Student Technology Board considers AI, data concerns at SGA meeting
SU’s Enterprise Application System’s assistant vice president addressed data protection, user experience and AI at Monday’s Student Government Association meeting. Additional topics included password management and NYPIRG funding. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
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Lindsay E. Hochberg, assistant vice president for Syracuse University’s Enterprise Application System, addressed topics such as data protection, user experience and artificial intelligence at Monday’s Student Government Association meeting.
The Student Technology Information Board, which Hochberg introduced to assembly members, will consist of 15-20 students from various schools, disciplines and backgrounds and meet twice per semester. Hochberg emphasized the initiative is designed to give students a direct voice in shaping how emerging technologies impact campus life.
“The topics we’re going to be talking about are going to affect our day to day, especially as technology advances in the next couple of years,” Hochberg said.
In response to the presentation, Indre Espinoza, SU senator and founding chair of the committee of artificial intelligence, raised concerns about the modern technology already affecting students, such as data protection.
“We use a Microsoft product to make sure that as AI complies to our data, we have the appropriate row level security,” Hochberg said.
Students also asked about the past semester’s password management, since My Slice requires users to reset their password to access the site. This process was something Hochberg said caused problems for students this year. She said she anticipates the expiring of student passwords will most likely stop in the upcoming year due to new regulations.
SGA may also play a role in addressing these concerns moving forward, Hochberg said. The organization recently implemented a new position, director of student technology resources, which she said may collaborate with STIB in the future to help address student technological issues.
Addressing more student concerns, the assembly also heard from members of New York Public Interest Research Group, who advocated for the reinstatement of its funding. NYPIRG combines the collaboration of multiple campus leaders to address an annual selection of issues it deems as important, according to assembly and NYPIRG member Derry Oliver.
“We want to effectively represent the campuses that we were elected to show in the board meetings,” Oliver said. “Voting to remove funding from NYPRIG was a huge mistake, and I’m calling on you as student leaders to reverse course.”
Oliver emphasized the organization’s importance to SU and SUNY ESF in a follow-up discussion from last week’s assembly session. That session included criticism from Max Lachut, current assembly speaker pro tempore and incoming executive vice president, regarding true participation of the organization on campus compared to others.
In an effort to gain traction for funding, NYPIRG created petitions, which Oliver said gained about 20,000 signatures in one week.
“Defunding NYPIRG takes choice away from the student body for action,” Oliver said.
The last assembly meeting for the spring semester will take place on April 27.
Disclaimer: Derry Oliver is a contributing writer for The Daily Orange. Oliver did not influence the editorial content of this article.
