Graduate Student Association

As of August 1, 2022 GSA will be permitted to resume funding international travel for conferences and research.  All University Travel Guidelines must be followed and students should be aware of any applicable travel warnings.

Dear Graduate Students,

The Graduate School and the Office of Fellowships and Scholarships invite you to one of three listening sessions. The goal of the listening sessions is for us to ask you about your needs for professional and personal development programming in the upcoming year.

In this informal setting, we will ask you to share your thoughts on topics such as, programming, communication approaches, resources available and resources needed, and program format (in-person vs virtual).

Monday, July 18, 2022 – 12:00-1:00 p.m. – 107 Capen Hall – A light lunch will be served.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 – 3:00-4:00 p.m. – Virtual – link below

Meeting URL:     https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/91588814416?pwd=cGR0SkpManlhbURxSWQrRUJ2VG8vQT09

Meeting ID:        915 8881 4416

Passcode:           612550

Wednesday, July 20, 2022 – 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. – 107 Capen Hall – A light breakfast will be served.

Please RSVP here for the session you would like to attend.

The PhD Excellence Oversight Committee is searching for graduate students to serve on the CAS PEOC committee for 2022-2023 academic year.

-We need a total of 3 members from 3/4 of the different “divisions” in the college.

-Graduate students with some knowledge and experience with the Excellence Initiative would be preferable.

The charge of the committee can be found here.  Terms start July 1, 2022.

Register at: library.buffalo.edu/workshops

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

Address questions to: ubedc@buffalo.edu

Printable Flyer

Offered as part of a collaborative event sponsored by the 2022 FACT2 Excellence Award winner, UB Educational Design Collaborative (UB EDC), UB Libraries, UB Information Technology (UBIT), Curriculum, Assessment, and Teaching Transformation (CATT), and various UB Schools and units. Webinars are presented online and free to all.

Please note that as of Monday, May 16th 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 29th.

Dear Graduate Students,

We are pleased to announce that the University at Buffalo has joined the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) as an Institutional Member. 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.

Despina Stratigakos, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence
Office of Inclusive Excellence
University at Buffalo
549 Capen Hall
Buffalo, NY 14260
https://www.buffalo.edu/inclusion.html
716.645.6200

The GSA Election Committee is pleased to announce the results of the 2022-2023 GSA Officer Elections and Referendum vote:

President:

J Coley: 233

(70 abstentions)

Vice President:

Jennifer Schechter: 228

(75 abstentions)

Treasurer:

Joshua Joseph: 119

Ryan Enser: 110

(74 abstentions)

These elected candidates will officially take office on June 1, 2022.

Referendum:

That the student activity fee be MANDATORY for all graduate students: 183

That the student activity fee be VOLUNTARY for all graduate students: 120

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

Sincerely,

GSA Election Committee

Morgan Redington (EC Co-Chair)

Vaishnavi Hatrote (EC Co-Chair)

Monika Che  (EC)

Andrew Brown (EC)

Fahed Ali (EC)

Hello GSA,

My name is Rachael Specht. I am a senior student and Communication major at UB. For the Spring ‘22 semester, I am enrolled in COM 493, which involves working with the ELN (Experiential Learning Network) to partner with a non-profit. I am partnering with Inkulueko, whose Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Jason Torreano, was from Western New York.  Inkulueko is leading a trip (12/28/22-1/10/23), and I am assisting in communicating this to people who may be interested.

Trip information for Inkulueko’s program, Kunye:

https://www.inkululeko.org/kunye

 Inkulueko Kunye Flyer.pdf

 Kunye.pptx

Coordinating Organization:

Inkululeko  (www.inkululeko.org) is a nonprofit organization that works with motivated, young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds in Makhanda (Grahamstown), South Africa.

The organization has these goals:

– To support students with finishing high school and moving onto university, or

– To support students with finishing high school and obtaining a skill set so they can be gainfully employed upon graduation

Inkululeko welcomes accepted students from the local township several days a week after school to receive academic support in areas where they are struggling and enrichment opportunities in areas where they are excelling. Regular tutors are Rhodes University students.

This Program:

Participants who join this trip will have an opportunity to engage with, teach, and learn from Inkululeko students through purposeful volunteering, including tutoring Inkululeko learners and collaborating with them to work on aspects of building a social enterprise project.

Participants will be immersed in the local culture, with opportunities to take Xhosa language lessons, interact with guest speakers who are change agents in the Makhanda (Grahamstown) community, embark on a walking township tour led by residents, and visit local artists who sell beadwork, locally sourced fabrics, and other assorted crafts.

The trip is for anyone 18+, so it is not limited to college/graduate students.

I would love to pass this information along to the GSA (and anyone else you may think is of interest). Please feel free to reach out with any questions!

I appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Rachael Specht
Communications BA 2022
University at Buffalo
(716) 225-9332
rspecht@buffalo.edu

WNY Regional Maker Faire
Call for Makers (April 30, 2022)

Maker Faire showcases the amazing work of all kinds and ages of makers—anyone who is embracing the do-it-yourself (or do-it-together) spirit and wants to share their accomplishments with an appreciative audience.

Show-off your project(s), demo, or discuss how you made them, and inspire people to make.

Event Date/Time: Saturday, April 30th, 10-4pm
Location (in-person): Frontier High School, 4432 Bayview Rd, Hamburg, NY
Reserve your free ticket today!

We are still accepting applications. Apply today!

 Maker Exhibit:
You will be provided space and a table to display your work and/or demonstrate how you make something.

Presentations, Performances, or Workshops:
Demos, stories, how-tos, and group (panel) conversations are welcome.

Apply as an exhibitor, performer, or presenter

Exhibits are encouraged that are interactive and highlight the process of making things.

Here are just some of the topics that we’re looking for:

• Student Projects
• Art Projects
• Textile Arts and Crafts
• Puppets, Kites, and Other Whimsical Creations
• Music and Dance Performances and Participation
• Wearables, E-Textiles, Fashion Tech
• Robotics, Drones, & RC Fun
• Digital Fabrication – 3D Printers
• Hacks of Any Sort
• How-To Workshops, Panel Discussions, and Presenters
• How to Fix Things or Take them Apart (Vacuums, Clocks, Washing Machines, etc.)

K12 and higher-ed students will be eligible to earn prizes through the James (Jim) O’Connor Whitlock scholarship awards.

There is no fee to participate if you are not selling or promoting a product.

Other Ways to Participate:

Volunteer:
View information about how to volunteer to make an invaluable contribution at Maker Faire.

Sponsor:
Visit our Sponsor Page or contact makewny@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing you at Maker Faire!

https://wnyregion.makerfaire.com

For additional information, email: makewny@gmail.com

Thank you to our current sponsors:

Every two years the graduate student activity fee is put up for a referendum vote.  A mandatory fee ensures that GSA is able to continue funding all of the clubs, programs, services and advocacy initiatives you have come to expect from your student government.  A voluntary fee would mean that the organization as a whole would cease to exist.  We hope that you will vote to continue supporting GSA!  Polls are open now through 11:59pm on Thursday, April 14th.