Sign-ups at Claremont McKenna College’s Center for Writing and Public Discourse (CWPD) and Quantitative and Computing Lab (QCL) have declined significantly this academic year. Some student employees attribute the trend to students’ growing use of AI tools for academic support and say a continued lack of sign-ups may result in staff cuts.
This spring, the CWPD has only seen around 345 appointments, according to its sign-up portal — an approximate 50 percent decline in use compared to last spring, when the center received 700 student appointments, according to an email from Associate Director Chloe Ray sent to writing consultants last May.
Several current and former student QCL employees confirmed the center experienced a similar decline in sign-ups.
Tag: AI
‘Art in the Age of AI’ with professors Virginie Duzer, Mark Allen and Dustin Stokes
On March 25, the 5C Artists’ Coalition and the Pomona Student Union hosted an “Art in the Age of AI” talk at Claremont McKenna College’s Bauer Center. The talk began with a short presentation by Dustin Stokes, who provided context on the mechanisms of generative AI. For the duration of the talk, student moderator Maggie Zhang PO ’26 asked Stokes and the other panelists questions about the relationship between art and artificial intelligence across various contexts and academic disciplines.
Stories Retold: Can Artificial Intelligence create authentic translations?
How is Artificial Intelligence (AI) being implemented into literary translation? Ava Chambers ’28 discusses the recent implementation of AI in the translation process, impacting affordability and efficiency, but also raising questions about quality and valuation of translation jobs. Nevertheless, translation is an invaluable part of sharing stories that cannot be entirely supplanted.
OPINION: Maybe we should do our readings
“The Claremont Consortium’s unique take on the small liberal arts college model allows students to explore many interests and gives rise to constructive discussions. But we seem scared to honestly discuss how this impacts the rigor of many of its core academic programs,” Nicholas Steinman ’28 writes.
A new era: How the 5Cs are responding to generative AI
Student use of artificial intelligence chatbots in coursework is growing rapidly. For some, this is an exciting technological development – but for others, it raises concerns of academic integrity in the classroom. Professors are responding to artificial intelligence in a variety of ways, such as finding opportunities to incorporate it into their curriculum or banning computers from class altogether.
OPINION: Claremont students must prepare for the AI revolution
AI is already used in driverless cars, customer service, search engines and travel agencies, and next it might come for your job. Malin Moeller, SC’ 27 argues that we should be cognizant of the possible constriction of the American labor market, and that we can no longer afford to conscientiously object.
Are you funnier than AI? CMC hosts AI vs. Human Roast Battle
CMC hosted an “AI vs. Human Roast Battle” on April 11 where students, faculty and AI-generated celebrities went head-to-head in a comedy showdown.
OPINION: The 5Cs need to stop promoting AI
Many of us cheer for labor rights and criticize billionaires, and then we turn around and ask ChatGPT a question. Celeste Cariker PZ ’28 critiques the Claremont Colleges and much of the student body for their uncritical embrace of artificial intelligence (AI), which is increasingly used to replace human labor in industries like fast food, customer service and transportation.
‘Finding hope through music’: ‘Reason to Be’ musical debuts at 5Cs
Devon Tao HM ’25 first began writing songs about climate change as a final project for a music class. These songs eventually formed the backdrop for their original musical “Reason to Be,” which opened at Seaver Large Studio on March 27 and ran through the weekend.
OPINION: Seminars should be tech-free spaces
We have all seen the sneaky side of Google, summary sheets open mid-class and ChatGPT flooding browsers. Is this what we imagined when we decided to pursue a liberal arts education? The temptation of the internet open to us in each class seems too great to resist, but we can resist it. Elias Diwan PO ’25 argues that we should elevate the quality of our classes by leaving our computers at home and actually doing the reading and taking the risks necessary to engage deeply in our classes.