Graduate Student Association

January 31, 2017 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUNY SA Contact: Tyler McNeil, tyler.mcneil@sunysa.org

CUNY USS Contact: Donavan Borington, donavan.borington@uss.cuny.edu

SUNY Student Assembly President Marc. J. Cohen and CUNY University Student Senate Chairperson Chikaodili Onyejiukwa reaffirm their systems’ commitment to social justice and equality and call on students to speak out on the President Trump’s Executive Order, “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States.”

“On behalf of the 1.2 million students who attend the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY), we, the duly elected students representatives of our respective student bodies, are calling on our elected officials to take action against the discriminatory Executive Order issued by the President of the United States.

“CUNY was created out of  a strong commitment to the unique needs of a diverse urban constituency comprised of individuals from across the world looking to enhance their knowledge and experience through higher education. SUNY rests on a foundation of commitment to opportunity and access, and was designed to meet the diverse needs across a vast geographic landscape.

“Our organizations will be sharing in a ‘Call to Congress’ day occurring Wednesday, February 1, 2017. Our federal officials need to hear how directly this issue affects our students.

“We have the responsibility to act on behalf of those who cannot act for themselves. We have the responsibility to come together and stand in solidarity with our colleagues looking to pursue their education in a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments. We, along with our dedicated student leaders, are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we will stand up for justice and equality, and for the most fundamental freedoms that define American greatness.”

About the SUNY Student Assembly

The Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA) is the recognized student government organization representing the nearly 600,000 students of the State University of New York. Comprised of student leaders elected by their peers from across SUNY’s 64 campuses, SUNY SA is committed to empowering students throughout the state, and ensuring the representation of its members on the state and national level, as well as throughout the SUNY system. Visit sunysa.org to learn more about the Student Assembly.

About the CUNY University Student Senate

The University Student Senate (USS) of the City University of New York (CUNY) is the official representative governance organization of the 500,000 students at CUNY. Founded in 1972, USS is responsible for preserving the accessibility, affordability, and excellence of higher education within the City of New York. Learn more at www.cunyuss.org

January 28, 2017 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tyler McNeil, tyler.mcneil@sunysa.org

Student Assembly President Marc J. Cohen, the Executive Committee of the Student Assembly, and campus student government presidents came together to speak out against the discriminatory executive order issued by the President of the United States.

“The President’s Executive Order halting the legal immigration and free movement of refugees and citizens of several Muslim-majority countries to enter our own, a country of immigrants, is discriminatory and wrong. We, the elected leaders from across the 64 campuses of largest system of public colleges and universities in the country, stand united in our shame of this hateful decision.

“The President’s decision will stall progress on critical research, will prevent students from pursuing their education, and will forever leave a stain on the reputation of the values held dearly by this nation. Let us remind you, Mr. President, of the inscription on the Statue of Liberty: ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.’

“Let us assure you, Mr. President, that these words are not empty. We will fight for justice and equality, and for the most fundamental freedoms that define American greatness. If you try to divide us, you will fail. If you attempt to discriminate, you will fail. If you seek to portray our incredible diversity as anything other than a strength, you will fail. Progress will always prevail.”

About the SUNY Student Assembly

The Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA) is the recognized student government organization representing the nearly 600,000 students of the State University of New York. Comprised of student leaders elected by their peers from across SUNY’s 64 campuses, SUNY SA is committed to empowering students throughout the state, and ensuring the representation of its members on the state and national level, as well as throughout the SUNY system.

Blackstone LaunchPad is a campus-based entrepreneurship program that offers coaching and venture creation support. Blackstone LaunchPad helps students, faculty, staff, and alumni turn their ideas into startup businesses.

Find us on Facebook @LaunchPadUB or follow us on Instagram and Twitter @LaunchPad_UB for updates on workshops, event announcements, and other important news.

Dear University Community:

On behalf of the School of Management, I am pleased to announce that our IRS-certified accounting students will again offer free tax preparation services to individuals and families with an annual income below $54,000. UB employees* are encouraged to take advantage of this service and to invite their families and neighbors to do the same.

The service will be offered at the North and South campuses. Dates, times, locations, maps and other important details can be found at the link below:

http://mgt.buffalo.edu/freetaxprep

Sincerely,

Paul Tesluk
Dean
School of Management

* Please note that tax preparation for nonresident aliens requires special processing that is beyond the scope of the services provided by Beta Alpha Psi volunteers. UB employees who are nonresident aliens can visit this website to find out if you are eligible to use Sprintax for income tax filing.

The UB Center for Geohazards Studies is pleased to announce a research grant opportunity for graduate students to support research in any discipline that is related to natural hazards.

All applications materials must be received by February 28, 2017 at 5:00 PM EST. Funds are available for projects to start on July 1, 2017.

Eligible individuals must be enrolled in a graduate degree program at the University at Buffalo and be a member of the Center for GeoHazards Studies.

For more info visit  http://geohazards.buffalo.edu/news/

CGHS_Application_2017

Deadline: Feb 13, 2017: Call for Nominations: Gender Institute Excellence in Mentoring Award 

In recognition of the value and importance of mentoring, the Gender Institute invites nominations for our Excellence in Mentoring Award. The institute seeks to promote and recognize excellence at UB in mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty at all ranks. We are particularly interested in recognizing the achievements of mentors with a strong record of success in cultivating the professional potential of women, LGBTQ people, people of color, first generation college students, and students from low-income backgrounds. Candidates may be nominated by students, alumni, staff, faculty and administrators.

Letters of nomination should be sent to ub-irewg@buffalo.edu with the subject line: Nomination for Mentoring Award.

Deadline for nominations is Feb 13, 2017. For more information, please go to: http://bit.ly/2dSAVEl

Deadline:  Jan 30:  Fulbright Scholarship Workshop Application

Would you like to spend a year doing work or research abroad?  The Fulbright provides funded opportunities for international research or study. Students can apply for a Fulbright grant in more than 150 countries.*   Fulbright applications are due almost a full year before your dates of travel. UB’s campus deadline will be in September 2017 so now’s the time to start thinking about your application!

To help you prepare a competitive application UB will be hosting a series of Fulbright workshops this spring.  Students will learn more about Fulbright, how to select the appropriate affiliates and how to develop a strong proposal.  These sessions will be hosted by the Office of Fellowships and Scholarships and UB’s Fulbright Program Advisor, Dr. Colleen Culleton.

Sessions will be held on Wednesdays: February 8^th, February 22^nd, March 8^th and March 29^th.  The sessions will be offered from either 9:00am-10:00am or 3:00pm-4:00pm on each of these days.  Students are required to commit to all 4 sessions which includes beginning preparation of the personal statement and project proposal.  To be considered for this program, students must complete the online application by 5pm EST on Monday, January 30^th: https://universityatbuffalo-wgtck.formstack.com/forms/fulbright_development_program_for_graduate_students

* To qualify for Fulbright U.S. student programs, applicants must be U.S. citizens and have a bachelor’s degree by the time their Fulbright year starts, but not yet have a PhD. Graduate-level candidates must demonstrate the capacity for independent study or research along with a general knowledge of the history, culture and current events of the country to which they’re applying.

Fellowships and Scholarships January Boot Camp for Graduate Students

Do you have an interest in learning more about funding opportunities for graduate-level work, research or dissertation funding? Will you be in Buffalo during winter break?

The Office of Fellowships and Scholarships will be hosting a three day boot camp in January to help you prepare competitive applications. Students will learn more about how to apply for funding and what review panels are looking for. Students will spend time writing a personal statement and/or research proposal.

Sessions will be held from 9am to 11am on Tuesday, January 17, Wednesday, January 18 and Friday, January 20. Students are required to commit to all three sessions.

To be considered for this program, students must complete the online application by 5pm EST on Monday, January 2: https://universityatbuffalo-wgtck.formstack.com/forms/january_fellowship_scholarship_boot_camp.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact the Office of Fellowships and Scholarships at fellowships@buffalo.edu.

GSA STATISTICS LAB DIRECTOR SEARCH CLOSED

The Statistics Lab is a new component of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) that will provide assistance with statistical data analysis to all graduate students. It is planned as a consulting service helping students with statistical aspects of their final projects (thesis, dissertation, qualifying paper etc.).

Candidates are eligible only if they have paid their student activity fee. Candidates should:

• Have experience with designing an experiment
• Know how to do statistical data analysis using Minitab, Matlab, R, SPSS, and SAS
• Know how to do data mining including supervised and unsupervised methods
• Have taken at least two advanced statistics courses
• Be organized

Experience with the following would be a plus:

• Teaching courses in statistics
• Tableau, Wolfram Mathematica
• Machine learning

The Statistics Lab Director’s responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Administrating the GSA Statistics Lab
• Holding a minimum of 10 office hours per week + appointment hours
• Assisting eligible graduate students in statistical research (data collection, analysis, evaluation, interpretation), experiment design, statistical analysis software
• Submitting service reports at the request of the GSA Senate and/or the GSA E-board
• Other duties as assigned by the GSA E-board

Any materials created as the Statistics Lab Director are property of the Graduate Student Association. Any GSA software or hardware requiring a password must be provided to the Graduate Student Association Executive Committee on modification or by request.

To apply, please, attach to an email in PDF the following:

• Cover letter describing your background, availability, and interest
• Resume

Send it to gsa-treasurer@buffalo.edu by January 5th. Qualified candidates will be invited to interview in the middle of January. This is a 6-month appointment (1 February – 31 July 2017) with a stipend of $5,500.