Author: slfrank

You Belong is a new campus initiative to support students, staff, and faculty who have been directly or indirectly impacted by incarceration. As part of our ongoing efforts, we have developed a short survey we are disseminating widely across campus. The questions focus on whether you are interested in getting involved, and in what capacity. We would appreciate it if you could take the time to fill out this short survey if this is something you are personally invested in, whether you are formerly incarcerated yourself, have family members who are currently or formerly incarcerated, or simply care about those who have been impacted. If not, please distribute the survey to those who you think may be interested in this initiative. A link to the survey is here: https://forms.office.com/r/Y4whtxJ3Na and a QR code that takes you to the survey is embedded in the flyer below.

Dear UB Graduate Students,

As you may have heard, last week the U.S. government revoked the visas of 13 current and former UB students. Many international students have expressed alarm and concern.

UB’s international graduate students have worked incredibly hard for the opportunity to live, study, and work in the U.S. They make extraordinary contributions to our University. We support our international graduate students.

If any international graduate students have questions or concerns about what is happening right now, we encourage them to reach out to International Student Services (ISS). They are also welcome to contact GSA at any time by emailing gsa-president@buffalo.edu. GSA is here to help in any way we can.

We encourage all students to continue producing research, teaching, and learning. However, we recommend that international students exercise caution, as reports from across the country suggest that visas are being revoked even for relatively minor infractions. We are reaching out to ISS and encouraging them to share the alleged reasons for visa revocations with their students. We encourage all students to stay up-to-date with current events and to make informed and thoughtful decisions, ensuring that they do not violate the terms of their visas.

We encourage international students to take particular care to accurately report information to the government. If you have graduated and plan to move to a new city, you must update your address in SEVP. (If you are an international student and don’t know what this means, contact ISS.) You also must update your I-20 form with any new employer or volunteer information if you get a new job or volunteer opportunity. International students can check their visa status through the CEAC website. However, note that you cannot directly check your SEVIS status as a student. SEVIS records are maintained by your Designated School Official (DSO) or program sponsor. To inquire about your SEVIS status, you should contact ISS directly.

For more information, please access the following resources.

• International Student Services – a message of support from ISS, with links to additional resources
• FAQs and Guidance on Federal Policies – A comprehensive page from the University providing information and guidance
• SUNY Protocols for Interacting with Outside Law Enforcement – how to respond to requests by law enforcement officials (these guidelines apply to professors, staff, and students)
• U.S. Laws and Your Rights – information from International Student Services
• UB Counseling Services – for mental health counseling
• Red Cards – Portable information about your Constitutional rights in a variety of languages. Printed cards in a few different languages can be picked up in the GSA North Campus office at 310 Student Union.
• CEAC Visa Status Check – for student visa status check

We sincerely wish you all the best for a successful end to the semester and a good summer. Soon, we will be announcing new social programming over the summer so that we can maintain a sense of togetherness and community, even when university isn’t in session. If you would like to weigh in on the events we have planned or express interest in additional events that would be helpful at this time, please take the survey here.

GSA Executive Committee

Isaac Kolding, President
Sarah MacDougall, Vice President
Tamara Grosso, Treasurer
Sevda Abdavinejad, Vice President Elect

The GSA Election Committee is pleased to announce the results of the 2025-2026 GSA Officer Elections vote:

President:

Sarah MacDougall: 190
(21 abstentions)

Vice President:

Sevda Abdavinejad Mirkoohi: 176
(34 abstentions)

Treasurer:

Isaac Kolding: 181
(29 abstentions)

These elected candidates will officially take office on June 1, 2025.

Thank you to all of the graduate students who participated in these votes!

Sincerely,

GSA Election Committee
Devaleena Kalita (Election Committee Chair)
Jordan Scalia
Kiara Roberts
Logan Barrett
Sai Snehitha Ramisetty

The GSA is currently hiring a Programming Coordinator to serve through the end of the next 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, Sarah MacDougall, at gsa-vicepresident@buffalo.edu by Friday, April 25^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.

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

Provided by your mandatory student activity fee.

Celebrate 10 Years of Stepping!

The UB Step Challenge is back and bigger than ever, with more prizes and more fun! Open to anyone in the UB and WNY communities, this free challenge helps you stay active, track your steps and compete for rewards.

Join solo or with a team—it’s up to you! Throughout the month of April, simply log your daily steps, see your progress on the leaderboard, and challenge yourself to move more.

Sign up today!

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

Provided by your mandatory student activity fee.

Everyone should have received a personalized link by email to a survey from the Career Design Center. The survey is being administered by a third party and your responses will remain confidential. Take 5 minutes to fill it out by Friday, February 7th for a chance to win an Echo Dot!

Call for Candidates

On April 7 – 10, 2025 the following offices will be filled through a general election of graduate students at UB:

 PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER

The stipends for each of these positions is $20,000.  Elected officers must be physically present at the University at Buffalo and available to serve in the duties of their office from June 1, 2025 until May 31, 2026.

 Any student enrolled in a department that is currently represented by GSA, who has attended at least two Board of Directors meetings within the past twelve months, is in good academic standing, and who attends the February 5^th, March 5^th, and April 2^nd Board of Directors meetings, shall be eligible to run for office. 

  *Please note that international students holding an assistantship or any other employment will be restricted by federal work regulations and may not be eligible to run for office under United States Law.*

 Petition packets for candidacy are now available by email request to the Election Committee Chair (contact information below) and are due back by Friday, February 21, 2025 at 4:30pm.  Absolutely NO late submissions will be accepted.

 All prospective candidates must attend a mandatory meeting with members of the Election Committee where the Election Rules and Regulations will be handed out and reviewed.  Meetings will be arranged between prospective candidates and the Election Committee to occur between Thursday, February 27, 2025 and Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

 Please contact the Election Committee Chair, Devaleena Kalita (devaleen@buffalo.edu) with any questions, or to inquire about the details of the application procedure and formalities.