At today’s Academic Senate, both old and new items were brought to the floor, which included AI generated work, the budget cuts and more about the potential new Tracy campus.
After Speaker Arya Alami opened the meeting, members of the Academic Senate delivered brief announcements before transitioning into committee reports.
The Academic Technology and Learning Committee discussed the issue surrounding AI and how faculty can better detect it in their student’s work. As AI continues to progress, the Senators discussed the need for preventative procedures.
“AI is getting better at hiding itself,” Speaker Alami commented during the discussion about the importance of creating these measures.
The Faculty Budget Advisory Committee provided updates to the current budget situation impacting the Turlock and Stockton campuses. John Brandt, the chairman for the FBAC, explained how the university has experienced budget cuts, resulting in pending loans and the potential of further financial assistance.
The wellbeing of the Stockton campus and how it will be affected by budget cuts was drawn to the attention of the Senate. The Stockton Council expressed concern that with the progression of the Tracy Satellite Campus project they will be the first to experience the side effects of these new developments.
“Stockton remains a vital part of our mission,” Provost Ogle said while reassuring the Senate and Council about the potential effects.
Provost Ogle then delivered the President’s Report and discussed the current state of the Tracy campus in more detail. The donor who is interested in funding the beginning of this project hopes to see how the university can enhance certain fields of study, but will not have an explicit say in how the school functions.
The university considers the 20 million dollar donation towards the Tracy campus as a gift and is not accessible for other campus necessities. Provost Ogle briefly explained the additional details of the project which would include 66 acres of land, a 25,000 square foot building and infrastructure building support.
Provost Ogle explained how “because it is a gift, these are not resources that are available for us to address.”
When questioned by Guest Dave Colnic about the new campus and the possible repercussions of accepting the donation, Provost Olge had a clear response.
“There are no strings attached financially in our current plan,” claimed the Provost.
During Guest Colnic’s CFA report, he discussed his most recent visit to the Chancellor’s office and his thoughts on how faculty and students alike are not being respected by the university. He believes this will ultimately have a negative impact on students.
After hearing from Colnic, the Senate focused on their reading items and reviewed the standing rules of the Senate.
During the review, the topic of discussion was whether it should be required or encouraged for members of the Academic Senate to keep their cameras on throughout their entire meetings. It was then discussed whether it should be required or encouraged to use a headshot instead of requiring cameras.
The motion was then voted on resulting in 34 yes’s, 4 no’s, and 3 interested in extending the vote. As the voting continued to be pushed back, open forum was cut short and the meeting ended.
