With the topics of state-wide budget cuts, campus safety and the use of artificial intelligence in mind, the Fall Faculty was held Oct. 17 in the University Center.

An active shooter threat occurring in the community early in the morning of Oct. 17, staff had questions regarding the late alert sent to students and fellow faculty members, as well as what the school community should look for communication-wise in possible future emergencies.

With the chief of the university police out of state, “communication between the city and the school somewhere was lacking,” Chancellor Corey King said. 

“My first thought: let’s shut this down. Tell people to shelter in place and stay at home,” said King. “That was the space I was in because your safety and welfare is my priority.”

However, the university was instructed to yield to the city where authorities suggested continuing with normal activities.

With the announcement of the $32 million budget cut within the UW System, King shared that UW-Whitewater was able to absorb the $680,000 cut. 

“We did receive $680,000 in a cut that was specifically related to EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion),” King said. “Specifically, [the UW System] wanted all institutions to cut positions in that space with that money. We chose not to do that, nor will we ever cut positions in the EDI space for the sake of doing it.”

The motion to update the required information on syllabi regarding artificial intelligence was approved.

“The idea behind this was we think that as faculty you should be able to address how AI can or cannot be used in your classroom,” said faculty senate president Kimberly Nath. “We are not dictating how you use technology, but merely requesting that you have a statement saying how it can or cannot be used in your classroom. It is still completely at the instructor’s discretion, but for uniformity across classes to help our students.”

Additionally, Learning Technology Center Director Eric Loepp said, “the campus has been on top of this since last December” when the rise of artificial intelligence began to become predominant in student classwork and exams.

Resources and workshops about the use of artificial intelligence and additional information are available through the Learning Technology Center.