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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 140, No. 5 Join The Sun! Fall Recruitment
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2023 n ITHACA, NEW YORK Arts and Culture Unpacking Utopia
Nihar Hegde '24 notes dark piano melodies and exciting features in Travis Scott's latest release, Utopia. | Page 5
8 Pages – Free
Sports
Weather
Vying for Victory
Sunny
Cornell volleyball fell just short in a back-and-forth battle against Bucknell on Saturday. | Page 8
HIGH: 87º LOW: 65º
Cornell Raises Parking Fines As of Sept. 1, violators may face citations up to $150 By JULIA SENZON
to them,” said Bridgette Brady, senior director for Transportation and Delivery Services, in the press release. All vehicles violating displayed on-campus parking Permit and payment violations — which represent policies are liable to increased parking violation fines 85 percent of parking violations — are now $50, as of Friday, Sept. 1, with a $10 increase if according to a Cornell “Our goal is to encourage drivers to do not paid within 10 days. Facilities and Campus The fine was previously the right thing.” Services press release. $35, according to stuThe rise in citation fines dents like Abby Gase Bridgette Brady marks the first increase ’25, who received a citain parking violation tion before the increase. fines since 2014. Unauthorized parkThe price raise was issued in response to an ing in an accessible space, fire lane or life safety zone increase in unauthorized parking, the press release will now cost drivers $150 with automatic towing. said. Students, faculty and staff who use cars on The boot program — in which cars are immobilized campus can currently purchase permits or use the through wheel locking — also has an increased release daily decision parking options — where drivers can fee of $150. digitally pay for select parking spots on a day-to-day The “boot” is utilized for vehicles with at least three basis. Cornell Transportation Services oversees cam- unpaid parking citations, with a cumulative violation pus parking violation policies, according to the press amount of at least $200 or with a falsified, altered or release. invalid parking permit. Vehicles can be immobilized “Our goal is to encourage drivers to do the right through the program regardless of whether the vehicle thing, which is why we want to increase awareness is legally or illegally parked at the time of violation. among the Cornell community about the numerous permit and mobile-payment parking options available Sun News Editor
See FINES page 3
BORIS TSANG / SUN FILE PHOTO
Pricey parking | A family violates campus parking policy during move-in. By increasing parking fines, the University is encouraging drivers to follow the Unviersity's permit protocol to avoid expensive citations.
JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Digital developments | This semester, students will undertake new assignments as professors shift their curricula in response to AI.
AI Sparks Changes In Academic Policy By ISABELA WILSON Sun Staff Writer
With chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard at our fingertips, it has never been easier to write an essay, solve a math problem or summarize a reading. While many professors despise artificial intelligence for this very reason, others are embracing the technology to facilitate deeper learning. This academic year, professors across the University are restructuring their academic policies to accommodate the new technology. Artificial intelligence is becoming central to questions about academic integrity and meaningful learning. The use of AI chatbots in academia became a cause for concern for the University and other institutions earlier this year due to the emergence of one AI engine, ChatGPT. The tool was created by OpenAI, a U.S.-based research laboratory responsible for developing AI software. OpenAI states on its website that it has repeatedly improved ChatGPT’s engine, strengthening its capabilities of “understand[ing]
as well as generat[ing] natural language or code,” using training data derived from Wikipedia and other virtual databases. Despite ChatGPT’s disclaimer that its data is accurate only up to September 2021 and that it may provide inaccurate information, students across the country have been eager to use the tool for school work. A survey commissioned by Intelligent.com and conducted by SurveyMonkey found that 30 percent of polled students used ChatGPT in the 2022-2023 academic year. Action taken by universities to manage AI’s use has been progressing at a slow pace. ChatGPT rapidly infiltrated the consumer market in late November 2022 — months after Cornell and its professors had publicized their academic integrity policies, which usually occur once at the start of each semester. However, the 2023-2024 academic year commencement has given Cornell’s administration and faculty a chance to reexamine and adapt the current system to nascent AI technologies. See AI page 4
Comm. Major Adapts Structure By ANUSHKA SHOREWALA Sun Contributor
The communication major at Cornell University, situated within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, offers students an interdisciplinary education in the art and science of effective communication. The department website states that the major equips students with valuable skills to convey ideas, information and messages across various platforms and contexts.
Starting this academic year, the communication major has been updated to reflect the evolving landscape of communication in the digital age, according to Prof. Christopher Byrne, communication. Students are encouraged to explore the intersection of communication, media and technology. Through the revised communication curriculum, students can now focus on emerging technologies and contemporary communication trends such as chatbots that utilize
artificial intelligence and social platforms like TikTok. The major changes in the communication department for students entering Fall 2023 and after are: • The addition of a required, one-credit core course: Communication 1111: Navigating the Communication Major for first-year students, not including transfer students. See COMMUNICATION page 3
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Major changes | With a new first-year course and the removal of Focus Areas, the communication department is adapting to a developing industry.