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NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023 · VOL. CXLV, NO. 15 · yaledailynews.com · @yaledailynews
University leaders issue AI guidance
Bulldogs clinch Ivy Championship
BY EVAN GORELICK & ALEX MCDONALD STAFF REPORTER & CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
Anwar told the News that medical debt impacts one out of every five Connecticut residents — disproportionately minorities — and he believes it is a shame that so many people file bankruptcy because of it. According to Lamont’s announcement, this model can "generate more than a one-to-100 return on investment of government dollars,” because “hospitals often sell debts for pennies.” “ Paying the medical debt … would help take care of [people’s] immediate needs [and] protect their credit scores,” Anwar said. “And some of the healthcare systems [that] have been impacted by the lack of payment can survive and then per-
The rise of ChatGPT has prompted new University guidance for faculty and staff regarding artificial intelligence and machine learning. Just weeks after ChatGPT launched in late November 2022, the online chatbot exploded in popularity worldwide. By January, ChatGPT reached over 100 million active monthly users, making it the fastest-growing web platform ever. ChatGPT is a conversational AI: the bot provides advanced responses to requests and questions and can generate written compositions. University Provost Scott Strobel and Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives Jennifer Frederick sent an email to faculty addressing the rise of AI and its implications for teaching and research at Yale on Jan. 24, just after the start of the spring semester. “We write today to increase faculty awareness about the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies that have been released recently,” the email read. “ChatGPT, for example, has made headlines in the past few months because of its ability to generate text and code with remarkable speed and coherence. We strongly encourage faculty to understand the implications of this emergent technology, including the opportunities and challenges it poses for teaching and learning in our community.” This followed several faculty members contacting the Poorvu Center during the winter recess requesting guidance in light of the now-widely accessible AI software, according to University leaders. “ChatGPT produces much better writing than the version of AI writing that was publicly available before,” Alfred Guy — Poorvu Center director of undergraduate writing and assistant dean of academic affairs — told the News. “Essentially, on Nov. 30, what AI could do in response to a written question jumped in quality. So the prospect of students being able to pass off AI work as their own went up.” The email included a link to a new webpage aimed at providing AI guidance and resources for Yale instructors. The page, developed by the Poorvu Center in partnership with several faculty experts, contains perspectives on academic integrity, ideas for integrating AI into assignments and example syllabus statements addressing the use of AI technology by students. Yale has not changed its undergraduate regulations regarding cheating and plagiarism, though professors can set course-specific AI policies when appropriate. Frederick, who is also the Poorvu Center’s executive director, told the News that the academic integrity concerns posed by ChatGPT are subsumed under existing regulations. “You may have seen that some institutions have gone the direction of banning the use of ChatGPT; we’re not doing that,” Frederick said. “I think where the University leadership falls on this is that the considerations are going to be different for each school, each division, each discipline. So it needs to be a school-specific conversation.” Frederick noted that the University’s response to the rise of accessible AI is still a work in progress, and policies are developing quickly. To facilitate further discussion, the Poorvu Center will host an online panel, “Artificial Intelligence and Teaching: A Community Conversation” on Feb. 14. “We’re not quite sure where this is all going,” Frederick told the News. “But we’re better as an educational institution to pay attention and to be really intentional about whatever happens.”
SEE DEBT RELIEF PAGE 4
SEE CHATGPT PAGE 5
The Yale women’s hockey team recovered from a loss to No. 4 Colgate and beat No. 14 Cornell to clinch the team’s first Ivy League Championship in program history. Yale Athletics BY SPENCER KING STAFF REPORTER With their win against Cornell University on Saturday, the women’s hockey team clinched their first Ivy League Championship in program history. The No. 2 Yale women’s hockey team (24–2–1, 17–2–1 ECAC) split their games this weekend against two nationally ranked teams in a loss to No. 4 Colgate University (26–4–2, 16–3–1 ECAC) and a win over No. 14 Cornell (13–12–2, 10–9–1 ECAC). After a hard fought 5–3 loss on Friday night to Colgate, the Bulldogs bounced back on Saturday as captain Claire Dalton ’23 provided
the overtime heroics to defeat Cornell 3-2. “I am so proud of this team,” Dalton said. “Yesterday was tough, but we knew we could bounce back, especially with the school’s first Ivy League Championship on the line.” Since Yale defeated Colgate in last year’s NCAA Regional Final, the Raiders clearly came into the new season with vengeance on their minds. Colgate has been the only team to beat the Bulldogs this year, and the two games against the Raiders stand as the only blemishes on Yale’s otherwise-perfect season. With the two teams currently occupying the top-two spots in the ECAC
standings, the Bulldogs will likely need to find a way to break the streak and beat the Raiders if they are to win an ECAC Championship in addition to their Ivy League Championship. A player that has proven this season to be a thorn in the side of the Bulldogs — as well as nearly any team she plays against — is Colgate senior forward Danielle Serdachny. Serdachny registered three assists against the Bulldogs, pushing her season total to 58 points, a Colgate season record. “That’s a really great accomplishment,” Colgate head coach Greg Fargo said to Colgate Athletics. “We’ve had a lot of great
players come through this program over the years and for Danielle to accomplish that tonight is really special.” While Serdachny drives most of the offense for the Raiders, the Bulldogs boast a more diverse attack, which has proven to be an effective strategy for the team all season. Yale has four players in the top 30 in the nation in points per game, led by Elle Hartje ’24 with 1.32 points per game, the 13th highest in the country. However, the story of the game for the Bulldogs against Cornell was their captain, DalSEE W HOCKEY PAGE 5
Students seek religious accomodations New housing process prevents requests for religious accomodations BY BRIAN ZHANG & JANALIE COBB STAFF REPORTERS The lack of guaranteed religious accommodations in this year’s newly standardized housing assignment process has drawn frustration from campus
groups, who argue that the new process will compromise the religious expression and mental health of Muslim students. Such housing accommodations can include having single-gender bathrooms or living on a single-gender floor. In a Yale College Council fall survey, 52 percent of the students who reported that they required housing accommodations for religious or cultural reasons said that they had encountered challenges in securing them. 86 percent of these students had requested to be placed in all-women-identifying bathrooms. “Not guaranteeing religious accommodations … is either forcing students that
need access to single-gendered spaces to live in anxiety-producing spaces and compromise their religious practices, or [having them] move off campus,” Huda Siddiqui ’25 told the News. Previously, students who required religious accommodations could meet with their respective chaplains to make housing requests, according to Zahra Yarali ’24. If the chaplain head approved the accommodation request, the student would be removed from the housing lottery, joining a group of other students in that college who had made similar requests. Under the new housing proSEE HOUSING PAGE 5
Lamont cancels medical debt BY ANJALI MANGLA & YURII STASIUK SENIOR REPORTER & STAFF REPORTER On Feb. 8, Gov. Ned Lamont announced a budget item proposal to cancel the medical debt of thousands of Connecticut residents. At the same time, progressive legislators have questioned why residents’ medical debt should exist in the first place, pushing for a bill to examine the costs and benefits of adopting universal healthcare in Connecticut. According to Lamont’s proposal, the Connecticut government wants to use $20 million of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to cancel an estimated $2 billion in medical debts. The Connecticut government, partnering with nonprofits, would use the fund-
CROSS CAMPUS
THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY, 1933.
Yale Divinity School announces they will end sex discrimination in admissions. They will begin accepting women in the program for the following year. Unfortunately, the admission will be limited to 10 women.
ing to negotiate with hospitals and buy out medical debts so hospitals will receive compensation for forgiving the debt that people cannot pay off — a model which governments throughout the United States have already used. “Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy, and it hangs like a dark cloud as you try to get your health and bank account back in shape,” Lamont said in his budget address. “The ultimate solution to this problem is affordable access to quality healthcare for everybody.” Debt cancellation still has to go through the Connecticut General Assembly. State Senator Saud Anwar, who serves as the General Assembly's Public Health committee chair, expressed his excitement about the proposal.
INSIDE THE NEWS NEW HAVENERS FUNDRAISE FOR TURKEY & SYRIA PAGE 6 NEWS
PAGE 3 OPINION PAGE 7 NEWS PAGE 13 BULLETIN PAGE 14 SPORTS PAGE B1 SPISSUE
WEED Yale experts explained the science of cannabis following its legalization in CT. PAGE 8 SCITECH
TEACHERS New Haven's teachers' union has agreed to a tentative contract with the city. PAGE 11 NEWS