Author: slfrank

You may be aware that the Graduate School has been working with Student Life on the idea of dedicated space on North and South Campus for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. The space would house services specifically for graduate students (for example, counseling, writing support, professional development and career services) and would also include spaces for studying, networking, and other like activities.

The Graduate School is looking for 2 students who would be interested in serving on an exploratory committee for this purpose.  The committee will further develop the concept, develop a high level design, and sketch resources needed to construct and maintain a space.

Any interested students should contact the GSA President, J Coley, in order to be nominated.

Register at: library.buffalo.edu/workshops

Additional Information at: buffalo.edu/edc/current_events.html

Offered as a collaborative event sponsored by the UB Educational Design Collaborative (UB EDC), UB Libraries, UB Information Technology (UBIT), the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI), and various UB Schools and units.

GSA would like to welcome Diane Staly to the GSA Team!  Diane was recently hired as the GSA’s new Associate Director of Operations and will be working to assist students and clubs with all of their needs.  Diane spent many years working at Sub Board I, Inc. before moving over to FSA in order to assist with the UB student governments’ transition to the new fiscal agent in 2019.  We hope you all will join us in offering her a very warm welcome!

Please note that the GSA will be closed from Friday, June 25th until Tuesday, July 6th.

Please read the full story here:

http://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2021/06/fee-support-phd-students.html

Dear UB Community Member,

In celebration of Juneteenth, the Office of Inclusive Excellence is offering free tickets for UB students, faculty, and staff to visit either the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor or the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center anytime during the month of June 2021. These two institutions explore the history of Black leadership, resistance and resilience in Buffalo and Western New York. Both can be visited in person, and Michigan Street also offers a virtual tour option.

If you would like tickets, please email vpix@buffalo.edu, and remember to specify: (1) which site you will visit; and (2) the number of tickets requested (limit of two tickets per person).

In addition, many local organizations will be holding Juneteenth celebrations on June 19. The Juneteenth Festival will hold a virtual parade. The Michigan Street Baptist Church and the Nash House will be open and free. The FreeTHEM Walk will hold several events. Please consult their websites for details.

Please note that as of Monday, May 10th GSA will be on summer hours:

Monday – Thursday 8:30am – 4:00pm, closed on Friday (closed for lunch daily 1:00 – 2:00pm)

Regular business hours will resume with the start of the Fall semester on Monday, August 30th.

SUNY is looking for recommendations for students to serve on the Student Voices Action Committee for this coming academic year. It is a one-year commitment, with virtual meetings throughout the year. I’ve attached a press release from last year, for your information.

Students will participate in meetings with peers representing every sector of SUNY, from diverse backgrounds and fields of study. They come together to discuss emerging and critical issues facing students. Over the last year, they’ve informed numerous initiatives that have resulted in action – from mental health to food insecurity – directly benefiting students.

If you are interested, please email gsa-feedback@buffalo.edu with your name, major, current year, email and telephone number.

The GSA is currently hiring student staff positions for the 2021-2022 academic year.  Please see the descriptions of the Programming Coordinator and Hourly Associate Editor positions.  If you are interested in either of these postings, please email the required materials listed to the GSA Vice President, El Novak, at gsa-vicepresident@buffalo.edu by Friday, June 18^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.

Three grad reps are needed for the PhD Excellence Initiative Oversight Committee. This committee plays a major role in determining the size of graduate departments going forward. However, the committee has run into a number of road blocks both in navigating the dean’s austerity policies, and in its reliance on an algorithm that has thus far not proven to be without bias. Which is all to say that having strong graduate voices on this committee can help to steer the committee and to make sure that graduate groups, like LSM, GSEU, and GSA, are aware of major decisions being made about graduate education at UB.

New reps would take over in late June. The committee will likely meet intermittently over the summer, and then every two weeks starting in the Fall.

The faculty oversight body has determined that the reps will rotate yearly, need to come from three of the four CAS divisions (Natural Sciences and Math; Social Sciences; Humanities; and Arts), and cannot be from any of the departments previously represented on the committee (so not from Chemistry, English, or Sociology, since the current reps come from those departments).

Please be in touch J Coley, jcoley@buffalo.edu, if you are interested in serving on the committee. And feel free to write to annash@buffalo.edu if you want more details about the committee and your potential role on it.