News and Events - Volunteering

Celebrating Students and Service

norrisma1 — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:47:20 +0000

Author:

Mary A. Durlak

Published Date:

May 6, 2013

The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center will hold its annual Celebration of Service awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 7, at 12:15 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210.

Stephanie Zuckerman-Aviles, director of the Career Development Center where the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center is housed, will moderate the event. Hal Payne, vice president of student affairs, will welcome guests and the keynote speaker, Dove Russo, regional recruiter for the Peace Corps and current student in the master of public administration program.

“Celebration gives us the opportunity to recognize the dedication of so many Buffalo State students,” said Zuckerman-Aviles. “We are very pleased that so many faculty members have developed service-learning classes, and we are grateful to the community partners who enable us to provide such a valuable experiential learning opportunity to our students.”

The following student-awards will be given:

Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award for Community Service in a Service-Learning Course (15 hours or more of community service): Megan Jones
Outstanding Graduate Student Award for Community Service in a Service-Learning Course (15 hours or more of community service): Paige Decosse
Outstanding Service-Learning and Academic Learning Connection Award: Katherine Somerville
Outstanding Student Volunteer Award: Tina Rinaldi
Outstanding Community Work-Study Student Award: Paul Gabriellini
Outstanding AmeriCorps Peer Leader Award: Jasmine Milton

The following awards will recognize outstanding service-learning courses, the students enrolled in them, and the faculty:

Outstanding Service-Learning Course Award (14 hours or less of community service required): Robin Harris, associate professor of earth sciences and science education, and students enrolled in SCI 445/545 Literacy for Teaching Science

Harris will also receive the Outstanding Faculty Commitment to Service-Learning Award.
Outstanding Service-Learning Course Award (15 hours or more of community service required): Jill Gradwell, associate professor of history and social studies education, and students enrolled in MST/SSE 632 Teaching with Historic Places

The Buffalo State Rotaract Club (student rotary club), whose faculty adviser is Carol DeNysschen, associate professor of dietetics and nutrition, will receive the Outstanding Community Service by a Student Organization Award. The American Red Cross will receive the Outstanding Service-Learning Community Partner Award.

In addition, the students who took part in the alternative winter break and/or the alternative spring break will be recognized, as will students who completed at least 120 hours of service work.

More than 85 service-learning courses were offered in 2012–2013. Buffalo State has more than 200 community partners who benefit from, and contribute to, students’ educational experience.

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Alternative Winter Break Brings Students into Community

norrisma1 — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 18:57:51 +0000

Author:

Lauren Kirchmyer

Published Date:

January 7, 2013

The holidays are a time for people to give thanks and give back. Buffalo State students will embody this as they volunteer throughout the Buffalo community January 21–25 for the first annual Alternative Winter Break.

Over the past three years, students have volunteered with the Volunteer and Service Learning Center’s Alternative Spring Break program. “The students learn more about the issues residents are facing in their communities, and appreciate the community they immerse themselves in,” said Laura Hill Rao, VSLC coordinator. “There has been strong student leadership this year at the center with students wanting to be more involved, so we developed Alternative Winter Break.”

Throughout the program, students will rehabilitate and renovate homes with West Side Ministries; assist children and young adults, and paint and clean structures at Vive la Casa; and collect goods at a food drive sponsored by the Service Collaborative and Food Bank of Western New York. The students will also provide service at the First United Methodist Church, where they will live during the break.

“The students make close friendships with each other in this program, and the community members look forward to working with us and involving our students,” Rao said. “It’s a great experience for everyone.”

“We have the chance to focus on developing our relationships with one another and with the community we are rebuilding,” said James Hall, a student leader for Alternative Winter Break. Hall became a student leader after participating in Alternative Spring Break 2012, where he traveled to Baltimore, Maryland. There, the group worked with children, served food at a soup kitchen, worked to renovate homes, and helped someone clear excessive clutter from his home.

“We were able to embed a positive structure in this man’s life and in his community,” Hall said. “With experiences like these, you realize you can change people’s lives.”

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Insertion Date for Daily Bulletin Feature:

January 8, 2013

Year of the City: October in Review

norrisma1 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:59:07 +0000

Author:

Mary A. Durlak

Published Date:

November 13, 2012

Clothing for preemies, volunteer collaboration with community agencies, and Halloween were just three of the avenues Buffalo State used to celebrate the Year of the City last month.

The campus community of 13,000-plus people is already intimately involved in the city through internships, student teaching, service learning, and faculty research across the campus. As part of the Liberty Partnership program, Buffalo State education majors tutor students attending Tapestry Charter School and McKinley High School in Buffalo. Liberty Partnership’s goal is to create a culture that promotes college attendance.

On October 13, the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center sponsored the annual fall community service day with a new twist: bringing along the family. "Many people have asked if their families and friends could join them," said Laura Hill Rao, coordinator of VSLC. "This year, we had 270 volunteers working on projects put forth by community agencies throughout Buffalo."

Meanwhile, hundreds of students and dozens of faculty members integrated coursework with city resources and institutions. Ten students donated 99 gowns they’d made for premature infants to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. Lynn Boorady, associate professor of fashion and textile technology, assigned the project.

Students in the American Identity in Transition class, taught by Misty Rodeheaver, assistant professor of history and social studies education, worked on several projects relating to cultural diversity in Buffalo. Her students created a history kit that middle-school teachers can borrow from the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society when teaching about the refugee experience. Another Buff State class joined with theater students to create a Haunted House for older kids and teens on nearby 18th Street. And, once again, Buffalo State students are staging the Global Book Project at Wegmans on Grant Street every Saturday morning.

All told, this semester 45 courses are service-learning courses, which augment classroom study with community-related activities. Add to that number those students who are completing internships, student teaching, and clinical experiences throughout the city, and it’s easy to see that, as this semester reaches its halfway point, Buffalo State has once again woven itself deeply into the fabric of Buffalo life.

The October Year of the City lecture, “Buffalo, New York, and Hamilton, Ontario: Portraits in Rust and Recovery,” was presented by Bruce Fisher, director of the Center for Economic and Policy Studies and visiting professor of economics and finance to an audience enthusiastic about Buffalo’s future. A similar theme was presented on October 16 when Alan Ehrenhalt, the author of The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City, discussed that book’s premise—that some suburbanites are rediscovering the upsides of urban life.

Those upsides—diversity; creativity; synergy expressed in art, culture, poetry, and architecture; and a vibrant community life that reveals the face of tomorrow’s America today—have been part of the Buffalo State experience since it opened its doors to students in 1871. Right here in Buffalo.

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Buffalo State, Community Collaborate in Service

norrisma1 — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:03:35 +0000

Author:

Mary A. Durlak

Published Date:

October 8, 2012

Family Volunteer Day takes place on Saturday, October 13, from 12:30 until 4:00 p.m. It's just one of the many activities that weaves the Buffalo State community into the lives of Buffalo’s neighborhoods and people.

For many years, Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students have taken part in a fall community service day.

This year, participants can bring their families, too—whatever "family" means to any individual. "People asked if they could bring their roommates, partners, kids, and friends," said Laura Hill Rao, coordinator of the Volunteer and Service Learning Center (VSLC). "So we expanded participation, which also recognizes the fact that 'family' has many different definitions today. For many out-of-town students, their local family may be their teammates, residence hall neighbors, or fellow members of a fraternity or sorority."

"We have a list of community partners," said Rao, "and we solicited projects from them." This model—asking community members what they want from Buffalo State—is a hallmark of Buffalo State’s campus/community partnerships.

Phyllis Harris, Masten District community liaison for Buffalo Common Council majority leader Demone Smith, serves as community coordinator for the Wakefield Avenue Block Club. "Buffalo State has been helping us with Wakefield Block Club projects for several years," said Harris. "One of our goals is to turn lots that are vacant eyesores into community gardens." The gardens help to enlighten the neighborhood children about the importance of living in a safe and healthy environment, Harris explained.

This year’s project is to lay a brick walk in a community garden on the corner of Wakefield Avenue and Hill Street on Buffalo's East Side. On October 13, volunteers from Buffalo State will continue the project, which was begun by Buffalo State first-year students during orientation last summer. "We appreciate Buffalo State’s ongoing support each year," said Harris.

Many organizations are offering volunteer opportunities for Family Volunteer Day. Some, like Vineyard City Church, None Like You, and several neighborhood associations, are long-time partners; others, including Bennett Park Montessori School, are new this year.

"We have a variety of activities from painting a community center to planting spring bulbs to helping out at a fall festival," said Rao. "Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff, along with their families and guests, are welcome. There are no age restrictions; age-appropriate projects will be available."

To participate, register in person or by e-mail with the VSLC in Cleveland Hall 306, or by calling (716) 878-5811. Volunteers will meet at Campus West; buses will take groups to the sites and return them by about 4:00 p.m.

This event is funded by the Grant Allocation Committee, with support from M&T Bank and VSLC community partners.

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Insertion Date for Daily Bulletin Feature:

October 9, 2012

Hands-on Projects Integral to Volunteer Fair and National Day of Service

norrisma1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:49:35 +0000

Published Date:

September 10, 2012

During the Volunteer Fair and September 11 National Day of Service on the Buffalo State campus, students can see that helping their community doesn’t need to be a day-long affair. Just 15 to 20 minutes can make a difference in someone’s life.

Students will have the opportunity to make a birthday card for a homeless person, assemble a comfort kit for victims of violence, or sign a petition—along with seven other mini-projects area non-profit organizations are heading up. Hosted by Buffalo State’s Volunteer and Service-Learning Center, the fair and National Day of Service will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Student Union Quad and in E. H. Butler Library 210. The projects, which faculty and staff also can participate in, are expected to take between five minutes and two hours to complete.

All together 30 community organizations from across the region will have representatives present to explain what they do and their volunteer needs. The groups are diverse—from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County, which needs volunteer mentors for at-risk youth, to the Buffalo Maritime Center, which needs help renovating and building boats.

Begun in 2002, the National Day of Service is a country-wide movement that honors the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks by assisting others in need. This marks the first year the VSLC at Buffalo State has combined the National Day of Service with its annual volunteer fair.

"We wanted to find a way to engage students in activities while also doing something connected to the National Day of Service," said VSLC Coordinator Laura Hill Rao. "It's a great way to recognize Year of the City at Buffalo State."

Rao added that the community response has been very positive. Their goal was to offer five mini-projects that students could complete between classes, and they ended up with 10.

The hope is that along with making a difference for a day, students will find community organizations they can connect with during the academic year—whether they have a full day or just a few minutes to commit.

To learn more, call (716) 878-5811 or go to www.buffalostate.edu/officers/cdc/vslc.

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Pedagogical Institute 2012: May 14 through May 25

norrisma1 — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:02:23 +0000

Author:

Mary A. Durlak

Published Date:

May 10, 2012

This year’s Pedagogical Institute offers 15 different classes and workshops, including two workshops presented by the Buffalo State National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) campus affiliate team. The first, Welcoming Diversity and Inclusion, is an all-day workshop; the second, Principles of Diversity in and out of the Classroom, runs from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Next year, the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center will partner with Buffalo State’s NCBI team to offer such workshops to students in service-learning courses so that students have additional ways to understand their experiences as they learn from the people they encounter in service-learning courses. Faculty members are invited to attend either or both sessions for their own professional development, and to determine if NCBI’s offerings would be a useful addition to upcoming courses.

Lisa Hunter, assistant dean of intellectual foundations and first-year programs, has organized workshops for Buffalo State Learning Communities faculty and professional staff. First-year programs will offer ten Learning Communities in fall 2012.

Campus Experts
Sue McMillen, director of faculty development, is presenting several pedagogical options, including the use of case studies and strategies for shifting responsibility for learning to the students by providing additional opportunities for active and collaborative work in the classroom.

Other campus experts will share their expertise. Bruce Bryski, associate professor of communication, will present an overview of public speaking and oral communication that may be useful to those teaching courses that include an oral presentation. Michelle Ninacs, assistant professor and director of the College Writing Program, will discuss post-process pedagogy, which the program advocates. Beth Burns, instructional designer with Instructional Resources, will review the use of VYou, VoiceThread and Google Picasa Slideshows as ways to include online “face time” into courses. Crucial Conversations: Communicating in the Workplace and Transforming Awkward Moments into Insight and Learning: Strategies for Handling Student Comments and Disclosures about Sexual Harassment and Assault will also be presented.

Visiting Experts
Several experts will visit campus to share their expertise. Daniel P. Gaile, assistant professor of biostatistics at UB; Jim Java, biostatistician at the Gynecologic Oncology Group; and Lori A. Kirchgraber, bioinformatics programmer/analyst at Roswell Park Cancer Institute will present An Introduction to R. R is a flexible and powerful open-source statistical programming language with an expanding set of data analytic and visualization capabilities. Molly Marren, director of technology in the Grand Island Central School District will facilitate a hands-on session about teaching with an interactive white board.

Paul Hanstedt, author of Hong Konged: One Modern American Family's (Mis)adventures in the Gateway to China (July 2012) and General Education Essentials: A Guide for College Faculty (2012), will present Critical Thinking in General Education and Beyond: Developing Effective Assignments and Pedagogies. In this workshop,participants will explore questions about critical thinking in the context of their own teaching, and develop pedagogies to help students develop their critical-thinking skills.

Preregistration is required.

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Commencement Profile: Devon A. Cozad

norrisma1 — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:01:50 +0000

Published Date:

May 8, 2012

Devon Cozad has earned a bachelor of arts degree in English, attaining a GPA of 3.85 while proving herself as a classroom leader with excellent analytical and writing skills.

Cozad will receive the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence during the 10:00 a.m. baccalaureate ceremony at Buffalo State's 140th Commencement, Saturday, May 12, in the Sports Arena.

Cozad received numerous honors and scholarships, including the English Department’s Arthur L. Bradford Scholarship, which recognizes exemplary work in literary analysis. She also received the prestigious Presidential Scholarship, along with the All College Honors Scholarship and the Buffalo Federation of Women’s Clubs Scholarship.

In summer 2011, she worked with an English Department faculty member on a research project that examined the commodification of fairy tales and their role in popular culture. In class, she used persuasive arguments in analyzing the literature of Milton, Dostoyevsky, and others. Faculty members praised her outstanding performance on examinations, term papers, and class participation. Her work stood out for her impeccable attention to detail and insightful analysis.

Outside the classroom, Cozad helped her peers by serving as a tutor for three years in the English Department’s Writing Center. She also took many leadership positions on campus, serving on the All College Honors Council (ACHC), the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta, and the School of Arts and Humanities Dean’s Student Advisory Council. Through the ACHC, she became an ambassador to the Foundation Scholarship Gala, and she worked with other honors students to clean up neighborhoods and plant gardens during Extreme Makeover Home Edition Buffalo 2009.

As a volunteer with the Brighton Place Library and Community Resource Center, she founded and moderated the 39 Clues Book Club, a literacy group for children in grades three through five.

She also joined with independent artists across the online community of Etsy.com to collect funds for Oxfam America and the National Wildlife Federation, raising almost $10,000 toward cleanup efforts after the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Spring Community Service Day: April 21

norrisma1 — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:49:27 +0000

Author:

Laurie Kaiser

Published Date:

April 18, 2012

More than 300 students are expected to participate in Buffalo State’s Spring Community Service Day on the morning of Saturday, April 21.

The volunteers can choose from 17 different community projects, including planting gardens, painting a community center, playing games with seniors, and cleaning up neighborhoods.

The service day, sponsored by the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center, pairs students and staff with community organizations on the West Side, East Side, downtown Buffalo, and Elmwood Village.

“We had our highest response ever from community partners this spring and actually had to turn some projects down because we couldn’t accommodate the number that was requested,” said Laura Hill Rao, coordinator of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center. “We're taking on some meaningful and interesting projects with great community partners.”

The volunteers will meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Sports Arena and buses will transport them to the various sites that are not within walking distance. Free lunch is provided, and students have the chance to win raffle prizes. The work should wrap up around 12:30 p.m.

Students, along with faculty and staff, who would like to participate can still register at vslc@buffalostate.edu or call (716) 878-5811 or visit the Service-Learning Office in Cleveland Hall 306.

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Alternative Spring Break: Making Spring Break Matter

norrisma1 — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:19:49 +0000

Author:

Laurie Kaiser

Published Date:

March 20, 2012

Two groups of Buffalo State students are spending spring break by sharing compassion and honing home-renovation skills through the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB): March 16-20 in Buffalo and March 18-23 in Baltimore.

In Buffalo, nine students are pairing with the non-profit group Westside Ministries to renovate two houses on the West Side and with Ontario Street United Methodist Church to clean and paint areas for their afterschool program.

Meanwhile, 10 students headed to Baltimore to work in a soup kitchen with Catholic Charities and to prepare a home for renovation with Sixth Branch, a non-profit organization led by military veterans who rebuild neighborhoods.

ASB, now in its third year at Buffalo State, provides a drug- and alcohol-free opportunity for students to get to know fellow classmates while interacting with community groups in high-needs neighborhoods. During their off time, students can participate in arranged sightseeing trips, play games, cook their meals together, and discuss what they have learned from the volunteer experiences.

“This year’s alternative break participants are so enthusiastic about doing service, learning about community issues, and making a difference,” said Laura Hill Rao, coordinator of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center. “Both trips have outstanding student trip leaders who have developed strong programs. It’s going to be a great week."

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