After clearing the Student Senate on Sept. 2, Resolution 25-12, “Identify A.I.,” might seem like a done deal, but it still has far to go before becoming UTA policy.
The resolution asks the university to require all of its promotional materials to include a label if they are made using artificial intelligence, according to previous Shorthorn reporting.
Student Body President Effua Jordan said a resolution goes through roughly three or four stages before it’s enforced on campus.
How is a resolution enacted?
Student Senate
The Student Senate either passes or kills a resolution. From the senate, the resolution moves to Student Body President Effua Jordan.
Meet with administrators
Jordan meets with UTA President Jennifer Cowley, Lowell Davis, Student Affairs vice president, and Andres Morales, Student Body vice president. In this meeting, they discuss the possible implementation of the resolution and what the senate is asking for. If the resolution has a sufficient amount of research, it will be implemented immediately; if not, it moves to the External Relations Committee.
External Relations Committee
Committee members are responsible for doing the required research to build the case for the resolution. Research could include the following:
Talking to other UT System institutions
Talking to departments that may be affected by the resolution if it’s implemented
Looking through articles and documents
Subsequent discussions
After a round of research, Cowley, Davis, Jordan and Morales meet again to discuss if the resolution has sufficient backing to be implemented. If it does not, it goes back to the External Relations Committee, where it repeats the process of research and meetings. If deemed unfeasible, the Student Body president can veto a resolution anytime during this process.
Before a resolution leaves the senate, the committee chairs, speaker of the senate and Student Body president add its details to a resolution tracker, which university administrators have access to.
This is where they present details and research on the subject, as well as questions that have been asked and responses that have come in.
Once a resolution passes the senate, UTA President Jennifer Cowley and Lowell Davis, Student Affairs vice president, meet with the Student Body president and vice president. They use this meeting to interpret the resolution and determine what the senate is asking for.
Davis said in an email that after the resolution has made it out of the senate for comment, he does his own research to fully understand it. When needed, he discusses the issue with UTA colleagues and staff members who have expertise in the area and professional colleagues at other institutions, he said.
Following that, some resolutions may need a secondary research phase within the External Relations Committee.
This is where Resolution 25-12, “Identify A.I.,” currently sits.
Aniyah Coston, political science sophomore and External Relations Committee head chair, said that when the committee received the resolution, a lot of initial research had not been conducted, and with the topic revolving around A.I., there was a lot to learn about.
As the committee began digging deeper, members discovered growing concerns around AI use on campus, particularly how the technology can reuse or replicate students’ original work without proper credit, said Srisahithi Nemalikanti, Coordinated Admission Program freshman and External Relations Committee member.
She said because of this, many artists put an anti-AI sign on their work, and as a result, credibility is being lost for people who want to use AI.
During the committee’s early research, members uncovered new insights in AI usage and citation practices on campus.
Nemalikanti said during the secondary research phase of the resolution, the committee discovered that AI is supposed to be cited in all cases, but it’s not known on campus because individuals follow curriculum-based rules.
An example of this would be in the English department. Nemalikanti said the department currently states AI must be cited for writing, but doesn’t specify for AI-generated images or any other use.
“Because it’s not explicitly stated, it’s not explicitly followed, and that is a problem that is prominent on campus,” she said.
As part of their research, committee members also focus on identifying stronger implementation strategies to create a solid foundation for the resolution.
“Without a foundation, that resolution has no means or necessarily any possible reason for even being there,” Nemalikanti said.
Research entails not just reading articles but talking to individuals who have experience. The committee contacted the engineering department to gain insight into their ideals of AI usage.
“The reason we talked to the engineering department is because they have prominent use of AI inside of their building,” Nemalikanti said.
She said the purpose of this process is to get more support and eyes on each case.
“The more people that have eyes on this, the more support we have or the more information we have as to what people genuinely think about this topic, because this is for everyone on campus, not just Student Government,” she said.
Once the committee and the administration have collected enough information, Davis and Cowley determine what best serves students and the university in terms of implementation, then meet with Student Government leaders to provide feedback.
During the meeting, possible implementation, potential benefits and unintended consequences that might result from the resolution are discussed, and that information is then given to the full Student Government so they can make an informed decision
Jordan said if everyone is on board with the resolution and they can ensure full administrative backing, the resolution would be implemented, maybe by the next academic year.
“I highly value this process because it’s very collegial in nature,” Davis said in an email. “It allows me, as the Vice President for Student Affairs, to work directly with students and UTA leaders to enhance campus life in meaningful ways and to work on policies and procedures that impact the student experience.”
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