Author: slfrank

This message is to draw your attention to an important new program hosted by the Center for Excellence in Writing (CEW). In addition to everyday conversation, the Oral Communication Lab provides an opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students to practice communication skills such as interviewing, networking, and presenting. Although appropriate for the communication needs of international/multilingual students, the program also welcomes domestic students to create cross-cultural communication opportunities for all!

The program runs every Friday from 1 – 5 pm at Capen 128.

The attached flyer includes more information about the OCL program and a registration link. Please feel free to share it with students or help us get the word out to your email listserv!

More details and updates on the Oral Communication Lab program can be found on our website: https://www.buffalo.edu/writing/Students/international/oral-communication-lab.html

Contact writing@buffalo.edu or yueqiuzh@buffalo.edu if you have any questions.

Volunteer Opportunity—gain valuable volunteer experience while helping GSA serve students! GSA now has open positions on our Election Committee, Services Committee, and Finance Committee. For more information on what these committees do, click here. Email us for more information at gsa-treasurer@buffalo.edu (Finance Committee), gsa-vicepresident@buffalo.edu (Election Committee), or gsa-president@buffalo.edu (Services Committee).  All volunteers must be confirmed by the GSA Board of Directors at the September 4th Board meeting.

UB has released drafts of the new Assembling, Camping and Posting policies. These policies explain when people can protest, assemble, and speak on campus. These will remain rough drafts until September 28. After that, the policies will be revised by a committee before they are adopted by the University. GSA’s President, Isaac, will be on that committee. So, if you have any questions or concerns about these new policies, please let me know by emailing gsa-president@buffalo.edu. You can also submit feedback on the University’s website.

The GSA is currently hiring an Hourly Associate Editor to serve through the end of the current fiscal year (July 31, 2025).  The full description of the position is attached.  If you are interested in this posting, please email the required materials listed to the GSA Vice President, Sarah MacDougall, at gsa-vicepresident@buffalo.edu by Tuesday, September 3^rd 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.

Please note that all GSA Ticket Sales will be temporarily shut down from now until August 1st in order to allow for the closing of the fiscal year.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government will be hosting a public hearing in Buffalo on July 25^th on New York State’s Foundation Aid education funding formula. The livestreamed public hearing will include testimony from invited speakers and the public.

The Institute is seeking to hire University at Buffalo graduate students to assist in the execution of the public hearing. Student assistants will greet and check in invited and registered speakers, assist with overseeing the flow of attendees into the hearing, and help manage the sequence of public speakers.

• Hours: Students will be expected to work 12:30 pm to 7:30 pm EST on the day of the hearing with a 30-minute unpaid meal break on the day of the hearing. A paid 90-minute virtual training session will be required in advance of the hearing (date TBD).
• Compensation: Students will be paid $20 per hour for the training session and their work on the day of the hearing.
• Location: The hearing will take place at North Park Community School, 780 Parkside Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216.

Interested candidates should submit a resume and a paragraph explaining why they are interested in this position to Rachel Frascella at Rachel.frascella@rock.suny.edu. Students should also indicate any foreign languages they speak (if any) and their proficiency level in each.

Additional information about the project can be found on the Rockefeller Institute’s Foundation Aid Study webpage. Interested candidates should also view the full job posting.

As you may know, beginning in 2020, UBIT and UB Libraries began offering a limited inventory of laptops for students to borrow each semester. However, according to the most recent UBIT Student IT Experience Surveys, nearly 90% of UB students now own their own laptop or device.  

Starting this fall, UBIT and UB Libraries will begin phasing out the program as follows:   

Fall 2024: 500 laptops available for loan  

Fall 2025: 400 laptops available for loan  

Spring 2026: Program ends as of December 2025  

 For students who do not have a laptop, UB offers several options: 

UB student discounts: Discounts are available on laptops from top brands such as Lenovo, Apple, and Dell, some under $300.  

Public computing sites: Students can access public computing sites across campus, with Silverman offering convenient UltraWide monitors to plug in their own device. 

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to inform you that the University at Buffalo’s Institutional Membership with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) has been renewed! The NCFDD is a nationally recognized, independent organization that provides online career development and mentoring resources for faculty, post-docs, and graduate students. For more information, see UB’s NCFDD webpage.

The NCFDD provides a variety of virtual programs and resources including:

• Weekly Monday Motivator        
• Monthly Core Curriculum Webinars
• Monthly Guest Expert Webinars
• Access to Multi-Week Courses
• Access to Dissertation Success Curriculum for graduate students
• Private Discussion Forum for peer-mentoring, problem-solving, & moderated writing challenges
• Monthly accountability buddy matches
• Access to 14-Day Writing Challenges
• Access to the Member Library that includes past webinar materials, referrals, and readings.

To claim your free Institutional Membership, complete the following steps:

1. Go to http://www.facultydiversity.org/join
2. Choose University at Buffalo from the drop-down menu.
3. Select “Activate my Membership”.
4. Complete the registration form using your institutional email address (@buffalo.edu).
5. Go to your UB email to find a confirmation/welcome email. Click “Activate Account” in the email.

If you have questions about the membership, please contact the Office of Inclusive Excellence (vpix@buffalo.edu). If you have any technical questions, please email NCFDD at Membership@FacultyDiversity.org.