USG Senator Alexandra Esmonde

My name is Alex Esmonde I am a junior and my major is Business Administration with a concentration in Management and a Hospitality Administration minor. I joined USG to get more involved in my school and community and so I could make my ideas heard. I think it is very important that students have their voices and ideas heard and put in to action, and I want to be a person that students can feel free to come talk to if they have issues, ideas, concerns, or suggestions.

Below is a list of 5 things in Buffalo that I think make Buffalo unique and that everyone should know about.

1. The observation deck at City Hall: Located on the top of City Hall the observation deck offers a full view of Buffalo, and the views are amazing.
2. Sabres, Bisons and Bills games: Even though we are a smaller city compared to other places that have NFL and NHL teams (not so much Triple A) I think it is awesome that I can go see a professional game for a fraction of the price of other cities, and when we are doing well, our teams offer the same competition and skill that more expensive teams offer.

3. Shea's: Phantom of the Opera is my favorite play that I have seen multiple times. The theater is beautiful and historic and offers numerous high quality plays at affordable prices. I also went to see the first Phantom of the Opera movie which was another cool, unusual performance.

4. Elmwood Avenue: Elmwood contains various shops, restaurants, and businesses that are each unique and pertain to a variety of interests. Shopping on Elmwood can be an all day experience or you can just go to 711 or the CO-OP and grab a few groceries. There is always something to do on Elmwood, whether it be go out to eat at a different restaurant, see a concert, or go shopping.

5. Buffalo's proximity to Canada, beaches, and skiing: I love being able to drive 45 minutes to Ellicotville to go skiing in the winter, 45 minutes to go to the beaches in Angola in the summer, and drive 20 minutes to go to a foreign country.  Even though Buffalo is not a major city like New York there are numerous different events, festivals, concerts, and so forth that are only a short distance away and offer the same entertainment as a major city, or a more expensive venue would offer.

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USG Senator Ashleigh-Ann Sutherland

      Hi, my name is Ashleigh-Ann Sutherland. I am a freshman, biology major here at Buffalo State College. I am also a senator on USG. I chose to become a senator because I wanted to be someone in college. I wanted to make sure that the students were heard and that their needs were satisfied. There are various things that you could do in order to be successful in college but here are five:

       1.      Make a schedule

Have a monthly planner for all of your assignments. Make an organized plan for your meetings and classes. Post it up in your room, that way you can be sure of what you should be doing at all times.

2.      Be social

Do not stay in your dorm room. Attend events, sit in the lounge, or go check out clubs that interest you. Sometimes you could even meet new friends at the gym.

3.      Be healthy

Gaining the “freshman 15” is one’s biggest fear. I do not believe in it. Make use of the gym hours. Go for a walk down Elmwood. Take the stairs. Do not take the word “buffet” for granted.

4.      Stay motivated

Remember that you are not here to be peer pressured. Make your dreams possible. Associate with the right people.

5.      Be optimistic

Be open to failure. Realize that failing just means that you have to work harder to achieve your goals.

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USG has more senators!

             As the number of undergraduate students is growing, so is the number of Senators! It was recently increased from 20 to 40. More senators were needed to better represent the 10,000 undergraduate students at Buffalo State.

            There are currently 21 senators and 19 seats are still available. Anyone interested in applying for a senator position must have a minimum of 2.0 GPA, attend a weekly senate meeting, and a weekly committee meeting. An application can be found on the USG website,  www.usgbuffstate.org.

            A different senator will be periodically featured on this blog.  They will share a bit about who they are, why they decided to join USG, and present a topic of their choosing. The first ones are senators Ashleigh-Ann Sutherland and Kwame Nyante. They both joined USG during the fall 2012 semester.

 

New USG Officers

As the new school year is approaching, the newly elected USG officers are preparing for their positions for the 2012-2013 academic year. They went through three weeks of extensive training over the summer that helped them learn more about USG and provided them with the tools that will help them be successful this upcoming year.

The first part of training consisted of getting familiar with USG and how it operates, meeting with the USG business staff and working on articles for the USG summer insert. The second part of training included meeting with the Student Life & Campus Life staff, and some of the Buffalo State Deans. At those meetings USG officers and Buffalo State staff discussed ways to engage students in campus life initiatives and identified problems that students are facing and ways to resolve them.

Part of the second half of training was done at Whispering Pines, the USG owned camp in Franklinville, NY. During their stay there, they met with Paul Knapic, the camp manager who gave them a tour of the grounds and introduced them to the history of the camp.  They also discussed what each one of them had accomplished over the summer and what plans they had for the upcoming year.

Some of the officers already have previous experience on USG, and some are brand new to it.

The president, Sara Garfinkle, has been part of USG since her freshman year. She started out as a senator, then moved to vice president for Community Affairs, and then in her junior year, she became president of USG. She is currently a senior and serving her second term as president. Sara is originally from Long Beach, NY. She is an exceptional education major with a concentration in English.

Christina Germann is the Interim Vice President. She joined USG as a senator in January 2012. She is a junior majoring in elementary education.

Justine Britten is the treasurer. Justine began serving as a Senator in September 2011 and was appointed Vice Treasurer in November 2011. She is originally from Brooklyn, NY. She is a sophomore and a business major with a concentration in management.

Andrea Wright is the Vice President for Student Life. She started out as a senator last year. Andrea is a senior majoring in fashion and dance.

Mariya Yankova is the Vice President for Public Relations. She is a senior majoring in journalism and minoring in Spanish. She has no previous experience on USG.

The other three positions haven’t officially been taken yet but there are senators who are currently running for them.

Daisy Rochez is running for Vice President for Academic Affairs. She was a senator last year. Daisy is a senior majoring in psychology and Spanish.

Trivet Jarmond is running for Vice President for Campus Affairs and Government Relations. He is a sophomore majoring in psychology and has no previous experience on USG.

Welcome New E-Board Positions

Good Friday,

I waited to today to introduce the E-Board of USG. Particularly because today is my last day as AVP for Communication. I am proud to have served the 35th Legislation, and humbled to be a part of such an amazing hard working team. Just like the beginning of the year, I gave you something personal for each member of USG E_Board, today I will do the same for the new E-Board. However, some people have go and grown, and move to higher positions. While others decided to run again for the same positions. Enjoy and let's welcome the new E-Board to represent Buffalo State College in an amazing way.

Click read more to read each member positions!

Signed,

Kadejah Henderson
AVP for Communications 2011-2012

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Inside the U Edition 7 Volume 4

To read more go to Bengal Connect!

Elections

If you're a Buffalo State student looking at this page on line you are in a position to cast your votes in the Buffalo State Student Elections right now! Simply click on the link below to get to the Bengal Connect web page. Then use the link on that page and your student username and password to access the ballot.

Positions you will vote on include the Executive Officers and Senators of the United Students Government as well as student seats on other campus decision-making bodies. Detailed information is available on the ELECTIONS pages of this web site.

So don't wait - do it now! Polls close at 3:30pm Thursday, April 5.

Click here!

Intro to BAM

Mental Health Awareness Week

Relaxation Day for this School Semester

Check out the video coverage from last year. 

Inside the U, Volume 4 Edition 6

Here is a capture of the Inside the U Volume 4 Edition 6 newsletter, to view the full edition click here.