Author: slfrank

The GSA has created a short Services Survey for graduate students to complete in order to help the GSA Finance Committee and Executive Committee prioritize funding allocations and Programming offerings for the upcoming academic year.  Please submit your feedback on or before Monday, February  13^th.  Thank you.

The COAL Programming Grant application deadline has been extended to Friday, February 10th.

For context, COAL consists of the presidents of the seven UB student governments led by an elected chair who work on addressing UB-wide issues.  Recently, COAL received the interest proceeds for last year’s stock investments.  COAL now has ~$450,000 that they can award to student organizations as grants to launch new programs, expand existing programs, or produce publications.  Due to market fluctuations, past awards have been maxed at $1,000/grant or not been offered at all, so please take advantage of the current surplus.

If your student organization is interested in applying for a grant, please see the guidelines and application form.  All applications are due to GSA (via gsa-feedback@buffalo.edu) on Friday, February 10, 2023 at 11:59pm (no exceptions can be made).  Award decision notifications will be supplied by the end of February 2023 and any awarded grant money needs to be spent by May 15, 2023.

Please widely discuss this grant opportunity amongst your membership and with other organizations.  The more students that will be impacted, the more likely COAL will be to award a grant.

The GSA is currently hiring an Hourly Associate Editor to serve through the end of the current fiscal year (July 31, 2023).  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, Jennifer Schechter, at gsa-vicepresident@buffalo.edu by Wednesday, February 1^st 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.

As we head towards the end of the semester, the Graduate Professional Development team has worked hard to create and provide access to workshops, events and programming for master’s and doctoral students. Below, you can find a list of our upcoming events for 2023.

Fellowship and Grant Writing Basics – Jan. 19, 9-11 a.m. This workshop is for early-career doctoral students in the beginning stages of their program who still need to formulate their research plan or methodology. Participants will learn about the differences between fellowships and grants, how to search for appropriate awards and the basic components of applications. Register for Fellowship and Grant Writing Basics.

Grant Writing Workshops – Jan. 24, 9 a.m.-1 p.m and Jan. 25, 9-11 a.m. Once per semester, The Graduate School offers workshops tailored for students in STEM, the humanities and social sciences and all disciplines who may be just getting started with grant writing. Register for an upcoming grant writing workshop.

Productivity Workshops for PhD Students and Postdoctoral Scholars – Jan. 18, Feb. 15 and Mar. 15, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. The Graduate School has partnered with the Graduate Student Association and the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars to provide a series of workshops dedicated to productivity. Dr. Kate Henry is a Productivity Coach specializing in sustainable and well-being-oriented productivity. As a productivity coach, she guides academics to develop actionable and achievable productivity and time management practices to achieve short-term and long-term goals without feeling overwhelmed. Register for an upcoming productivity workshop.

Optimized Financial Goal-Setting for PhD Students and Postdocs – Feb. 7, 12-1 p.m.  Dr. Emily Roberts is a personal finance educator specializing in early-career PhDs. Through her business, Personal Finance for PhDs, she equips postdocs and PhDs to make the most of their money. This workshop presents an eight-step framework that helps you make the right decision for your individual situation to get your money working hard for you by focusing on just one financial goal at a time. This workshop will be offered at a limited capacity for qualifying PhD students and postdoctoral scholars. Those who are eligible are encouraged to register for this workshop while spaces are available.

CV Workshops – Feb. 16, Feb. 21 and Apr. 27, 2-3 p.m. Whether you are entering industry or academia, understanding the difference between a CV and a resume (and how to write them!) is essential. The Career Design Center and The Graduate School are co-hosting multiple workshops to teach you how to compose a CV and resume, and how to transition between them, depending on the requirements for the position. Register for an upcoming CV workshop.

Can’t make an event? Visit Events for Graduate and Professional Students to see recordings of past events. We will continue to update this page throughout the semester.

Please see the attached job posting for a graduate assistant in the Office of Inclusive Excellence.

Please note that the GSA will be closing for Winter Break from Tuesday, December 13^th until Monday, January 2^nd.  Because of this, all paperwork for payments that your club wishes to be processed before this shut down will be due by Wednesday, December 7^th.  Any payment documentation submitted after this date will not be processed until after we re-open, which means that checks will not be cut until mid to late January.

GSA open through Monday, December 12^th

GSA closed Tuesday, December 13^th until Tuesday, January 3^rd

GSA closed Monday, January 2^nd for New Year’s Day observance (University Closed)

GSA on Summer Hours Tuesday, January 3^rd – Friday, January 27^th

• • Open Monday – Thursday 8:30am – 4:00pm, closed on Fridays

GSA closed Monday, January 16^th for MLK Jr. Day observance (University Closed)

Regular Business Hours resume Monday, January 30^th with the start of the Spring semester

As of November 28, 2022, GSA will begin accepting submissions from our recognized student organizations for the COAL Programming Grant.

For context, COAL consists of the presidents of the seven UB student governments led by an elected chair who work on addressing UB-wide issues.  Recently, COAL received the interest proceeds for last year’s stock investments.  COAL now has ~$450,000 that they can award to student organizations as grants to launch new programs, expand existing programs, or produce publications.  Due to market fluctuations, past awards have been maxed at $1,000/grant or not been offered at all, so please take advantage of the current surplus.

If your student organization is interested in applying for a grant, please see the guidelines and application form.  All applications are due to GSA (via gsa-feedback@buffalo.edu) on Friday, January 6, 2023 at 11:59pm (no exceptions can be made).  Award decision notifications will be supplied by the end of January 2023 and any awarded grant money needs to be spent by May 15, 2023.

Please widely discuss this grant opportunity amongst your membership and with other organizations.  The more students that will be impacted, the more likely COAL will be to award a grant.

The GSA Winter Break Schedule will be as follows:

• GSA open through Monday, December 12th
• GSA closed Tuesday, December 13th until Monday, January 2nd
• GSA on Summer Hours Monday, January 2nd to Friday, January 27th
  • Open Monday – Thursday 8:30am – 4:00pm, closed on Fridays
• GSA closed Monday, January 16th for MLK Jr. Day (University Closed)
• Regular Business Hours resume Monday, January 30th with the start of the Spring semester

Health Promotion is hosting a table in the Student Union on 10/19 from 11:30am to 2pm to help pre-screen students for eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

CASWNY, a community agency, will have a sign-up sheet asking for students’ phone numbers and emails. They will then schedule a 10-15 phone call to conduct the SNAP eligibility prescreening (and can further assist with application process).

If all other criteria are met, students could get an EBT card that can help pay for food, up to approx. $250/month.

While the Covid emergency is in effect, eligibility for college students has expanded slightly.

Any student who is eligible for work study (whether completing hours or not) or who has “0” Estimated Family Contribution on the FAFSA form should apply.

NOTE: residential students must receive <=50% of meals from a meal plan to be eligible.