Graduate Student Association

The Class of 2026 Graduating Class Campaign is here, and you’re invited to be part of it. This year, members of graduating class who make a gift of $20.26 — in honor of your class year — will receive a special green honor cord to wear at Commencement. The cord symbolizes your commitment to supporting future Bulls. Your gift supports a variety of initiatives, including the UB Fund, which offers emergency assistance to students experiencing unexpected financial hardships. It also helps fund scholarships and expand experiential learning opportunities. In total, there are over 240 social and environmental justice funds available across campus, allowing you to direct your gift toward a cause that is most important to you.

If you’re looking to get more involved, you can also become a UB Ambassador. Ambassadors help promote the campaign and support events while gaining valuable leadership and nonprofit engagement experience. Participation can count toward volunteer hours, strengthen your résumé, and provide an opportunity to request a letter of recommendation. Graduating Ambassadors will also receive a green honor cord.

There are several ways to volunteer. Students can help table at the Graduation Expo at the University Bookstore on North Campus from April 14–16 between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., choosing time slots that fit their schedule. Additional opportunities include helping at Alumni Grad Cap Decorating events on April 21, April 30, or May 4, signing alumni thank-you cards for approximately two hours per week, or participating in a focus group to help form a new Student Council launching in Fall 2026 for those interested in longer-term involvement. More information is available at https://crowdfunding.buffalo.edu/project/49319.

Let’s come together and show what the Class of 2026 stands for. If you have questions or would like to sign up, please reach out to Stella Chan, Student Assistant in the Office of Annual Giving, at uadv.yuncheec@ubitmail.buffalo.edu, or Suzanne Crean, Assistant Director of Special Constituencies, at smb8@buffalo.edu. We look forward to working with you to inspire the Class of 2026 and strengthen the UB community 💚🎓.

The UB Step Challenge returns April 1–30, 2026, inviting participants to:

• Track their steps throughout April
• Join individually or form teams
• Stay active in a fun, flexible way while working toward prizes

Registration opens March 2, and we would be grateful if you could share the challenge with any groups, members, or networks who may be interested.

More details are available on our website:
👉 UB Step Challenge: https://publichealth.buffalo.edu/home/news-events/step-challenge.html

Participants can register either through the website or by scanning the QR code on the poster below.

Check out some of the great events GSA has to offer this month!

Provided by your mandatory student activity fee.

On-campus SNAP application support dates start in February:

 Wednesday, February 4th 10am to 2pm

Thursday, February 12th 10am to 2pm

Thursday, February 19th 10am to 2pm

To apply, students must have resided in the U.S. at least five years and be a green card holder or be a U.S. citizen. Students on F-1 or J-1 visas are not eligible. Students receiving more than 10.5 meals/week on the meal plan are not eligible per federal rules.

Most students may be eligible via the work requirement: either completing any number of hours in the Federal Work Study program OR are employed at least 20 hours/week (on average) in other employment.

To Schedule, students make an appointment in Navigate (see attached).

Appointments are 20 minutes, from 10am to 12pm and 12:30pm to 2pm

Students are to bring copies of documents to the appointment (see attached)

Location: 114 Student Union, Health Promotion

UB SNAP Flyer

Dear UB Graduate Students,

As many of you know, current events in Iran have reached a boiling point, with the country contending with a nationwide communications shutdown (including internet, mobile, and landline services), protestors across the country facing attacks, and people unable to get in touch with loved ones. We understand that many of our current UB students are feeling anxious and uncertain, and many potential students in Iran are unable to meet various deadlines for things like interviews and language tests due to the blackout. Additionally, federal policies have put international students writ large, including those from Iran, in a more difficult position than they might typically already be in. We stand with our international students as they’re forced to navigate not only the everyday challenges inherent in academic pursuits, but also the stress of working during violent conflicts abroad compounded by domestic policy changes that may impact their ability to work and study at UB.

As we usher in a new semester, we would like to remind everyone that you pay for resources, and you have the right to voice your experiences and make requests of those offices. You also have the right to reach out to government representatives at all levels to make your voices heard on federal policies that are impacting students throughout the state, the country, and around the world. Please do not take that for granted. Additionally, the GSA has an international student committee and we invite students to contact us if they are interested in getting their concerns elevated to upper administrative bodies on campus.

Please reach out to anyone in the Graduate Student Association if you have any questions or concerns and we will do our best to respond to those concerns, or direct you to the right resource.

Sincerely,

The GSA Executive Committee

Sarah MacDougall, President – gsa-president@buffalo.edu
Sevda Mirkoohi, Vice-Presidet – gsa-vicepresident@buffalo.edu
Isaac Kolding, Treasurer – gsa-treasurer@buffalo.edu

As the semester comes to a close, we at GSA want to wish you all a happy winter season and a restful break!

During the course of the semester, we have been trying, with limited success, to schedule a series of workshops for anyone who wishes to have more information about their rights when dealing with law enforcement. While we are continuing to try and set this up for spring semester, we wanted to provide some resources for all to have on hand over break. The New York State Office for New Americans offers information and assistance on topics such as health, employment, nutrition assistance, and more. Additionally, they link to the New York Immigration Coalition, which offers a variety of tools and information on federal regulations, Canadian border crossing, family preparedness, and knowing your rights. Please peruse these resources if you have any questions about whether travel over break is right for you, or if you have any general questions about these topics.

• New York Immigration Coalition
• New York State Office for New Americans

Have a healthy and safe winter break!

The GSA is currently exploring options for placing first aid kits in accessible locations around campus. To help us address your needs, we’ve created a short, anonymous survey (no more than 5 minutes) for students to let us know whether they have convenient access to a first aid kit, whether they would like their club to have one, if they have any experiences seeking basic first aid on campus, and if they’d like to be kept up to date on these efforts. Please fill out the survey here.

Humanities and Social Sciences Grad Students—submit your papers to the Annual Milton Plesur Graduate Conference, a symposium hosted by UB’s History GSA, by January 21! Submitted papers or presentations should be relevant to the conference theme of “Breaking the Silos,” focusing on interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences work that considers the problems of the past, present, and future. Everyone encouraged to submit, regardless of whether you consider yourself an interdisciplinary scholar or not! Email ajm223@buffalo.edu with any questions. For a full call for papers and to submit a proposal, visit this link.

The GSA is currently hiring an Hourly Associate Editor to serve through the end of the current fiscal year (July 31, 2026).  The full description of the position is attached here.  If you are interested in this posting, please email the required materials listed to the GSA Vice President, Sevda Abdavinejad Mirkoohi, at gsa-vicepresident@buffalo.edu by Monday, January 26^th in order to be considered.  Applicants must be currently enrolled graduate students who have paid their mandatory student activity fee and must be able to serve for the full term of the position.