Spring 2023 Edition 1 February- March 2023

A Voice For e Students

February-March 2023

February-March 2023

In This Issue:

p. 3 - Title IX Coordinator Steps Down

p. 4 - New LGBTQ Resource Center

p. 4 - Refreshed Student Spaces

p. 5 - First Seasons of Competition

p. 6 - Opinion: YikYak

p. 8 - Teaching Antiracism Through African

Diasporic Dance

p. 10 - ChatGPT: Friend or Foe?

p. 11 - Letter From the Editor

The Herald

Established 1879

By and for the Students of Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Paul Janes, Editor-in-Chief

Kyle Mast, Design Editor

Jack Hanson, Design, Web Editor

Caitlyn Carr, Copy Editor

Katelyn Oswalt, Copy Editor

Hrithik Biswas, Operations Manager

Contributors

Writers

Sydney Herbruck

Paul Janes

Katelyn Oswalt

Copy

Katelyn Oswalt

Photo

Kyle

Mast

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The Herald is currently accepting submissions for upcoming issues.

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2

Kylie Rowland

Jack

Title IX Coordinator Steps Down

By Sydney Herbruck ’25 Staff Writer

Dr. Bill Boerner, the previous Title IX Coordinator, has stepped down after accepting the position in 2019. Previous to the Colleges, Boerner came with 20 years of experience working in higher education. While at HWS, he was dedicated to making sure that everyone felt safe around campus and felt comfortable enough to come talk to him if they didn’t. There is no malice intent with his decision to part from the Colleges, he simply “accepted a position at another organization as the next part of his career” says Shelle Basilio, Interim Title IX Coordinator.

Shelle Basilio is the Associate Vice President of Campus Life, and is serving in the Title IX role while the Colleges conduct a search for another permanent coordinator. Olivia Rowland ’21, interviewed Dr. Boerner upon his arrival at HWS. During her interview with him, Boerner said that “trust is central to the function of the Title IX Office as a safe place for students to disclose their experiences.” Just as Dr. Boerner was

committed to upholding this mission statement, Shelle Basilio plans to do the same. She is more than willing to assist in decision making if you feel the need to file criminal charges against someone, or if you need to complain about alleged prohibited conduct on-campus. The HWS Title IX office states that “the Title IX Office can assist in implementing supportive mea-

sures for any person involved in a violation of the Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Policy and helps to manage campus-wide training and response.” Dr. Boerner was a neutral party willing to listen to anyone, while also maintaining statistical information on the repor1ted sexual violence that happened on campus. Shelle Basilio will continue the change that Dr. Boerner worked so hard to make. He worked to understand the campus climate and she will do the same.

Basilio would like to encourage everyone to fill out the Title IX Campus Climate Survey. The survey has been launched this past Monday, Feb. 27, and will expire Friday, April 7. The survey is open to all faculty, staff, and students looking to give their opinions on how the campus climate can change for the better. Everyone will receive a personalized link through their email that is specific to you. Filling this out is just one small step we can take to help better serve our community in regards to safety. Basilio would also like to emphasize that this survey is anonymous, so you need not be scared in sharing your true thoughts and opinions.

While it is sad to see Dr. Boerner go, it is important to recognize how much of a positive impact he has made on this campus and the change he has brought to HWS. During this interim period, it is important to recognize Shelle Basilio for stepping into this role while continuing to fulfill her other duties on campus, while the search for a new coordinator continues.

Photo by Kyle Mast

Posters on the entrance to Office of Title IX

New LGBTQ+ Resource Center Coordinator

By Elinor Brunner ‘26 Staff Writer

Refreshed Student Spaces

The Herald recently sat down with Dr. Joshua Bastian Cole to discuss his role as our new LGBTQ+ Resource Center Coordinator. On top of his role as Coordinator, Dr. Cole, who is new to HWS, is also a professor. This semester, he is teaching the class “Queer and Trans Social Movements.”

Dr. Cole just completed his PhD in Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University. He has previously taught at SUNY Plattsburgh and the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and he has been published in a variety of scholarly journals and anthologies. His areas of research include trans studies, disability studies, performance, and screen media. In Dr. Cole’s free time, he enjoys singing; he is a member of the AFAB4, a trans masculine close harmony quartet that has performed at pride events around central New York and has performances available on YouTube. His wife, Kristin, works in the Yale Law School alumni office and lives in New Haven with their dog Dublin. Dr. Cole says simply, “I miss them both a lot.”

The Resource Center, which operates under the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is a little-known and little-used resource on campus, but it does important work. For one, it hosts programs and events related to diversity, inclusion, and social justice; Dr. Cole supervises the creation and implementation of these events in his role as Coordinator. For another, the Center aims to support the identities of all LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, and staff; promote allyship; and foster a safe and inclusive campus community.

Dr. Cole asserts, “HWS positions inclusion, equality, diversity, and justice at the core of our academic mission…LGBTQIA+ students should feel welcomed, supported, and encouraged here.” He works closely with and represents the Center alongside academic programs and student organizations as part of this mission. The Center also provides SafeZone training, which all student leaders are required to participate in, and any group of students, staff, faculty, or members of the Geneva community can request. This training helps participants create inclusive, safe spaces for discussions about sexual orientation, gender identity, and presentation. Dr. Cole points out, “You might see a SafeZone sticker on an office door, and that signals it’s okay to talk to the person behind that door about this stuff without judgment or malice.”

Finally, Dr. Cole emphasizes the Resource Center’s role as a private physical space. Located on the ground floor of DeCordova Hall, it can be used as a study or social space during Dr. Cole and the three student staff members’ (who Dr. Cole describes as being amazing) open office hours. Students can also reserve the Center for meetings and events related to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. It has comfortable seating inside and an outdoor patio for when it starts to warm up.

Dr. Cole encourages you to check out the Resource Center’s Instagram @hwslgbtqrc to find out about upcoming events. He is currently planning numerous film screenings related to his class that will also be open to the rest of the campus. He especially urges LGBTQIA+ seniors to look out for the upcoming RSVP for the HWS Lavender Graduation, which will be held on April 28th and will feature Hugh Ryan as the keynote speaker. Come and see him in DeCordova!

Spencer Pinque ‘26 Staff Writer

Hobart & William Smith colleges facilities have been updated and renovated over the winter break. Once students and staff departed from campus in 2022, upon their return, they were greeted by changes to buildings and rooms in 2023.

One of the college’s earliest buildings remains Coxe Hall- and aside from the classrooms, there is also the large Bartlett Theater which has seen several renovations. Thus far in the spring semester, it has hosted the well-attended events of the Rowing Formal, the Asian Student’s Union Lunar New Year celebration, and the Blood Drive from CEESL.

One of the most prominent buildings on campus is the Scandling center, containing the Saga dining hall and cafe on its 1st floor. The lounge has been refurbished with new furniture including chairs and couches as well as tables, replacing the long-standing ones. At any time during the day this spring semester, one can find someone enjoying the new lounge furniture either doing homework or eating a burrito to pass the time.

The coed dorm Sherrill houses many freshmen who appreciate the upgrade in regards to their completely redone common rooms on each floor. One can find colorful swivel chairs and multiple desks that double as whiteboards. The creative study tactic of writing down subject material with a dryerase marker on the very table before them has now been transformed from fantasy to reality. The rumor has it that the campus bookstore attached to Sherill is also to be facing some changes in the near future.

The eye-catching Demarest Hall building sticks out on a map due to its tall steeple. Inside this academic building, there is also the beautiful Blackwell Library which floors have been enhanced lately. The striking stained-glass windows and shiny wooden pews and seats provide a study space like no other on campus. A picturesque church decorated with shelves of books is something that deserves to be well-kept.

In general, the residents and faculty are grateful for these four student spaces to be given attention to extend numerous resources and foster a richer educational environment at HWS.

Photo Courtesy of HWS Communications

Outside of the Resource Center located in DeCordova

First Season of Competition

Paige Wilson ‘26 Staff Writer

In the fall of 2021, Hobart and William Smith Colleges announced that they would be adding 12 new or returning varsity sports to campus. Starting as soon as the fall 2022 semester, these sports would begin practicing and playing games. Current students had the opportunity to try out for these teams, and coaching staff for each team started recruiting incoming freshmen to play for the Colleges. Hobart and William Smith Colleges are still working on hiring head coaches to begin recruitment for student-athletes for some of the sports, and they currently have plans to renovate some of our preexisting athletic facilities to better accommodate the increase in the number of teams soon to be practicing on campus. Some of the new sports teams who began competing this past fall have already concluded their seasons. William Smith volleyball had an outstanding inaugural season this past fall, and the Hobart swim and dive team recently finished their first season back on campus since 1995. The William Smith bowling team is currently competing in its first varsity season and is doing well. Two specific teams are on the rise and showing a lot of promise right now: the Hobart and William Smith alpine ski team and the Hobart baseball team.

The Hobart and William Smith alpine ski team is currently competing in its first season after the ski club officially became a varsity sport this winter. The Hobart team has had a rather successful inaugural season, consistently placing at least top 5 at all races. They compete against other teams in the Mideast surrounding Upstate New York, traveling around to different slopes nearby, such as Greek Peak in Cortland and Bristol Mountain in Canandaigua. Recently, they placed fifth of 11 teams at Bristol Mountain for the Mideast Regional Championships. They also qualified to participate in National Championships, which will be held at Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes California the week of March 6. Current skiers for the Statesmen who are doing well this season include Benjamin Gordon ‘23, Jack Ross ‘26, and Rex Eidlin ‘26.

The William Smith alpine ski team, also competing as a varsity sport for the first time this season, has had a fantastic inaugural season. On average, they placed first or

second in most of their races. Most recently, they competed in the Mideast Regional Championships at Bristol Mountain, placing 1st out of 14 teams. At the moment, key skiers for the Herons are Caraline Gray ‘23, Marjorie Plants ‘25, and Katherine Broderick ‘26. They will also be headed to Mammoth Mountain the week of March 6th to compete in National Championships. We wish them the best of luck as the Hobart and William Smith alpine ski team finish off the rest of their first season and continue to succeed in future seasons to come.

As the spring season fast approaches, it is necessary to talk about the resurrection of the Hobart baseball team, which will be again competing as a varsity sport this spring semester. The team had a scrimmage over alumni weekend, and since then they have been practicing to prepare for their first season back. Their season opener was scheduled to be March first against Medaille University, but was postponed until further notice. With a team heavily made up of first years, it will be interesting to see how their first season goes. We will be rooting for the Statesmen as they represent Hobart this upcoming spring, and wish them luck as well.

Photo by Kyle Mast Recently renovated Blackwell Room

Photo by Kyle Mast New lounge area located in Bartlett Theater

Hobart baseball returns to the field for the first time since 1995 at McDonough Park on Saturday

Photo Courtesy of HWS Communications

Updated lounge in the Scandling Center

Photo by Kyle Mast

Opinion: Some Things Are Better Left in the Past

By Paul Janes ‘24 Editor-in-Chief

Our generation has seen this story before, an anonymous messaging app that seems harmless is slowly twisted into a platform used for cyberbullying and spreading hateful messages.

First, it was Ask.fm, then Yik Yak, and now Yik Yak once again. We also know how the story ends, with the platform being removed due to the increasing number of violent messages being spread. Just three weeks ago, a freshman at the University of Hartford was arrested and banned from campus for posts he made on the app. Incidents like this are not uncommon either. Before the app shut down in 2017,

munity guardrails” instantly ban anyone who writes something against the terms of service, and any post that receives five down votes is removed from the feed.

However, anyone who has been on the app knows that these “guardrails” are far from perfect and seemingly nonexistent. Additionally, the self-policing feature on Yik Yak is often used to simply delete posts that people do not want to see, not for posts that violate the guidelines.

I opened the app when writing this piece and the first post I saw was, “Just want Hobart students to know you all are so entitled and pretentious. In reality, you are nothing.” Posts like this are extremely common on the app, whether

the ability to be anonymous, which studies have shown cause people to act rudely and aggressively, it is no surprise that Yik Yak has become such a polarizing platform. Despite the colleges’ statement, there are almost no real repercussions for people who use the app to spread hateful messages. The typical moral, ethical, and legal responsibilities that prompt people to act civilly in person are gone on an app where your only identifying feature is an emoji.

When our campus and country are so divided, there is no need for a platform that only adds fuel to the fire. Some things are better left in the past, and Yik Yak is a stellar example of this.

arrests had been made at colleges across the country because of posts made on the app. The question arises, then, why bring this app back from the graveyard?

When Yik Yak was announced to be coming back, it seemed as if the new owners were taking the right steps toward preventing the app from repeating its history. In an announcement posted on Aug. 16, 2021, titled “The Yak is Back,” the company released a statement justifying why they were bringing the app back.

“Sometimes we want to experience life without the permanent and constant lens of labels. Today's world offers digital analogs for nearly all types of human interactions, except for those that are oftentimes most important for personal development. We need risk-free, lens-free spaces to be vulnerable, to be curious, and to learn more about the people around us.”

This statement fits with the brand message of Yik Yak, to “Find your herd.” On paper, the app seems great, and its intentions are only to foster an online community without the fear of labels. The company also made it abundantly clear that there was a zero-tolerance policy regarding cyberbullying and hate speech. The new “com-

it be a post attacking a group or an individual. Despite the positives the app brings, the posts targeted to exclude and bring hate towards certain groups or individuals overshadow everything else.

On our campus, it has reached the point where the administration had to take notice. An email was sent from the Office of Campus Life on Feb. 20 titled “Yik Yak and Community Responsibility.” In this note, the school threatened disciplinary and potential legal action against students who use the app to defame or harass others online.

“In the past, the Colleges have been able to work with local police and Yik Yak to identify those who hide behind anonymity to violate our community standards, and when possible we have upheld and enforced those standards. We will continue to do so.”

While this seems extreme for a simple app, there is good reason to moderate Yik Yak. In the past, multiple suicides and suicide attempts have been traced back to Yik Yak, and social media's effect on a person’s mental health is extreme. Multiple studies have proven that social media usage is linked to depression, anxiety, and feelings of isolation. Combined with that is

“ When our campus and country are so divided, there is no need for a platform that only adds fuel to the fire. ”

Teaching Antiracism Through African Diasporic Dance: A Q & A With Professor Kelly Johnson

By Kylie Rowland ‘24 Staff Writer

Can you tell me about your background as a dancer and teacher?

“I started dancing in the womb—we’re all dancing then. But I started classes at 4. I danced through high school, jazz and tap primarily, though I didn’t know at the time that those are dances of the African Diaspora. It wasn’t presented to me like that. I found every way I could possibly get involved in dance. I went to Suny Brockport from ’99-03 and I have a BFA in dance performance and technique. So, I studied all of the things they asked, which was ballet and modern, and in my sophomore year I heard drums coming from down the hallway—and I truly heard them before I saw them. I was curious and I walked down the hallway and saw this group of people dancing and drumming. I enrolled, and from there I began studying with the most amazing guests brought in from all over the world for the Sankofa African Dance and Drum Ensemble, which was under the direction of Clyde Morgan and Khalid Saleem. They were my dance fathers for sure.

At the same time, I decided that I needed to study with Chris Walker, who eventually became my mentor. He actually used to teach at HWS and now teaches at the University of Wisconsin Madison. So I took all of his classes and I said to him, I need to go where you learned to dance, and he said go to Jamaica. I went to Jamaica to meet his teachers and work with the members of the National Dance Theater Company of Jamaica. And it was then that I realized that this was going to be the beginning of the rest of my life.

I knew that the movement was so transformative, and the communities were so transformative in terms of acceptance, honoring your history, and honoring your lineage and the legacies of these dances. And I knew that they weren’t my dances, so that made me even more curious about them and about how to understand my role and experience in them, let alone teaching and creating with that information.

After I finished undergrad I moved down to NYC to give that a try, as lots of dancers and young people do.

I started dancing with a Haitian company down there with a gentleman named Peniel Guerrier and we had a ball. I was the only English speaker in the company. I learned a lot during those years. A few years later, I went back to Brockport for grad school, knowing that they had such a great reputation with diasporic dance. I really didn’t want to go where I’d already been, but I knew I was different and grad school was different. Back as a Sankofa dancer, I was asked to choreograph for the company and invited to be the rehearsal director for guest artist residencies. I got to work with some amazing artists and musicians during that time in my life.

When I started teaching here at HWS in 2010, they had me teaching classes like intro dance. But because I’m a diasporic dancer, I would always teach my students dances from a variety of diasporic communities. Now it's 2023 and I have been studying and performing with Company Atebayilla based out of Rochester NY for the last several years under the direction of Mohamed Diaby. I have had the opportunity to study with him on his porch in Guinea, West Africa, so . . . yeah, continuing always. Actually, the Dance Department has brought Mohamed in for the last several years. It's awesome to be able

to introduce my students to my teachers. Sankofa is under new direction now. I continue to be invited back to teach and set work on the ensemble. I will always say yes.”

Can you tell me a bit about your teaching pedagogy?

“I’m a reflection of my teachers, what they gave me and what they shared with me. And what they didn’t give or share with me, I had to carve out on my own. That’s my responsibility. I didn’t have a teacher like myself. I didn’t have a white example, so I am trying to be that example, I suppose. I’ve been taught by members of African, Caribbean and Black diasporic communities— they’re my teachers. So, I am going to center their experiences. They’re the ones who taught me of their lived experiences, how they see the world, and how the world sees them. As a student, as someone who sits at their feet, I’ve been a guest to their opinions and views, which continue shape my opinions and views. So there has to be this advocacy and there has to be this embodied activism. Otherwise we’re not doing it right. And my teachers were so confident and unapologetic in sharing what they knew that the ‘activism piece’ was embedded in the simple, yet not so simple, fact that they were teaching content that was historically misunderstood and devalued. Another part of my pedagogy is to honor the past, and in doing so, to learn to navigate the present and let that affect the future. And that’s an African principle in itself; Sankofa means to go back and fetch it, to look back in order to look forward. My biggest thing is to get students to see dance as a way that people communicate with each other. Also, that what they think they know about dance might not be accurate. And pedagogically, I teach the way I teach not because I’m trying to be African or because I’m trying to be a Black person. That is impossible. I teach the way I teach precisely because I’m a white American woman. And I know where my privilege shows up, and I’m gonna try to work

Kelly Johnson showcasing a traditional dance

Photo Courtesy of Kelly Johnson

with it in a way that promotes advocacy.”

What are your intentions behind your Intro to Dances of the African Diaspora class? What do you hope that students get out of it?

“I want students to leave with the ability to embody African Diasporic dances. Sure! But that’s actually not the most important thing. I want them to understand themselves better through their bodies.

I want them to leave appreciating the bodies and choices of others. I hope they leave feeling in touch with their lineage and the people they haven’t even met yet.

I hope that students feel satisfied and proud of their bodies as a result of studying diasporic forms.

I also hope that students feel unsatisfied and mad enough to do something about it, whatever ‘it’ is. Whether it’s body dysmorphia, racism, or the countless gaps in humanity, maybe they decide to volunteer because this class taught them about community? Yeah, I hope they’re pissed off—well inspired sounds more positive—haha but for real, inspired to dig into their own areas of interest as young dance activists and able to say, ‘this class taught me dance and beyond.’

I hope that the students can see that they can learn from other people, people they might think they have nothing to gain from hanging out with. I hope they feel they can learn not about people but from people.”

Can you tell me about some of the choices you made in designing that course?

“I know that everybody is different. Our bodies and brains and eyes are different. We are all different people and will come to this information differently. So I use a holistic and three dimensional approach to learning. We are gonna physicalize it, read about it, write about it, create the stuff ourselves, and perform it for each other, and I do that because I am hoping that somewhere along the way, something sticks. I think that writing and talking helps us in understanding our thoughts—they are inroads for knowing, not just busywork. And because this is a diaspora, for everything to come solely from me would be irresponsible. From my body, my mouth, my brain, is irresponsible, especially when you’re trying to represent such diversity of dance. So I like for students to have the opportunity to listen to the voices of other

educators and scholars, and that shows up in the things we read or the guests we have. They get to sit with that person’s thoughts for a second and respond to their own thoughts when they write or discuss, just like the call and response from the drums.”

How do you see the distinction between appropriation and appreciation?

“Appreciation and appropriation have to do with education and have to do with consumption. I think about eating a lot when I see what we would call appropriation. I feel like someone ate that culture and consumed it and it feels like theft. It feels like ‘I hope no one knows that this is really

it doesn’t mean that we need to all be the same because chances are, that’s not how it goes, but we DO need to be harmonious.

Collective communal dances mobilize . . . as a means for change to provide solidarity, to grieve, to celebrate, or to pass things on. Diasporic communities create their own language and their own reality through dance. People moving together feels like the present and feels like it might hint at the future. And I think when it comes to class, I know most of the students are sitting at desks all day. And I think being able to open their eyes a little, to actually look around and see that there are more people in here than just you, is humbling.”

How do you see the relationship between dance, social action, and protest?

“Bodies communicate things. I think when it comes to the activism piece, dance and social action are sisters. I will always try to make a political statement with my work, whether the audience gets it or not. The body is an archive of lived experiences and so if we are going to dance, then those things are going to show up.

not authentic’—and that word is tricky too. I am glad we talk so much about it in class.

To me, appreciation involves education, and it has got to involve acceptance by the particular community that you are working with or representing. If you haven’t gotten that blessing you are really walking a dangerous line. And your education has to keep going—it’s not cool to stop studying because people change and the dances change. And in this particular context there is such a history of devouring and consuming Black culture. I don’t think that most people realize just how much belongs to Black culture, like American culture, for example.”

How does movement build community, in your opinion?

“When you share movement with someone else, it happens and it’s an occurrence. And when people do it together it affirms that this is happening. When people move together, they say I see you here, I validate you, and I’m gonna build with you. And

And I think as far as activism, many people together are intimidating. Protests work because there’s not one person there— many people together can make change happen. When it comes to physicalizing protests, or having a protest in the heart or mind, communities have done that for centuries and they’ve used movement as a thread.”

Can you tell me about how you teach antiracism through Diasporic Dance?

“Again, I think it’s about centering. My teachers did that unapologetically and I think it’s about centering that if you’re going to learn this, you’re going to wear this and I’m going to need you to do it this way. It’s about Afrocentrism—it is literally about putting that information in the middle and up high—not compared to another, but as its own thing of value. And this centering is not optional or elective, it’s modeling what it looks like to dismantle some of the ideas folks might have about what African-based dance is, what it looks like, how it breathes, etc. There are threads of antiracism throughout that entire experience; you are acting as an advocate by embodying something that people around the globe say is not even worth experiencing. It’s about deconstructing, recentering and listening.”

Students engage in a discussion about dance during class

Photo Courtesy of Kelly Johnson

Chat GPT: Friend or Foe?

By Katelyn Oswalt ‘24 Copy Editor

Launched in November 2022, Chat GPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) bot that has taken the world by storm. On the Colleges’ campus, faculty and students feel concerned, confused, and conflicted over Chat GPT’s influence on academia.

Despite its seemingly recent entry into public consciousness, AI bots such as Chat GPT are not new. Assistant Professor of Media and Society Jiangtao Harry Gu ’13, who has conducted research on artificial intelligence, says that “The idea of ‘artificial intelligence’ is not new. As early as the 1920s, when we were thinking about robots, we already thought about how the robotic mind can be analogous to the human mind. This is reflected in Raoul Hausmann’s sculpture Mechanical Head (1920) and Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis (1927).”

Professor Gu goes on to say that AI bots such as Chat GPT have shone light on the concept of “machine learning” versus “deep learning.” By utilizing machine learning,

Chat GPT is able to gather a plethora of information on a subject, and then attempt to write in a way similar to the human mind.

Chat GPT has impacted the way that both faculty and students from HWS teach and learn, especially as it pertains to student writing. “It is a challenge because traditionally, college teaching relies so much on writing as a way of assessment. This is also a key part of teaching students how to articulate themselves and express their ideas,” shares Professor Gu.

Additionally, students have been concerned over the way that Chat GPT has shifted their curriculum. “I have heard of some professors opting for in-class exams in lieu of take-home essays,” shares Tanner Tattan ’24, a political science and American studies double major.

However, faculty and students have also been able to find a bright spot in Chat GPT. Professor Gu has been able to see an opportunity for learning in Chat GPT, saying that “The opportunity is that it is a very useful tool. It can educate somebody in terms of what various AIs consider as

the ‘common knowledge’ of a given subject matter. But this is also where bias seeps in.” He went on to share how he has integrated Chat GPT into his curriculum by saying, “In my own teaching, I have assignments where students will ask Chat GPT to generate a definition of a particular concept . . . and read this concept as it is understood by the large language model, and then think about where the model got right, and where the model got wrong.”

Additionally, students have reflected that Chat GPT is not as effective as professors and administrators may fear. “Chat GPT has its limits,” says Tattan. “It cannot include quotes or citations, nor conduct the kind of rigorous research that is required of upper-level courses.”

For now, the administrators and faculty at the Colleges can breathe a sigh of relief, as Chat GPT is not seen to be as sophisticated as some may fear. In fact, we as a community may be able to find a bright spot in the new technology provided by Artificial Intelligence.

Letter From the Editor

Dear Readers of the Herald,

I want to start this letter with an update on the state of the Herald and some changes you’ll see. First, we have a completely overhauled website thanks to the hard work of our web editor, Jack Hanson. I highly encourage everyone to go check it out, as you can see current articles and archives going back to 1879. Additionally, the Herald will be going from two to three publications a semester, which may not seem significant, but it is a big step for the Herald. I cannot thank the writers, copy editors, and design editors enough for their increased dedication to student journalism. I am excited to see more voices represented as we publish more. The last change you can expect to see is advertisements from local Geneva businesses in the Herald, all thanks to our new Advertising Editor, Jackson Mischler.

All of this was done with the Colleges and the Geneva community in mind. One of the oldest publications in New York state, the Herald has been a part of the Colleges and Geneva community for 143 years. I am excited for  the Herald to start playing a bigger part in the campus community and allow for more voices on this campus to be heard.   On that note, I want to highlight some of the stories you will see in this edition. We have articles documenting changes that have occurred at the Colleges, including articles on the new LGBTQ+ Resource Center Coordinator, Dr. Joshua Bastian Cole, new student spaces, our interim Title IX director, and the inaugural seasons for different sports teams on campus. Additionally, we have a Q & A with Professor Kelly Johnson regarding her course Intro to Dances of the African Diaspora, which teaches antiracism while introducing students to different forms of African Diasporic dances. Finally, we have a story on the new AI ChatGPT and how it will affect students at the Colleges.

I want to end this note with a request to you readers, and that is to get involved. The recent years for our campus and country have been challenging, to say the least, and now more than ever, our campus needs student participation. Every day there are different ways for students to get involved, whether it be joining a club, attending a lecture, or even just filling out surveys about the school. If you see something you want to be changed on this campus, speak up and start a conversation about it. If you need a platform to tell a story you think other students need to hear, the Herald is here to help you publish it. A key part of any liberal arts education is challenging your beliefs and preparing you for what the colleges call a “Life of consequence.” This cannot happen, however, in a bubble. It demands us as students to get outside of our comfort zone and expose ourselves to ideas we would otherwise be ignorant to, and part of the Herald’s role on this campus is to do exactly that. Change cannot happen from afar. It needs active participation. My hope for the coming months is that our community will come together to make changes for the better, big or small, but that cannot happen without more productive engagement across the community.

Sincerely,

Paul Janes Editor-in-Chief