SGA discussed the Transparency Resolution, which details SGA’s displeasure at the lack of transparency and concerns over student privacy considering the CU-wide OpenAI contract, at the March 12 senate meeting. The resolution was tabled and will be revisited on March 19.
The contract will give staff and faculty access to a premium version of ChatGPT beginning March 31 and students will be given access on Aug. 14 at the request of the Faculty Assembly. The contract continues to raise questions, including how the program will be funded amidst budget cuts.
The first year will be funded by the CU system for $2 million, but UCCS will be responsible for costs to maintain the system over the next two years.
The resolution focuses on how the student body wasn’t sufficiently consulted before the contract was finalized and criticizes the decision among budget reductions throughout the CU system.
SGA also reasoned that the contract doesn’t align with UCCS’ 2030 strategic plan, which includes the “responsible allocation of resources” according to the resolution.
Brian Vickers, the senator of graduate students, raised questions about data possibly being given to a private institution and said the student body has not been given enough information to know what is being done with their data.
The resolution requests the Board of Regents delay implementing the program, ensure the protection of student data and release the full terms of the contract — specifically the total cost of the partnership.
The anti-AI initiative isn’t exclusive to UCCS. A movement at CU Boulder is being spearheaded by Flynn Zook, an undergraduate student majoring in art design, who joined the meeting via phone call to talk about the importance of contending against the initiative.
“Not only is implementing AI into an education space a sketchy subject, it’s the fact that [the Board of Regents] did this without consulting anyone outside of their AI workspace council,” Zook said. He admitted his bias for an anti-AI bill being in a field directly threatened by AI.
Zook said his goal is to delay implementing the program until the end of the semester, so teachers have more time to integrate the system into their coursework.
“I am not under the delusion that I can make them drop this contract,” Zook said.
The Senator of Military Affairs Skylaa Van Linn cited page 76 section 9.2 in the OpenAI contract, which states that the contract cannot be terminated by CU unless OpenAI breaches the contract.
Van Linn argued the proposed resolution is not constructive enough due to the contract is already signed.
Logan Smith, a senator-at-large, said the resolution is designed to express frustration with administration over a lack of transparency, arguing the AI contract is just the inciting incident.
SGA decided to table to resolution, saying they had inadequate knowledge to make a decision. Van Linn added the language of the bill needed to be less “passive aggressive.”
“Everything in a bill reflects the person who agrees with it,” said Van Linn, “I feel like I’m voting blindly if I were to vote on this.”
Students can request the contract due to the Colorado Open Records Act, or CORA, which mandates that most public records must be available to the public.
SGA also discussed their position on the faculty vote of censure at the meeting.