the URL provided in the email into your Internet browser. Complete the Qualtrics poll, which is simply a Yes or No vote, on whether the Buffalo State College faculty should or should not adopt the amended bylaws contained in the College Senate resolution. Do not click the orange arrow key in the poll until you have cast your vote or your vote will not be counted. Individuals may vote only once.

Reminder: This vote affects everyone. Your vote matters! Please direct questions about this process to Ramona R. Santa Maria, chair of the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee.

Purchase requisitions for supplies, materials, services, office supplies, and equipment from fiscal year 2020–2021 funds must be received in the Procurement Office by the close of business on the following dates:

Furniture orders
Monday, April 26, 2021

Software orders
Friday, May 14, 2021

Office supply orders
Tuesday, June 15, 2021

All other orders requiring a purchase requisition
Friday, May 14, 2021

To make ordering at the end of the fiscal year effective for everyone, please plan departmental needs as far in advance as possible to ensure that orders for goods and services are placed before the cutoff dates. Submitting requisitions well before the cutoff dates will provide Procurement Services with the necessary time to place orders before the deadlines.

It is the responsibility of departments to ensure that all requisitions for fiscal year 2020–2021 are received in the Procurement Office by 4:00 p.m. on the above deadline dates. Requests received after the deadlines will be held until the start of the next fiscal year.

Important note regarding division Procurement Cards (P-Cards): Active P-Cards may continue to be used throughout the transition period for authorized transactions without interruption.

Please keep in mind that COVID-related spending controls continue to be in effect.

Contact Bonnie Heim, director of non-contract procurement, with questions related to these deadlines or about the P-Card program. Please refer to the Procurement Services website for more information.

Today's Farmers Market takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the entrance to the Bengal Kitchen. No need to bring your own bags.

Buffalo State Dining will host this event featuring fresh produce from our local partners in observation of Earth Day. One swipe or $10 = two bags of fresh produce.

See you there!

Please contact Joshua Ungaro, Chartwells marketing manager, with questions.

Keep your financial goals on track with TIAA’s free live webinars. Reserve your spot today. Visit TIAA.org/webinars to register or watch past presentations on demand.

The following webinars will be offered in May:

Tuesday, May 11

• Halfway There: A Retirement Checkpoint - Noon
  Give yourself a mid-career financial checkup to evaluate your current savings, and formulate a plan to help pursue your savings goals and manage competing financial priorities.
• Paycheck for Life - 3:00 p.m.
  You’ve worked hard to save for retirement. TIAA can help you understand how to create a plan that protects you against key retirement risks as well as helps build a diversified retirement income plan.

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Wednesday, May 12

• Responsible Investing: Portfolios with Purpose - Noon
  Make an impact with a social choice. Did you know that responsible investing enables investors to align their social and environmental principals with their financial goals? Learn the factors that make an investment socially responsible, the history of RI, and ways for individuals to incorporate RI into their investment strategy.
• Money at Work 2: Sharpening Investment Skills - 3:00 p.m.
  Feel more secure in your savings strategy by verifying that you’re on the right track, and if you’re off track, find out what adjustments you need to make. Learn how to plan your investments and hold on to as much of your nest egg as possible.

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Thursday, May 13

• The 411 on 529 College Savings Plans - Noon
  Learn how 529 college savings plans work and how to invest in one for a child, grandchild, yourself, or other loved one.