College Council Meeting
The next meeting of the Buffalo State College Council will be held on Tuesday,
December 5, at 4:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 518.
Agenda
- Call to Order
- Action Items
Approval of Minutes: September 19, 2006
- Council Chair's Report
- President's Report
- Committee Reports
- Announcements
- Adjournment
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Call for Nominations: Undergraduate Student Awards
President's Medal for Outstanding Undergraduate Student
An outstanding senior will be honored with the President's Medal at this year's Commencement ceremony. The President's Medal is the highest honor awarded to an undergraduate student by Buffalo State College. This award is given to a student who, through use of his or her natural talents and acquired skills, has demonstrated a commitment toward meeting the goals of higher education as set forth in the college's mission statement. A grade point average of at least 3.5 is required for consideration for this award. The recipient will deliver the student address at Commencement. Only undergraduates graduating December 2006, May 2007, or August 2007 will be considered.
SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence
The Chancellor's Award is the highest honor bestowed by SUNY upon a student. This award recognizes model students who have integrated academic excellence with achievement in areas such as athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, entrepreneurship, leadership, and career achievement. Although there is no prescribed grade point average for this award, it is assumed that recipients will have high academic achievement. Award recipients will be recognized at a spring ceremony in Albany and at Commencement. Only undergraduates graduating between August 2006 and May 2007 will be considered.
Nominations are being sought for both awards. Students must be nominated by a faculty or staff member. Candidates must be graduating seniors who have best demonstrated the qualities recognized by each award.
Selection criteria are the same for each award; however, to be considered for the President's Medal a grade point average of 3.5 or higher is required. A student may be nominated for either or both awards.
Selection Criteria for Both Awards
- Academic Achievement—Measured by grade point average, rank in class,
research, and other scholarly projects.
- Citizenship—College and community service measured by the quality of
extracurricular involvement.
- Leadership/Creativity—Potential for future achievement measured by the
student's record, recommendations, and a personal interview.
More information is available online at www.buffalostate.edu/studentlife/x575.xml#presidentsaward or from the Associate Vice President for Campus Life Office, Campbell Student Union 222. Nominations and supporting documentation must be forwarded to Timothy Ecklund, associate vice president for campus life, Campbell Student Union 222, by Friday January 19, 2007.
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Call for Nominations: Graduate Student Awards
President's Medal for Outstanding Graduate Student
The President's Medal is the highest honor awarded to a graduate student by Buffalo State College. Based on academic performance, scholarly and creative activities, and community service and leadership, this award will be bestowed at Commencement on Saturday, May 12, 2007. Students completing graduate programs in December 2006, May 2007, or August 2007 are eligible for nomination.
SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence
The SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence is the highest honor bestowed by SUNY upon a graduate student. This award recognizes those who have integrated academic excellence with achievement in areas such as athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, entrepreneurship, leadership, and career achievement. Award recipients will be honored at a spring ceremony in Albany, as well as at Commencement. Students completing graduate programs in June–August 2006, December 2006, or May 2007 are eligible for nomination.
Selection criteria are the same for each award. A student may be nominated for either or both awards.
Selection Criteria
- Academic performance—Demonstrated by grade point average, academic honors, standardized test scores, or letters of recommendation.
- Scholarly and creative activities—Demonstrated by graduate thesis or project, scholarly publications, performances, exhibits, or grantsmanship.
- Community/College service and leadership—Demonstrated by activities related to the student's academic discipline, service or leadership in professional organizations, or community-outreach activities related to the field of study. Documented local, state, national, or international recognition for excellence, e.g., recipient of major national scholarship/athletic awards and/or recognition by national and international associations and honor societies.
Students must be nominated by a graduate faculty member. Forms are available online and in the Graduate School, Cleveland Hall 204. Nominations and supporting materials must be submitted to Cleveland Hall 204 by Friday, January 19, 2007.
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Call for Nominations: Outstanding Master's Theses and Projects
The Graduate Advisory Council announces a call for nominations for awards for Outstanding Master's Thesis and Outstanding Master's Project. The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding student research and applied scholarship. Up to three thesis awards and three project awards will be made. Applications will be accepted for students who have graduated (or will graduate) in December 2005, May 2006, August 2006, or December 2006. Nominations may be made by students' thesis or project advisers, or students may self-nominate. Additional reviews are required from the department chair and one external evaluator.
Guidelines and forms are available on the Graduate School Web site at www.buffalostate.edu/graduatestudies/forms/index.asp?sub=forms. The deadline for submission of nominations and evaluation forms is Tuesday, January 23, 2007. Please direct questions to Richard Lee, interim dean of the Graduate School, at leerj@buffalostate.edu or ext. 5609.
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Critique and Evaluation Period
Critique and Evaluation Period (CEP) for fall 2006 will take place on Monday, December 11; Tuesday, December 12; Wednesday, December 13; and Thursday, December 14. A study day will be held on Friday, December 8.
CEP provides a single class meeting during which faculty and students have an extended period of uninterrupted time to conduct appropriate end-of-course activities. CEP is designed for classes that meet more than once a week during the semester. Classes (evening or day) that meet only once a week have sufficient time for final evaluation; therefore, they follow their regular schedules (exams to be scheduled during CEP).
The following regulations govern CEP:
- A study day will be held the weekday immediately prior to the start of CEP. Evening classes that meet only once a week will not have a study day.
- All instructors are expected to meet their classes at the scheduled time during CEP and to choose an appropriate activity that reflects the academic goals of the course and the intent of CEP (e.g., an exam, a review, critique of papers, course summation, or individual presentations or demonstrations).
- Instructors will not schedule a final exam prior to CEP. Instructors may not change the date or time of their final class periods during CEP. In case of emergencies, confer with the appropriate dean and notify University College.
- CEPs will be scheduled for one-hour-and-50-minute periods. Instructors are not to increase or decrease the scheduled CEP time.
- In case of an emergency that would close the school, CEPs scheduled for the time of the closing will be rescheduled as appropriate.
- Faculty members must post office hours during which they will be available to meet with students during CEP.
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Health Insurance Rates and Option Transfer Period
Health insurance rates for 2007 have been established and are listed below:
| HEALTH PLAN |
CSEA, UUP, M/C,
PEF, Council 82 |
NYSCOPBA |
| |
Individual |
Family |
Individual |
Family |
| Empire Plan |
$22.54 |
$92.54 |
$23.66 |
$96.80 |
| Community Blue |
$18.29 |
$127.35 |
$18.28 |
$121.40 |
| Independent Health |
$16.20 |
$84.24 |
$16.20 |
$84.24 |
| Univera |
$17.03 |
$106.84 |
17.03 |
$100.89 |
Employees who wish to change their health insurance plan for the coming year have until Friday, December 29. We encourage you to complete the option transfer forms as soon as possible. This will avoid retroactive premium adjustments and should allow you to receive new health plan identification cards closer to the coverage effective date, December 28, 2006.
"Choices," a summary of health insurance plans, is available in Cleveland Hall 410 or at www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/choices_07_brief.pdf. You may want to review this before you decide to change insurance carriers or to remain with your current carrier for your health insurance coverage in 2007.
For questions, option transfer forms, or to receive the "Choices" brochure, please contact Human Resource Management at ext. 4821 or kravitll@buffalostate.edu.
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Empire Plan Deductibles for 2007
Effective January 1, 2007, annual deductibles for M/C, UUP, PEF, NYSCOPBA, and Council 82 employees will increase to $335 per enrollee, $335 per enrolled spouse or domestic partner, and $335 for all dependent children combined. This change reflects the 4 percent increase in the medical care component of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006.
The annual deductible for CSEA employees will remain at $225.
Empire Plan Coinsurance
Effective January 1, 2007, the maximum coinsurance (out-of-pocket expenses) for the following employees will increase to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index:
| M/C, UUP, and PEF |
$1,610 |
| NYSCOPBA and Council 82 |
$1,241 |
| CSEA |
$900 |
Coinsurance will be reduced to $500 for calendar year 2007 for CSEA employees in (or equated to) salary grade 6 or below as of as of January 1, 2007.
Note: There is no deductible or coinsurance when employees use the Empire Plan Participating Provider Network.
Please call Human Resource Management at ext. 4821 with questions.
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College Will Be Open Last Week of December
As previously announced in March of this year, Winter Pause will be discontinued in 2006.
A review of our 2005–2006 Winter Pause experience revealed the following:
- Although it is a relatively quiet time, there is a need to maintain services for students, prospective students, and the college community.
- An increasing number of employees are choosing to work during Winter Pause, and most buildings must, therefore, remain open.
- We are not achieving any real savings in energy costs, which was the reason Winter Pause was instituted.
Individual employees may, of course, request vacation and personal leave, and supervisors and department heads may approve requests as long as there is adequate staffing to allow the department to remain open and provide services. Deans and other unit heads will establish plans for provision of service during the period. Supervisors are encouraged to be as flexible as possible in granting leave requests during the holiday week.
The college will be closed on the Christmas holiday, Monday, December 25, 2006, and the New Year's holiday, Monday, January 1, 2007. Departments may remain closed on Tuesday, December 26, 2006, if employees wish to use vacation time on that day.
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Emergency College Closings
Preface
This serves as a notice to new employees and a reminder to others of the procedures to follow during snow emergencies and other extraordinary circumstances. Offices and
other facilities operated by the state may be closed only by order of the governor; however, the college president or her designee is authorized to cancel classes and recommend that all but essential service* employees not report to work.
Policy and Procedures
The president has delegated the authority to cancel classes and services to the vice president for finance and management. University Police is responsible for monitoring all relevant weather conditions and reporting to the vice president for finance and management.
If the decision to close the college and cancel classes is made before the start of the workday, the vice president for finance and management will inform University Police. If the decision to close is made once classes are in session, the vice president for finance and management will consult with the vice president for academic affairs and notify
University Police of the decision. University Police will notify the following broadcast stations in either case:
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| AM Radio |
FM Radio |
Television |
| WBEN-AM 930 |
WBFO-FM 88.7 |
WGRZ-TV 2 |
| WNED-AM 970 |
WBNY-FM 91.3 (campus) |
WIVB-TV 4 |
| WECK-AM 1230 |
WBUF-FM 92.9 |
WKBW-TV 7 |
| WHLD-AM 1270 |
WBLK-FM 93.7 |
|
| WLVL-AM 1340 |
WNED-FM 94.5 |
|
| WJJL-AM 1440 |
WJYE-FM 96.1 |
|
WWKB-AM 1520 |
WGRF-FM 96.9 (97 Rock) |
|
| |
WKSE-FM 98.5 |
|
| |
STAR-FM 102.5 |
|
| |
WEDG-FM 103.3 |
|
| |
WHTT-FM 104.1 |
|
| |
WYRK-FM 106.5 |
|
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University Police also will inform the following:
- All vice presidents' offices.
- The college switchboard operator, ext. 4000.
- The Campbell Student Union Information Desk, ext. 6511.
- The Residence Life director, ext. 3000.
- United Students Government Office, ext. 6701.
An early decision to close the college and cancel classes will be relayed to the stations listed above by about 6:00 a.m. For information concerning cancellation of classes, please check the main page of the Buffalo State Web site, www.buffalostate.edu, or call the school closing information number, 878-5000. Please do not call any other number for this information.
Attendance Policy under Emergency Conditions
If classes and services are canceled before the workday begins, employees designated essential service* are required to report. All other employees are excused under emergency conditions but must charge the absence to appropriate leave accruals. Employees who elect to come to work may do so; however, the college cannot guarantee
that they will be able to work at their usual locations or perform their normal duties. (See instructions below for employees who choose to report for work under emergency conditions.)
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Should the closure occur during the workday, the vice president for finance and management will convey the decision to the other vice presidents, who will ensure that the announcement is communicated throughout their respective areas. Again,
essential service* employees are required to remain on the job or report to work as scheduled in this instance. Following official closure, employees may leave their work sites and charge the remainder of their workday to appropriate leave accruals or continue working until their regular departure time.
Absences that result from the cancellation of classes and services must be charged to appropriate leave accruals as described below.
- Vacation, personal, compensatory, or holiday leave.
- Sick leave, but only in the event of personal or family illness.
- Leave without pay. (A written request must be submitted to the Human Resource Management Office no later than the end of the pay period in which the attendance record is due.)
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*Essential services are those that must be maintained to ensure the well-being and protection of those who reside on campus, as well as the maintenance and security of college property. The following functions are considered essential services. Employees
assigned to these areas are required to report to work under emergency conditions:
- The law enforcement division of University Police.
- Campus Services and Facilities operations (all employees).
- Student health services (designated staff only).
- Residence Life (designated staff only).
- The dean of students.
- Staff responsible for the care and feeding of animals and maintenance of greenhouse
facilities.
All employees who are designated essential service will be notified in writing by their department heads.
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Directed Absences
Any employee who has reported to work and because of extraordinary circumstances beyond the employee's control (i.e., extremely hazardous conditions or physical plant breakdown) is directed by the college president or her designee to leave work shall not be required to charge this absence to leave accruals. Any such release of employees shall
not create any right to equivalent time off to employees who are not directed to leave work. Supervisors, regardless of their good intentions, may not direct such absences.
Instructions for Nonessential Service Employees Who Elect to Report for Work under Emergency Conditions
Note: Parking may be severely restricted during periods of temporary emergency. Employees who report to work under these conditions must park in the Grant Street lot so that other lots may be cleared of snow.
- Employees must report to University Police, Chase Hall 110, to sign the Attendance Record/Emergency Conditions sheet. Employees also must sign the sheet before leaving campus.
- Employees report to regular work locations and perform regular duties, even if their supervisor is absent.
- If the employee's regular work location is not accessible, the employee must report to the director of Campus Services and Facilities, Clinton Center, ext. 6111, or the director of Residence Life, Porter Hall, ext. 3000, for assignment.
Revised November 16, 2006
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College Senate Meeting
The next meeting of the College Senate will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, December 8, in E. H. Butler Library 210. Interested faculty and staff are invited to attend. Please note the time change, exclusive to this meeting.
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Curricular Items
The following have been approved by the College Senate Curriculum Committee and forwarded to the president for review and approval:
New Courses:
CIS 413 Multimedia Web Programming
CIS 473 Enterprise Systems Design and Administration
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The following have been received in the College Senate Office and forwarded to the Senate Curriculum Committee for review and approval:
New Course:
ENG 380 The History of the Printed Book. Analysis of the printed book as a physical, historical, social, and literary object. Course requires original bibliographical research.
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Intellectual Foundations Designations and New Courses:
HUMANITIES
ENG 160 Introduction to Literature and Film. An analysis of filmic treatments of literary texts. Film as the creative and critical interpretation of fiction or drama; how such films respond to aesthetic, cultural, technological, political, and ideological influences, both in the source text and in the contemporary moment.
ENG 212 Survey of British Literature III. An overview of important movements in British literature from the late Victorian period through contemporary literature, such as Fabianism, Modernism, Marxism, Aestheticism, The Movement and the Angry Young Men, postmodernism, post-Empire writing, Black British writing, and women's and queer literature.
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Intellectual Foundations Designations and Course Revisions:
HUMANITIES
ENG 241 African American Literature since 1940. Realism, naturalism, modernism, and postmodernism in African American literature; black revolutionary thought and artistry in the 1960s and 1970s; neo-slave narratives; African American poetry, fiction, essays, and drama from 1940 to the present; influence of spirituals, gospel, the blues, jazz, sermons, and folktales on contemporary African American writing.
ENG 255 The Short Story. Survey of influential short fiction produced around the world since the nineteenth century. Examines the various literary techniques involved in the craft of short fiction.
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