Nominations for Distinguished Professorships, Chancellor's and President's Awards
I encourage the Buffalo State community to nominate deserving colleagues for Chancellor's, President's, and Distinguished Teaching and Service awards. A schedule for the receipt of nomination packages follows. Guidelines are available on the Academic Affairs Web site, www.buffalostate.edu/academicaffairs, or may be obtained from the Academic and Student Affairs Office, Cleveland Hall 519, ext. 5550.
Nominations with supporting materials for the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching; Research, Scholarship, and Creativity; Librarianship; Academic Advisement; Service to the College; or the Advancement of Equity and Campus Diversity must be submitted to the provost by the following dates (the first Monday in March each year):
March 6, 2006 (academic year 2005–2006)
March 5, 2007 (academic year 2006–2007)
March 3, 2008 (academic year 2007–2008)
Nominations with supporting materials for the Distinguished Teaching Professor or Distinguished Service Professor award, or for the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, Professional Service, Librarianship, Scholarship and Creative Activities, or Faculty Service must be submitted to the provost, Cleveland Hall 519, by the following dates (the third Monday in October each year).
October 16, 2006 (academic year 2006–2007)
October 15, 2007 (academic year 2007–2008)
October 20, 2008 (academic year 2008–2009)
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Faculty/Staff Computer Funding
The provost and the vice president for finance and management have identified funding for a faculty and staff computer purchase/replacement program. This funding applies to all full-time faculty and staff.
New faculty and staff are eligible to receive one computer (laptop or desktop) and a desktop printer. These requests are processed as soon as they are received in Computing and Technology Services. Continuing faculty and staff will be part of a four- to five-year replacement cycle based on the age of their newest machine.
The replacements will be completed in groups—fall and spring. This allows us to get the best pricing (in bulk) and, therefore, get the most for our money. Equipment will be selected for replacement based on its age—the oldest machines will be replaced first. Computing and Technology Services will work directly with the deans and directors to determine the final replacement lists each fall and spring.
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EAP Workshop for Military Families
The Buffalo State Employee Assistance Program will host a free seminar for military personnel, families, and friends on Thursday, February 23, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 418.
Military families face significant stressors. Soldiers are often sent to distant, dangerous locations for extended stays. Their return, although a joyous occasion, also requires a period of adjustment as roles and routines are reestablished. During this time, soldiers and their families may experience a range of emotions, from happiness and relief to tension and frustration.
Many more soldiers are returning with severe injuries. The survival rate among injured U.S. soldiers is about four times as high as in WWII. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that many soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan exhibit symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety, but fewer than half seek help. Another report showed the divorce rate among active-duty Army officers tripled between 2002 and 2004. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for veterans ages 20 to 24 is more than 15 percent—nearly twice the rate of their non-veteran peers (U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs).
Three local experts on veterans' issues—Houston Crum, readjustment counselor, Buffalo Vet Center; Roxanne Kryszak, Military Family Assistance Center; and Tracy Kinn, state veterans counselor, NYS Division of Veterans' Affairs—will address a wide range of issues affecting military families today. If you or your loved one is a veteran or is in the active or reserve military, this seminar is for you. Please contact Nancy Paschke at paschknb@buffalostate.edu or ext. 4237 to register.
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University Policy on Fees, Charges, and Deposits
University policy prohibits the assessment of general science fees, laboratory fees, and fees for course materials, i.e., texts and/or supplies. These fees are prohibited, as university tuition guarantees students access to the facilities and supplies considered necessary for their courses. However, campuses may establish deposits in science courses requiring laboratory work as collateral against which replacement costs for damage may be assessed.
University policy also requires that students purchase supplies and materials necessary for credit-bearing courses at the campus store or other appropriate commercial outlet. When this is not feasible in terms of efficiency, cost containment, or method of distribution, a request may be submitted to establish a course-related fee if students will retain the end product of the laboratory course work, e.g., sculpture/ceramics, photography.
Please review your department fee schedule for compliance with university fee policy. Fees not in accordance with the above directives should be discontinued.
Contact Gary Phillips, associate vice president and comptroller, at ext. 4312 with questions concerning this policy.
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College Policy on the Use of Electronic Resources
Introduction
Buffalo State electronic resources (including such services as e-mail, Internet access, and file and print services) are made available to employees to facilitate the official work of the college. These electronic resources are provided for employees and persons legitimately affiliated with the college for the efficient exchange of information and the completion of assigned responsibilities consistent with the mission of the college.
The use of campus electronic resources by any employee or other person authorized by the college must be consistent with this electronic resources policy and other applicable policies.
Principles of Acceptable Use
Buffalo State users of campus electronic resources are required:
- To respect the privacy of other users: for example, users shall not intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files or data belonging to other users unless explicit permission to do so has been obtained.
- To respect the legal protection provided to programs and data by copyright and license.
- To protect data from unauthorized use or disclosure as required by state and federal laws, and SUNY and college regulations.
- To respect the integrity of computing systems: for example, users shall not use or develop programs that harass other users or infiltrate a computer or computing system or damage or alter the software components of a computer or computing system.
- To safeguard their accounts and passwords. Accounts and passwords are normally assigned to single users and are not to be shared with any other person without authorization. Users are expected to report any observations of attempted security violations.
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Unacceptable Use
It is not acceptable to use Buffalo State electronic resources:
- For activities unrelated to the college mission.
- For activities unrelated to official assignments or job responsibilities.
- For any illegal purpose.
- To transmit threatening, obscene, or harassing materials or correspondence.
- For unauthorized distribution of NYS data and information.
- To interfere with or disrupt network users, services, or equipment.
- For private purposes such as marketing or business transactions.
- For solicitation of religious or political causes.
- For unauthorized not-for-profit business activities.
- For private advertising of products or services.
- For any activity meant to foster personal gain.
E-mail Privacy and Access
E-mail messages are not personal or private. E-mail system administrators will not routinely monitor individual staff members' e-mail and will take reasonable precautions to protect the privacy of e-mail; however, program managers and technical staff may access an employee's e-mail:
- For a legitimate business purpose (e.g., the need to access information when an employee is absent for an extended period of time).
- To diagnose and resolve technical problems involving system hardware, software, or communications.
- To investigate possible misuse of e-mail when a reasonable suspicion of abuse exists, or in conjunction with an approved investigation.
Staff members are prohibited from accessing another user's e-mail without his or her permission.
E-mail messages sent or received in conjunction with college business may:
- Be releasable to the public under the Freedom of Information Law.
- Require special measures to comply with the Personal Privacy Protection Law.
All e-mail messages including personal communications may be subject to discovery proceedings in legal actions.
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Management and Retention of E-mail Communications
Applicable to all e-mail messages and attachments:
Since e-mail is a communication system, messages should not be retained for extended periods of time. If a user needs to retain information in an e-mail message for an extended period, the message should be transferred from the e-mail system to an appropriate electronic or other filing system.
Applicable to records communicated via e-mail:
E-mail created in the normal course of official business and retained as evidence of official policies, actions, decisions, or transactions are records subject to records management requirements under the New York State Arts and Cultural Affairs Law (Article 57-A) and specific program requirements.
The college has developed electronic letterhead to be used for the electronic distribution of official college documents (records). The letterhead is available at http://www.buffalostate.edu/collegerelations/x861.xml and should be used in Word or e-mail documents that are to be distributed in electronic format only. Questions regarding electronic letterhead usage should be directed to the College Relations Office: Cleveland Hall 307, ext. 4201, or collrel@buffalostate.edu.
Examples of messages sent by e-mail that typically are records include:
- Policies and directives.
- Correspondence or memoranda related to official business.
- Work schedules and assignments.
- Agendas and minutes of meetings.
- Drafts of documents that are circulated for comment or approval.
- Any document that initiates, authorizes, or completes a business transaction.
- Final reports or recommendations.
Some examples of messages that typically do not constitute records are:
- Personal messages and announcements.
- Copies or extracts of documents distributed for convenience or reference.
- Phone message slips.
- Announcements of social events.
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Record Retention
Records communicated using e-mail need to be identified, managed, protected, and retained as long as they are needed to meet operational, legal, audit, research, or other requirements. Records needed to support program functions should be retained, managed, and accessible in existing filing system outside the e-mail system in accordance with the appropriate program unit's standard practices.
Users should:
- Dispose of copies of records in e-mail after they have been filed in a record-keeping system.
- Delete records of transitory or little value that are not normally retained in record-keeping systems as evidence of college activity.
Agency Rights
Pursuant to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (18 USC 2510 et seq.), notice is hereby given that there are NO facilities provided by this system for sending or receiving private or confidential electronic communications.
The college reserves the right to log network use and monitor file server space utilization by users and assumes no responsibility or liability for files lost due to violation of file server space allotments.
The college reserves the right to remove a user account or device from the network.
The college will not be responsible for any damages that result from the use of campus electronic resources. This includes the loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by negligence, errors, or omissions. Use of any information obtained is at the user's risk.
Enforcement and Violations
This policy is intended to be illustrative of the range of acceptable and unacceptable uses of the electronic facilities and is not necessarily exhaustive. Questions about specific uses related to security issues not enumerated in this policy statement and reports of specific unacceptable uses should be directed to the associate vice president for computing and technology services. Other questions about appropriate use should be directed to your supervisor.
The college will review alleged violations of the Policy on the Use of Electronic Resources on a case-by-case basis. Clear violations of the policy that are not promptly remedied may result in termination of network access for the person(s) at fault and referral for disciplinary actions as appropriate.
Policy date: September 2002
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Policy on Alcohol and Drug Use in the Workplace
In compliance with the Federal Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989, employees of Buffalo State College should be aware of and must adhere to the policy stated below:
- The unlawful use, possession, manufacture, dispensation, or distribution of controlled substances in all Buffalo State College work locations is prohibited. The term "controlled substance" means a controlled substance in Schedules I through V of Section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21USC812).
- Employees who unlawfully manufacture, distribute, dispense, possess, or use a controlled substance will be subject to disciplinary procedures consistent with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and collective bargaining agreements.
- Employees must notify the Human Resource Management Office of any criminal conviction for a drug-statute violation occurring in the workplace or at a work site no later than five working days after such conviction. An employee so convicted will be required to satisfactorily participate in a state-approved drug-abuse assistance or rehabilitation program as a condition of continuing employment.
- No employee will report for work or will work impaired by any substance, drug or alcohol, lawful or unlawful. "Impaired" means under the influence of a substance such that the employee's motor senses (i.e., sight, hearing, balance, reaction, or reflex) or judgment either are or may be reasonably presumed to be affected.
- Medical testing may be done if the college has a reasonable suspicion that an employee is unable to perform job duties due to the misuse of alcohol, controlled substances, or prescription drugs.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available on campus for employees who wish to seek assistance in dealing with drug- or alcohol-related problems as well as a variety of other concerns. Information on current EAP coordinators can be found at www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/eap.asp.
Questions regarding the Policy on Alcohol and Drug Use in the Workplace should be referred to Emmanuel J. Hillery, employee relations manager, at ext. 4822.
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Defensive Driving Classes
The Buffalo State Alumni Association has teamed up with our affinity partner, Liberty Mutual, to offer the campus community a great opportunity! Save money on your auto insurance by taking a Defensive Driving Class offered through Liberty Mutual Insurance Group's local representative Kevin M. Lorigo. The class is open to alumni, faculty, staff, and students. Friends and relatives are also welcome if accompanied by a graduate, employee, or student.
The class is $19 and will be offered on Saturday, February 25, and Saturday, April 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 219. To register, contact Kevin M. Lorigo at (716) 689-0700, ext. 203; (716) 480-4012; or kevin.lorigo@libertymutual.com. You may also contact Kevin's associate Jill Green at (716) 689-0700, ext. 218, or jill.green@libertymutual.com. Space is limited, so call today to reserve your seat.
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Spring Open House
Buffalo State's spring 2006 Open House will be held on Saturday, April 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The opening session will be held in Rockwell Hall. Academic departments will be showcasing their faculty's accomplishments in various buildings across campus, and there will be a number of special presentations. Campus tours will also be occurring throughout the event.
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Curricular Proposal Deadline
Curricular proposals should reach the College Senate Office, Cleveland Hall 211, by Friday, March 10, to allow sufficient time for spring semester processing. Proposals received after that date are not guaranteed action before the end of the semester.
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Curricular Items
The following has been received in the College Senate Office and forwarded to the Senate Curriculum Committee for review and approval:
Intellectual Foundations Courses
Revised Course:
GEG/GES 241 Meteorology (Natural Science). An introduction to weather, including the makeup of the atmosphere, seasonality, heat and radiation balance, temperature, humidity and precipitation, atmospheric motion, atmospheric pressure and wind, air masses and fronts, severe weather, meteorological instrumentation, local weather, climate controls, and synoptic forecasting. Includes laboratory modules. Emphasis on the relationship between weather systems, technology, and humans.
Intellectual Foundations Designations:
HPR 319 Sociology of Sport (Diversity)
REL 105 Introduction to Christian Thought (Western Civilization)
REL 206 Introduction to the New Testament (Humanities)
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