Graduate Student Association

Deadline for February Conference Funding Applications
2023-01-15 | NY
All applications for Conference Funding for conferences during the month of February are due by the close of business at 4:30pm.
The GSA Conference Funding Application is now available as an online form on GSA’s UBLinked page. Please note that you must be signed in to UBLinked and “Join” as a member of GSA in order to be able to access the form on the Homepage.

GSA Closed
2023-01-16 | NY
The GSA will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance.

GSA on Summer Hours
2023-01-17 - 2023-01-19 | NY
The GSA office will be open for Summer Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 8:30am – 4:00pm, closed on Friday, January 20th.

Discount Canalside Ice Skating Packages Available
2023-01-17 | Canalside Ice Rink, 44 Prime St., Buffalo, NY, 14202, United States
Vouchers on sale January 17th at the UB Ticket Office (online or in 221 Student Union) for $2 each. 2 per UB ID. Tickets include admission and skate rental. Vouchers must be used by February 26, 2023!
Limited quantity available. First come, first served.
*PLEASE MAKE SURE TO PICK UP YOUR PHYSICAL TICKET(S) FROM THE UB TICKET OFFICE IN 221 STUDENT UNION. THE EMAILED TICKET IS ONLY A VOUCHER AND WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR ADMISSION BY THE VENDOR.

February Group Funding Applications Deadline
2023-01-18 | NY
Application materials are due for Special Activities, Interdepartmental Activities, Symposium and Community Outreach funding for events occurring after the February Board of Directors meeting. All application materials due by the close of business at 4:00pm.

GSA Closed
2023-01-20 | NY

GSA on Summer Hours
2023-01-23 - 2023-01-26 | NY
The GSA office will be open for Summer Hours: Monday to Thursday 8:30am – 4:00pm, closed on Friday, January 27th.

Finance Committee Meeting
2023-01-25 18:30 - 20:30 UTC | NY
Finance Committee meeting to review group funding requests for events to take place in February or later.

GSA Closed
2023-01-27 | NY

Spring Classes Begin
2023-01-30 | NY

February Board of Directors Meeting
2023-02-01 18:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom
The February 1st Board of Directors meeting will be held online via Zoom. GSA Board of Directors meetings are open to the public, but only designated representatives from Departmental and International clubs may vote. Sign-in begins at 6:00pm so that the meeting can begin promptly at 6:30pm. Once the meeting begins no one else will be admitted for attendance purposes.
PLEASE NOTE: Every club will need to email Stephanie at slfrank@buffalo.edu no later than 12:00pm on Wednesday, February 1st with who will be attending the meeting on the club’s behalf so that eligible representatives can be verified in advance. Once representatives are verified they will be sent the Zoom meeting link and password directly, along with some instructions on how the meeting will be managed, in order to be able to participate and vote. Only previously verified representatives will be admitted to participate in the Zoom meeting.
For attendance purposes each Special Interest Club may have one representative participate directly in the Zoom meeting, but they will not have voting privileges. Additional special requests for guests and/or speakers to be admitted may be sent to gsa-feedback@buffalo.edu.
The meeting will also be live streamed via GSA’s Facebook Page for anyone else that is interested in watching the meeting without voting privileges or an official attendance record, as meetings are open to the public.

Java Junction
2023-02-03 11:00 - 13:00, 2023-03-03 11:00 - 13:00 | 145 Student Union
Free Tim Horton’s coffee and doughnuts for graduate students in 145C&D Student Union.
All participants must review the GSA’s Safety Acknowledgement and Participant Disclaimer before attending.

Discount AMC Movie Tickets Available
2023-02-06 | NY
GSA will have discount AMC Movie Tickets available for sale on February 6th at the UB Ticket Office (online or in 221 Student Union) for $5 each. 1 per UB ID. Tickets can be used for all movies at AMC theatre locations. Limited quantity available. First come, first served.
*PLEASE MAKE SURE TO PICK UP YOUR PHYSICAL TICKET(S) FROM THE UB TICKET OFFICE IN 221 STUDENT UNION. THE EMAILED TICKET IS ONLY A VOUCHER AND WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR ADMISSION BY THE VENDOR.

Deadline for March Conference Funding Applications
2023-02-15 | NY
All applications for Conference Funding for conferences during the month of March are due by the close of business at 4:30pm.
The GSA Conference Funding Application is now available as an online form on GSA’s UBLinked page. Please note that you must be signed in to UBLinked and “Join” as a member of GSA in order to be able to access the form on the Homepage.

March/April Group Funding Applications Deadline
2023-02-15 | NY
Application materials are due for Special Activities, Interdepartmental Activities, Symposium and Community Outreach funding for events occurring after the March Board of Directors meeting. All application materials due by the close of business at 4:30pm.

Distinguished Speaker Series presents Sherrilyn Ifill
2023-02-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Center for the Arts, Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, United States
Sherrilyn Ifill

Civil Rights Lawyer | Former President and Director-Counsel of NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. COMMEMORATION KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Free tickets available for graduate students starting February 1st through the UB Ticket Office. 1 per UB ID.

Public Ticket Information
Thurs., February 16, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Center for the Arts, UB North Campus

More About Sherrilyn Ifill

Sherrilyn Ifill served as the seventh president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) from 2013 to 2022, and currently serves as president and director-counsel emeritus. Ifill, the second woman to ever lead LDF, provided visionary and transformational leadership during one of the most consequential and intense moments in our nation’s history. She began her career as a fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union, before joining the staff of the LDF as an assistant counsel in 1988, where she litigated voting rights cases for five years.
For over 20 years, Ifill taught civil procedure and constitutional law to thousands of law students, and pioneered a series of law clinics, including one of the earliest law clinics in the country, focused on challenging legal barriers to the reentry of ex-offenders at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore. Ifill is also a prolific scholar who has published academic articles in leading law journals, and op-eds and commentaries in leading newspapers. Her 2007 book, “On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the 21st Century,” was highly acclaimed, and is credited with laying the foundation for contemporary conversations about lynching and reconciliation.
In 2013, Ifill was invited back to the Legal Defense Fund – this time to lead the organization as its 7th director-counsel. In that role, Ifill increased the visibility and engagement of the organization in litigating cutting-edge and urgent civil rights issues and elevating the organization’s decades-long leadership fighting voter suppression, inequity in education and racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. At critical moments during national political and civil rights crises, Ifill’s voice and vision have powerfully influenced our national dialogue. Ifill is a frequent public commentator on racial justice issues, known for her fact-based, richly contextualized analysis of complex racial issues. She is a trusted and valued advisor to civic and community leaders, national civil rights colleagues, and business leaders.
Among many honors, Ifill is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, and was recently named one of TIME Magazine’s Women of the Year. She was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world in 2021, one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year in 2020, honored with a 2021 Spirit of Excellence Award by the American Bar Association, and named Attorney of the Year by The American Lawyer in 2020. In 2022, Ifill will receive the prestigious Brandeis Medal, named for Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, and recently received the American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award.
Ifill graduated from Vassar College in 1984 with a BA in English and earned her JD from New York University School of Law in 1987. She has received honorary doctorates from New York University, Bard College, Fordham Law School and CUNY Law School. In 2019, Ifill was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. In 2020, she was named Attorney of the Year by The American Lawyer. In 2021, Ifill was appointed to President Biden’s Commission on the Supreme Court. She serves on the boards of the Learning Policy Institute, the NYU Law School of Trustees, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Profiles in Courage Advisory Board. Ifill joined The Ford Foundation organization as a senior fellow in June 2022.

MDRF Spring Application Deadline
2023-02-17 | NY
Deadline for MDRF grant applications for research to be conducted between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.
Complete grant applications must be submitted online by 3:00pm on Friday, February 17, 2023.
The last date that applicants may submit their grant to the MDRF Director (gsa-mdrf@buffalo.edu) for review prior to the deadline is Wednesday, February 1st at 12:00pm.

Finance Committee Meeting
2023-02-22 18:30 - 20:30 | NY
Finance Committee meeting to review group funding requests for events to take place in March or later.

Spring Fee Waiver Deadline
2023-03-01 | NY
Applications for a waiver of any applicable Spring semester student activity fees ($85) are due by close of business at 4:30pm.
Fee waivers may be granted to students who are located at least 75 miles from Buffalo, or who suffer unusual financial hardship. Please note that being an online student only does not necessarily qualify students for a fee waiver. Graduate students who have their fees waived will be ineligible for all GSA services.

March Board of Directors Meeting
2023-03-01 18:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom
The March 1st Board of Directors meeting will be held online via Zoom. GSA Board of Directors meetings are open to the public, but only designated representatives from Departmental and International clubs may vote. Sign-in begins at 6:00pm so that the meeting can begin promptly at 6:30pm. Once the meeting begins no one else will be admitted for attendance purposes.
PLEASE NOTE: Every club will need to email Stephanie at slfrank@buffalo.edu no later than 12:00pm on Wednesday, March 1st with who will be attending the meeting on the club’s behalf so that eligible representatives can be verified in advance. Once representatives are verified they will be sent the Zoom meeting link and password directly, along with some instructions on how the meeting will be managed, in order to be able to participate and vote. Only previously verified representatives will be admitted to participate in the Zoom meeting.
For attendance purposes each Special Interest Club may have one representative participate directly in the Zoom meeting, but they will not have voting privileges. Additional special requests for guests and/or speakers to be admitted may be sent to gsa-feedback@buffalo.edu.
The meeting will also be live streamed via GSA’s Facebook Page for anyone else that is interested in watching the meeting without voting privileges or an official attendance record, as meetings are open to the public.

Discount AMC Movie Tickets Available
2023-03-06 | NY
GSA will have discount AMC Movie Tickets available for sale on March 6th at the UB Ticket Office (online or in 221 Student Union) for $5 each. 1 per UB ID. Tickets can be used for all movies at AMC theatre locations. Limited quantity available. First come, first served.
*PLEASE MAKE SURE TO PICK UP YOUR PHYSICAL TICKET(S) FROM THE UB TICKET OFFICE IN 221 STUDENT UNION. THE EMAILED TICKET IS ONLY A VOUCHER AND WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR ADMISSION BY THE VENDOR.

New York Beer Project Brewery Tour and Beer Tasting Tickets Available
2023-03-06 | New York Beer Project, 6933 S. Transit Rd., Lockport, NY, 14094, United States
GSA will have New York Beer Project tour and beer tasting tickets available starting on March 6th through UB Marketplace (online only) for $10 each. 2 per UB ID. Limited quantity available. First come, first served.
Tours are offered Saturdays and Sunday at 1:00pm (http://www.nybeerproject.com/shop/brewery-tours). Purchasers must email at least 72 hours in advance to book your space on the tour. Your order confirmation from the UB Ticket Office will serve as your admission voucher.

Deadline for April Conference Funding Applications
2023-03-15 | NY
All applications for Conference Funding for conferences during the month of April are due by the close of business at 4:30pm.
The GSA Conference Funding Application is now available as an online form on GSA’s UBLinked page. Please note that you must be signed in to UBLinked and “Join” as a member of GSA in order to be able to access the form on the Homepage.

Distinguished Speaker Series presents Selma Blair
2023-03-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Center for the Arts, Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, United States
Selma Blair

Actress, “Legally Blonde” & “People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” | Author of “Mean Baby” | Disability Rights Advocate

Free tickets available for graduate students March 1st through the UB Ticket Office. 1 per UB ID.

Public Ticket Information
Tues., March 15, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Center for the Arts, UB North Campus

More About Selma Blair

Throughout her diverse career, Selma Blair has been one of the most versatile and exciting actresses on screen. Blair’s longstanding career began with her comedic roles in pop culture classics in the early 2000s. Blair has worked with an array of acclaimed directors including Guillermo del Toro and Todd Solodnz, to name a few. Additionally, Blair was named one of Time Magazine’s “People of The Year” in 2017 as one of their Silence Breakers.
Blair released her first memoir titled “Mean Baby” in which she tells the captivating story about growing up and finding her truth. Over the course of the beautiful and, at times, devastating memoir, she lays bare her addiction to alcohol, her devotion to her brilliant and complicated mother, and the moments she flirted with death. There is brutal violence, passionate love, true friendship, the gift of motherhood, and, finally, the surprising salvation of a multiple sclerosis diagnosis. “Mean Baby” hit stands in May 2022.
Blair can be seen as the subject of the documentary, “Introducing, Selma Blair,” which premiered to rave reviews at the 2021 SXSW Festival, where the feature won the Special Jury Recognition for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling. The film also won the New York Women in Film & Television Documentary Award at the Hamptons Film Festival and received three Critics Choice Documentary Award nominations, including Best Documentary Feature. The documentary, which reveals Blair’s intimate and raw journey with multiple sclerosis, opened in theaters in fall 2021. It was subsequently released on Discovery+ and is currently streaming on the platform.
Previously, Blair starred in the comedy/horror thriller “Mom and Dad,” alongside Nicolas Cage. The film, which follows a teenage girl and her younger brother as they must survive a wild 24 hours during which a mass hysteria of unknown origin causes parents to turn violently on their own kids. The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and later screened at the 2017 Sitges Film Festival and the 2017 Molins Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Jury Prize for Best Film and the Audience Award for Best Films. VARIETY critic Dennis Harvey wrote “She [Blair] covers a gamut from bittersweet sympathy to farce to monstrousness, running amok like a cat on piano keys, yet hitting each note perfectly. “Mom & Dad” isn’t the kind of movie they give acting awards to — but in a just world, it would be.”
On television, Blair was seen co-starring as Kris Jenner in FX’s “The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” for director Ryan Murphy.
Blair also starred in Todd Solodnz’s “Dark Horse” in 2011 as Miranda (formerly Vi), alongside Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow. The film debuted at the Venice Film Festival and was later released by Virgil Films & Entertainment. Blair also starred in Todd Solodnz’s “Storytelling” in 2001.
In 2008, Blair reprised her role as Liz Sherman in Guillermo del Toro’s “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” after starring in the original “Hellboy” in 2004 (also directed by del Toro).
Blair is perhaps best known for her scene-stealing performance as Vivian Kensington in MGM’s hit romantic comedy “Legally Blonde,” alongside Reese Witherspoon. The film was nominated in 2002 for a Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
In 1999, Blair played the role of Cecile Caldwell in “Cruel Intentions,” alongside Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ryan Phillippe. Columbia Pictures released the film, which was directed by Roger Kumble.
Other film credits include the YA film “After” (2019) and its sequel, “After We Collided” (2020), based on the popular romance novels of the same name. Blair also starred in Robert Benton’s “Feast of Love” in 2007, and John Water’s “A Dirty Shame” in 2004. In 2002, Blair reconnected with her “Cruel Intentions” director Roger Kumble in “The Sweetest Thing” for Columbia Pictures, alongside Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, and Jason Bateman.
Blair also starred on television as Kim on “Kath & Kim” for NBC from 2008-2009, opposite Molly Shannon. Blair has made memorable guest star appearances including “Friends,” “Another Life,” “Heathers,” “Portlandia” and “Web Therapy.”
On stage, Blair starred in the World Premiere production of Rajiv Joseph’s “Gruesome Playground Injuries at The Alley Theater” and was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Spoken Word Recording” for her reading of “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

Blair currently resides in Los Angeles.

Spring Recess
2023-03-20 - 2023-03-25 | NY

GSA on Summer Hours
2023-03-20 - 2023-03-23 | NY
Spring Recess: GSA Office open Monday – Thursday 8:30am – 4:00pm, closed on Friday, March 24th.

May-July Group Funding Applications Deadline
2023-03-22 | NY
Application materials are due for Special Activities, Interdepartmental Activities, Symposium and Community Outreach funding for events occurring after the April Board of Directors meeting. All application materials due by the close of business at 4:30pm.

GSA Closed
2023-03-24 | NY

GSA Professional Development Workshop ~ PhD to Non-Academic Research Panel
2023-03-29 11:00 - 12:30 | Online via Zoom
Registration link: https://forms.gle/4Pm7LYHGGXFSS6aY8

*Funding for this event is provided by the University at Buffalo Graduate Student Association and COAL Programming Grant

Speaker Bios
Casey Stockstill, PhD is the Research Director at Early Milestones Colorado. She runs a small, internal think tank to support research, policy, and practice connections in service of the 0-8 year old population in Colorado. Dr. Stockstill earned a PhD in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018. She worked for three years as a tenure-track professor at the University of Denver before moving to her current role. Dr. Stockstill is passionate about racial equity, qualitative research, mixed-methods research, and work that allows children and families to thrive. She is a proud first-generation college graduate and was born and raised in southern California.

Katie Fallon, PhD is a principal policy associate in the Research to Action Lab at the Urban Institute. She coordinates research and strategy to accelerate innovations in housing access and racial equity. Fallon holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she researched racial and spatial inequality. She received her bachelor’s degree in public policy with a concentration in urban affairs from Princeton University.

Chris Bennett, PhD is an education research analyst, has extensive experience in policy analysis, data management, and survey design. In his research, he primarily uses quasi-experimental and other quantitative methods to examine topics such as college admissions, financial aid, developmental education, and college graduates’ labor market experiences. Dr. Bennett works on postsecondary education surveys conducted on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
