As previously announced, Buffalo State College Information Technology is phasing out support for legacy Outlook data files—also known as Personal Folders, PST files, or Archive folders—by the end of the 2020 calendar year.

Before the introduction of O365 to campus, these offline data files (PST, Personal Folders, Archive) presented a convenient work-around for faculty and staff members given the limited storage capacity of our old on-premise e-mail server. Back then, mailbox sizes for faculty and staff were a mere 1 GB.

Offline data files have limitations. They can be accessed only from the computer on which they are stored. The files also present problems for IT staff members, as these files are often stored outside of the normal automated backup locations, creating additional work when upgrading a user's computer.

Now that O365 storage capacity is significantly larger (mailbox sizes for faculty and staff members are currently 50 GB and will soon increase to 100 GB), it is no longer necessary to store e-mails off-line because of space limitations. Users can now keep e-mail messages in their inbox. With O365, you no longer have to move an e-mail you want to save. 

If you still use Personal or Archive folders in Outlook and wish to keep them, you must move the items stored in these folders back to your "live" mailbox before the end of the 2020 calendar year. Directions are in the IT Knowledge Base.

The Civic and Community Engagement Office is pleased to present the webinar "Nothing About Us, Without Us: Students and Communities of Color in the Electoral Process" on Wednesday, September 23, from 3:00 to 4:15 p.m.

This event is presented by Campus Compact as part of the Education for Democracy: Election 2020 Series and is free to members of the Buffalo State College community. 

For students and communities of color, voting has been used as one important aspect of building power in the United States. Initiatives across the country that focus on civic engagement in communities of color have been successful at increasing voter participation and disrupting barriers to political engagement. Hosted by Andrew Seligsohn, president of Campus Compact, this webinar taps the national expertise of JoAnn Fields, government and public relations director for the Asian Pacific Islander Initiative; Pedro Lira, civic engagement director for Jolt Action; and Jaime Turner, democracy fellow with the NAACP Youth and College Initiatives. Our three panelists represent organizations that activate the collective voices of students of color to mobilize voter participation of their families and communities beyond the campus setting.

Please register online for this webinar and for as many other presentations in the Education for Democracy: Election 2020 Series as you would like.

The fall 2020 midterm grading window closes Friday, October 30, at 9:00 p.m.

Students can view their grades in Banner, Degree Works, and Bengal Success Portal as soon as midterm grades are posted. Advisers can obtain copies of the midterm grading reports for their academic intervention use through their deans’ offices.

Thank you for your commitment to our students’ success.

The midterm grading window will open in Banner at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 14, and close at 9:00 p.m. Friday, October, 30. In addition to assigning a midterm grade, faculty members can mark how regularly a student has attended a course by entering 0 (never attended), 1 (sporadic, unsatisfactory attendance), or 2 (consistent, satisfactory attendance) in the “Hours Attended” field. Midterm grade submissions for all registered students are helpful for campuswide academic intervention and retention efforts.

Students will be able to view their grades in Banner, Degree Works, and the Bengal Success Portal as soon as midterm grades are posted. Advisers can obtain copies of the midterm grading reports for their academic intervention use through their deans’ offices.

Thank you for your commitment to our students’ success.

As the new Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium gets closer to completion, its state-of-the-art projection systems and 360-degree immersive environment afford opportunities for collaborations with faculty, staff, and students from across campus beyond the planetarium's traditional use for astronomy education. We are therefore starting the Incorporating New and Novel Opportunities in Visualizations, Arts, Technology, and Education (INNOVATE) in the Planetarium project, where ideas from across disciplines will be discussed and worked on to take advantage of this new, amazing facility on campus. 

If you have ideas or want more information about the projection systems or possibilities for collaboration, please fill out this short survey. Virtual informational meetings will take place in October. If you filled out the survey previously, you do not need to fill it out again.

This year, classes are scheduled on Columbus Day, Monday, October 12, and Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11. Please be mindful of the importance of communicating our availability to the community. Department heads and supervisors should let their classified and professional employees know whether they will be required to work on these days.  

Department heads and supervisors are encouraged to make every effort to consider requests to have the holiday off from employees who are veterans.

The following state attendance rules apply to employees who are required to work:

Classified employees who work on October 12 and/or November 11 will be compensated according to their holiday waiver status. Those who have not elected to waive additional money for holiday work will receive holiday pay per their bargaining unit agreements. Employees who have waived additional money for holiday work will receive compensatory time off instead of additional holiday pay. Classified employees who wish to inquire about their current holiday waiver status may contact the Payroll Office at 878-4124.

UUP-represented and M/C employees who are eligible to observe holidays and are required to work on October 12 and/or November 11 will be granted a compensatory day off. The compensatory day off should be scheduled within one year of the holiday at a time agreeable to the employee and his or her supervisor.

Employees who are not required to work on October 12 and/or November 11 do not need to charge leave accruals for that day.

As a reminder, we encourage you to post notices in advance on your office door and on your website, use the out-of-office automatic e-mail replies, and change voice mail recordings so that students and other employees are aware that the office  may not be available. These messages should include information on whom to contact in case an issue requires immediate attention.

Because of the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, the Graduate School will not hold an in-person synchronous Open House this fall. Instead, we will hold individual virtual department or program presentations with our faculty and staff. Please view this sample presentation to get an idea of what the virtual presentations will look like.

These virtual presentations will be hosted through Slate, and training will follow for faculty and staff members who are participating. Please see the following instructions kindly provided by Undergraduate Admissions:

Video Instructions

PDF Instructions (530 KB)

The Slate platform is user friendly and similar to Zoom. Faculty and staff members will be asked to upload the presentation as a part of the online RSVP form.

Department presentations will be held on different days and times selected by faculty and staff members. All individual presentations will collectively account for the Fall Graduate Open House.

As a part of this registration, faculty and staff members can choose one or two dates for their department presentation. Presentations will take place at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. most days in October and November, and faculty members can choose one day each month. Selecting two dates will allow us to promote to a larger audience as we continue to collect prospective student information.

The presentations will be recorded and posted on the Graduate School Department Presentations page.

Sample Department Presentation

Faculty and Staff RSVP Form for Graduate Open House

Questions about the program can be directed to Makenzie Docteur, coordinator of graduate recruitment, by phone at (716) 878-5603 or by text at (315) 408-8002.

As always, the Graduate School thanks you for your continued support.

The Buffalo State College community is saddened by the death of W. Richard “Rik” Whitaker, professor emeritus of communication, who died September 10, 2020, in Largo, Florida. Dr. Whitaker joined the college in 1984 and retired in 2007. He is survived by his wife, Ramona; two children; and four step-children. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. More information is available online.

The Health Ambassador Program supports the policies and practices put in place to ensure the health and well-being of students, faculty, and staff as we return to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health ambassadors will be stationed at four locations across campus Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The following locations will rotate based on feedback and traffic:

• Technology Building lobby (at the base of the stairs)
• Butler Library lobby
• Science and Mathematics Complex atrium
• Campbell Student Union
• Classroom Building lobby
• Campbell Student Union entrance
• Bulger Communication Center

Example services:

• Answering questions about COVID-19 health and safety procedures
• Checking temperatures and providing personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Directing people to online resources
• Answering questions about daily symptom tracking 

Please fill out this form if you would like to volunteer as a health ambassador. This is a volunteer position; please sign up for hours throughout the fall 2020 semester. The schedule will be updated biweekly. New volunteer trainings will be held weekly on Mondays at 1:30 p.m via Zoom videoconference.

The Health Ambassador Program is organized through the Prevention and Health Promotion Office in the Weigel Wellness Center.

Please e-mail Paula Madrigal, assistant director of prevention and health promotions, with questions.

Throughout the academic year, the Civic and Community Engagement Office will highlight the efforts of our community-engaged and service-learning faculty members and community partners. We are grateful to all our faculty members who are engaged in this important work.

This semester, Every Bottom Covered has partnered with COM 418: Campaigns in Public Relations, taught by Therese J. Fuerst, lecturer in the Communication Department. This fantastic organization is working toward positive change in the community by addressing the need for diapers. Buffalo State students in this course will develop public relations strategies, make recommendations based on best practices, and apply their knowledge and skills to an existing community issue and need.

Did you know September 21–27, 2020, is National Diaper Need Awareness Week? National Diaper Need Awareness Week draws attention to the issue of diaper need in the United States. A signature initiative of the National Diaper Bank Network launched in 2012, the week provides individuals, organizations, communities, and elected officials with the opportunity to engage in real talk and simple actions.

We are very proud to partner with Every Bottom Covered, the first and only diaper bank in Western New York and a certified member of the National Diaper Bank Network. There are many ways to give support. You can volunteer your time and talents in areas such as fundraising, diaper drives, in-kind and monetary donations, partner distribution, and day-to-day operations. You can also follow Every Bottom Covered on social media and share information.

Every Bottom Covered happily accepts the following items:

• Disposable diapers sizes N–6
• Pull-ups
• Wipes and diaper cream
• Gently used baby clothing
• Adult diapers (S–XL)
• Feminine hygiene products
• Leftover and opened packages are also welcome

Please consider giving your support to Every Bottom Covered during National Diaper Need Awareness Week and beyond. We greatly appreciate your kindness and support. For more information, please visit the organization's website or e-mail admin@everybottomcovered.org.