University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Applications being accepted for rail pass

Parking and Transportation Services is accepting applications for a limited amount of free Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Metro Rail passes.

The passes, which are good for travel only on the Metro Rail, are being offered as part of a pilot program under an agreement between UB and the NFTA.

There are 300 faculty/staff passes and 3,000 student passes available on a first-come, first-served basis to UB faculty, staff and students who live within 3/4 of a mile of the NFTA Metro Rail line or have responsibilities that require travel between the South and Downtown campuses.

Those eligible for the passes will receive stickers to be placed on UB ID cards and, when shown, can be used for free travel on the rail line only.

Passes awarded now will be valid through August and must be renewed for September through August 2012. Students renewing in August have the option of obtaining a single-semester pass or a full-year pass.

The pilot phase of the program ends in August 2012.

Applications may be downloaded from the Parking and Transportation Services website.

Stickers will be available within two business days after review of an application.

For further information, contact Parking and Transportation Services at 645-7329.

The Metro Rail pass program is expected to decrease the number of vehicles brought to campus by individuals who reside near the rail, as well as ease traffic congestion into and out of downtown, ultimately reducing the university’s carbon footprint.

The program, as part of the UB Car Free initiative, underscores the university’s commitment to green initiatives and campus sustainability, a primary institutional priority that was formalized when President John B. Simpson signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007. The commitment pledges the university to achieving “climate neutrality” by reducing or offsetting all of its greenhouse-gas emissions.

EAP offers workshops

UB’s Employee Assistance Program is offering several workshops this month designed to help employees deal with such issues as retirement, long-term health care and bullying in the workplace.

Two of the workshops will be offered on the Downtown Campus: “Answering Your Retirement Questions from 10 a.m. to noon on May 10 in Room 301 in the UB Downtown Gateway, 77 Goodell St., and “Long-Term Care Insurance” from noon to 1 p.m. on May 12 in Room 214 of the Educational Opportunity Center, 465 Washington St.

“Bullying: Confronting Workplace Hostility” will be held from 9-11 a.m. May 18 in 218 Norton Hall, North Campus. Brande Newsome, a consultant with NYS Balance, will facilitate the workshop.