An administrator heard concerns about artificial intelligence in classrooms from members of NYU’s Student Government Assembly at this month’s meeting, before the group also discussed a proposal to build soundproof study pods in Tisch Hall.
DeAngela Duff, an assistant vice provost at NYU who works on AI-related initiatives, held a listening session during Thursday’s meeting to hear students’ opinions on mandatory disclosure of AI usage for coursework. SGA chair Ashlie Oxford told WSN that NYU’s faculty committee on technology-enhanced education had requested to speak with students to gather recommendations on classroom AI policies.
“I’m curious about what your thoughts are about student disclosure of using these tools,” Duff asked SGA members at the meeting. “What do you want from faculty? Do you want faculty to disclose their use of these tools?”
Ruby Foxall, the president of the Wagner student council, raised concerns that students who do not disclose their AI usage, even when required by professors, often do not receive punishment. Foxall suggested that students might be worried that disclosing would cause them to be graded harshly.
Jenn Hernandez, a member of SGA’s Basic Needs Committee, said policies are often inconsistent across courses, making it difficult to remember which assignments AI could be used for. She suggested that the university standardize its AI usage policies to minimize confusion.
Christian Howze, senator at-large for Black students and students of color, said that professors and teaching assistants should also disclose AI use in grading.
“I’ve noticed a lot of professors using AI to grade,” Howze said at the meeting. “Sometimes teaching assistants use it as well. That’s very disappointing, because we put in all the work and then our stuff isn’t actually being looked at.”
Students also reviewed an SGA funding proposal to install soundproof study pods in Tisch Hall. The $70,000 proposal would add six single-occupancy pods in the Stern building’s upper concourse study area over the course of three months.
Stern graduate student senator Ben Miller, who submitted the proposal, said that it would reduce strain on group study rooms at the Stern building and Bobst Library, which are often occupied by individual students to take calls or virtual interviews. Howze suggested that the pods might be more useful at different locations like CAS buildings, since Stern students already have access to private spaces.
The assembly will send out absentee ballots and vote on the proposal over the next week because attendance at the meeting did not reach the 37-person requirement for an in-person vote.
After the meeting, the SGA held a mixer for members to ask questions to NYU administrators, including Campus Safety vice president Patricia McSteen, Title VI coordinator David Krieger and Josh Taylor, vice president of global outreach and mobility.
Contact Zachary Karp at [email protected].