CONAHEC News and Information

Local Opinion: The no good, pointless, wasteful 'Empower Hotline'
Monday, Apr. 03, 2023

The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

My fingers tingled with excitement as I dialed the Arizona Department of Education’s “Empower Hotline” to report inappropriate public school lessons. Finally, I thought to myself, there is a leader like Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne who will save Arizona’s educational system from years of neglect and an all-out war against public education. After all, as of 2022, Arizona was 48th in the nation in K-12 per-pupil funding and 49th in spending as a percentage of state taxpayer income.

Why some college professors are adopting ChatGPT AI as quickly as students
Monday, Apr. 03, 2023

A recent analysis by researchers at NYU, Princeton and the Wharton School finds that many of the jobs that will be most “exposed” to generative AI such as ChatGPT are in the college teaching profession.
One of the first narratives to emerge from the sudden explosion in usage of ChatGPT is the risk of students cheating on writing assignments.
But use by college teachers is growing quickly too, and adoption by educators may be critical to making the case that AI will augment the jobs humans are doing rather than replace them.

GPT-4 Is Here. But Most Faculty Lack AI Policies.
Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023

“No.” “Nope.” “Not at this time.” “Not yet!” “Just discussing it now.” “I have not.” “I will do this in the future.” “Yes.” “No way.” “Not yet, but I have a lot of ideas …”

This is a representative sample of faculty responses to the question “If you have successfully integrated use of ChatGPT into your classes, how have you done so?” in a 2023 Primary Research Group survey of instructors on views and use of the AI writing tools. A few other responses of note were “It’s a little scary,” “Desperately interested!” and “I’m thinking of quitting!”

A Texas university president canceled a student drag show, calling it 'divisive' and misogynistic. First Amendment advocates disagree
Wednesday, Mar. 22, 2023

A student drag show aimed at raising money for the LGBTQ community was canceled Monday by West Texas A&M University’s president, who called such shows “derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny,” drawing backlash from students and free speech advocates.

In an email to the school community, university President Walter V. Wendler said drag shows “discriminate against womanhood,” compared them to blackface and said there was “no such thing” as a harmless drag show.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan Issues Sweeping Information Requests to Universities Researching Disinformation
Wednesday, Mar. 22, 2023

House Republicans have sent letters to at least three universities and a think tank requesting a broad range of documents related to what it says are the institutions' contributions to the Biden administration’s “censorship regime.”

Cut emissions quickly to save lives, scientists warn in a new U.N. report
Monday, Mar. 20, 2023

The planet is on track for catastrophic warming, but world leaders already have many options to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and protect people, according to a major new climate change report from the United Nations.

The report was drafted by top climate scientists and reviewed by delegates from nearly 200 countries. The authors hope it will provide crucial guidance to politicians around the world ahead of negotiations later this year aimed at reining in climate change.

The Strongest Evidence Yet That an Animal Started the Pandemic
Friday, Mar. 17, 2023

For three years now, the debate over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has ping-ponged between two big ideas: that SARS-CoV-2 spilled into human populations directly from a wild-animal source, and that the pathogen leaked from a lab. Through a swirl of data obfuscation by Chinese authorities and politicalization within the United States, and rampant speculation from all corners of the world, many scientists have stood by the notion that this outbreak—like most others—had purely natural roots.

What does the science say about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic?
Thursday, Mar. 02, 2023

Since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic began three years ago, its origin has been a topic of much scientific — and political — debate. Two main theories exist: The virus spilled over from an animal into people, most likely in a market in Wuhan, China, or the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and spread due to some type of laboratory accident.

Opinion: The staggering mistake Hamline University made is no isolated incident
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

Well over a decade ago, I found myself teaching about abortion, eugenics, evolution, holy war and the history of the papacy at a Catholic university in the Chicago area. If you’ve been inundated with stories about the threats of campus culture to free speech, you might have expected me to have been worried. But although I had students who opposed my beliefs on every issue, I knew that at Dominican, everyone — from the chair of my department to the president of the university — had my back.

FACT SHEET: Key Deliverables for the 2023 North American LeadersÔÇÖ Summit
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

North American cooperation makes our countries safer, our economies more competitive, and our supply chains more resilient. By working together, the countries of North America are better able to address shared challenges, like climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and transnational criminal organizations trafficking and smuggling people and illicit drugs like fentanyl. The North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS) strengthens our partnerships and advances our shared priorities.

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