The Residence Life Office will host resident student move-in days from Wednesday, August 19, to Saturday, August 22. Drivers may experience traffic delays across campus as family members drop off students for check-in.

Please call the Residence Life Office at 878-3000 with questions or for assistance.

The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations (GOER) has notified United University Professions (UUP) that the state is delaying across-the-board (ATB) increases until September 30, subject to further review at that time. Please note the following:

• The 2019 salary schedules (PDF, 1.4 MB) will remain in effect until the raises are paid. 
• Adjunct (part-time) faculty and other employees who are rehired in the fall will be rehired without the 2 percent ATB increases in their salaries. 
• Salary minimums for adjuncts outlined in the agreement for 2020 will not be implemented until the ATB raises are paid; i.e., 3-credit-hour course @ $2,500 remains in effect.
• The eligibility for increases remains the same and is outlined in the UUP agreement.
• When determining any promotional increases, please be aware that retroactive increases will affect the amount of a promotional increase that is processed.
• When hiring employees from other SUNY campuses, please be aware that increases will be processed across campuses as long as the employee meets the eligibility criteria outlined in the UUP agreement.

Please contact Al Galone, payroll manager, or Lydia Kawaler, personnel operations manager, with questions.

Please join us for the webinar "Community-Engaged Learning in Remote and Online Environments: Planning for Fall 2020" on Wednesday, August 19, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. 

Community-engaged learning can be successful in remote, online, or in-person classes and can help students learn academic concepts through experiential learning. Community-engaged learning leads to increased student engagement, success, retention, and graduation. Now more than ever, community-engaged learning can also help to fill critical gaps in supports that community organizations are experiencing. 

In this session, participants will explore opportunities to connect academic content to community priority through remote and online learning and come away with strategies and project ideas, as well as learn from successful course experiences this past semester. 

Facilitated by Laura Hill Rao, director of civic and community engagement; Meghan Pereira, director of instructional design and taining; Joy Guarino, service learning faculty coordinator and professor of theater; and Drew Hemler, lecturer in the Health, Nutrition, and Dietetics Department.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

From the Co-chairs of the School of Arts and Sciences Task Force
The School of Arts and Sciences Task Force, which has been charged with creating an infrastructure for this important new school, has made significant progress this summer. So far, the 13-member task force has crafted mission, vision, and values statements for the school and a job description for the new dean. We recently sent those pieces to Buffalo State College Provost James Mayrose for his approval.

We started this process in mid-May and since then, task force members have faithfully shown up for 24 full committee and subcommittee meetings, full of great ideas, and just as importantly, a willingness to listen and engage in thoughtful discussions with one another.

The group is continuing to meet and is now focusing on the promotion and tenure process and the creation of bylaws, departments, and programs for the new school that will officially be established in fall 2021.

When these new deliverables are completed, ideally by the beginning of September, we will send them to Provost Mayrose who will review them with President Katherine Conway-Turner. Afterward, faculty and staff members will have the chance to read the report and make comments.

We’re grateful that we’ve had this summer to delve into creating the language that reflects this new school—one filled with academic rigor, artistic expression, and service to the community and the world at large, which supports the mission of Buffalo State.

We are confident that the new School of Arts and Sciences will combine the top talents of faculty and staff in the schools of Arts and Humanities and Natural and Social Sciences and align its initiatives with tenets of the institution’s mission, with an eye toward the future of those disciplines and of Buffalo State.

Carol DeNysschen, Chair and Professor
Health, Nutrition, and Dietetics

Mark Warford, Chair and Associate Professor
Modern and Classical Languages

The vice president for student affairs is conducting an internal search to fill the position of administrative assistant 2, which serves as the vice president’s administrative assistant. This is a noncompetitive civil service position for which no civil service exam is required. Applications will be accepted until the close of business Thursday, August 20. Please refer to the vacancy announcement on the Human Resource Management website for details.

Keep your financial goals on track with TIAA live webinars. Reserve your spot today at TIAA.org/webinars.

Tuesday, August 11
Noon – Social Security for Married Couples
3:00 p.m. – 2020 Investment Outlook: Post Coronavirus Recovery

Wednesday, August 12
Noon – Money at Work 2: Sharpening Investment Skills
3:00 p.m. – Retiring in the New Normal

Thursday, August 13
Noon – Financial Housekeeping for Now and Later
3:00 p.m. – Woman 2 Woman: Postcards from the Future

The campus community is invited to attend the New York State EAP webinar “Follow-Up to Solutions to Managing Stress: Be Here Now” on Friday, August 21, from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Being mindful and being here now is simple to say but difficult to do, especially when you are dealing with stressful situations at work and at home. During this seminar, Linda Carignan-Everts, NYS EAP wellness coordinator, will share simple exercises to be mindful and to discuss the importance of awareness, gratitude, and acknowledgment.

Join us!
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To join the training session
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1. Visit the NY State Webex training website.
2. Enter your name and e-mail address.
3. Enter the session password: WellNYS2020
4. Click "Join Now."
5. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
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To join the session by phone only
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To receive a call back, provide your phone number when you join the training session, or call the number below and enter the access code.
Phone: (518) 549-0500
Access code: 161 460 3718

The Counseling Center is currently offering mental health services via telehealth, telephone, or video appointments. Counseling Center summer hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fall semester hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Students seeking mental health counseling can call (716) 878-4436 to request an appointment for an initial phone screening. Students are eligible for telehealth services if they reside in New York State. 

For consultations or recommendations related to student mental health concerns, faculty, staff, or students can call (716) 878-4436 during regular business hours and request a call back from the urgent care counselor. If you feel that a student is in imminent danger of hurting themselves or others, please call 911. If a student is located on campus, please call the University Police Department at (716) 878-6333.

24-Hour Emergency Resources
If a student is located in Erie County: Crisis Services (716) 834-3131

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255

SUNY 24-hour Crisis Text Line: Text GOT5 to 741-741
To request of counselor of color: Text STEVE to 741-741

LGBTQ+Trevor Lifeline (866) 488-7386
Trevor Chat: Text START to 678678
Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860

New York State fire code requirements, including the need for a specific number of fire drills, remain in effect during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Fire drills will be conducted across the Buffalo State College campus during the week of August 10.

Please take steps to evacuate safely. When the fire alarm sounds in your building, please observe the following procedures:

• Evacuate immediately. Wear your mask or face covering and take your building entry keys or electronic access card.
• Maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet from other occupants of your building who are also evacuating. Please do not rush or crowd together with co-workers.
• Once outside, remain at least 6 feet from other building occupants who have also evacuated. This may require moving to a new evacuation point.
• Remain outdoors until a staff member from Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) or Facilities signals that you may reenter the building.

Please know that EH&S will make every effort to conduct these drills as safely and efficiently as possible. Thank you for your cooperation.

SUNY is providing guidance for community-based experiences during the COVID-19 crisis, strongly recommending that remote projects and experiences be developed for all fall 2020 courses that incorporate experiences that normally take students into the community. There are many opportunities for remote projects and experiences that can be mutually beneficial while considering the health and safety of our students and vulnerable community members, including resource development, remote delivery, and research-based activities. We encourage you to transition these experiences to remote activities rather than cancel your community partnerships.

If students continue to be placed in the community, a faculty checklist has been developed to ensure a number of requirements are followed to safeguard the health and safety of students and community members during in-person, on-site experiences (not for remote experiences).

Please review the resources and join the applied learning team and Civic and Community Engagement Office on Monday, August 17, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. to review the requirements for in-person community-based experiences during COVID-19. RSVP to this meeting, and you will be sent a link to join remotely.