Today’s weather forecast is predicting lots of sunshine with a high of 73 degrees and a low of 50 degrees. For the weekend it looks like it will be higher 60s to lower 70s with Saturday being partly cloudy skies and Sunday bringing in occasional rain showers.

How ‘man on the street’ interviews are becoming more intrusive

If you’ve scrolled through TikTok or Instagram in the past few months, you may have come to videos that involve enthusiastic influencers running up to a random passerby, shoving a mic in their face and then asking a slew of questions.

The “man on the street” trend has even become popular among celebrities. Its questions can cover topics ranging from harmless trivia to something more personal or even intrusive. Many of the interviewees can be irritated or confused, which some content creators capitalize on to make misleading videos.

As a result, the internet has been a flurry of debate over whether the trend is an invasion of privacy or not.

Nancy Costello, director of the Michigan State University Legal Advice Center First Amendment Clinic, said videos like these can border on defamation.

Costello said that though both claims could be brought to a court of law, depending on the situation, content creators should be more careful with getting proof of consent and maintaining it.

Costello recommended that people maintain composure when approached on the street for an interview.

“Before they answer any questions …. they (should) remain calm and ask (the) person with the rolling video what they are doing, and what they will do with the video taken,” Costello said. “And I would advise the person to run their own video or audio so they have proof of what actually occurs during the interaction.”

MSU president search continues in secrecy, under scrutiny

Last Wednesday evening, students gathered in an 80-degree room on the top floor of Michigan State University’s computer center to tell the university’s board what they want in the next president.

Dennis Denno, the MSU trustee who’s been appointed to chair the presidential search committee, started asking the students questions. “What kind of background should the person have? What should they want to preserve about MSU? What should they want to change?”

Other students asked for a leader committed to improving the university’s handling of Title IX, or someone who takes accountability when they do something wrong, and can admit when they don’t know what to do. One student asked for a president that’s exciting and innovative, someone who’s ready to “break the status quo.”

Though students were encouraged to give input for the search, they were discouraged from asking questions.

In an interview with The State News Wednesday, Denno said the committee is still collecting applications and nominations but will soon move on to interviewing candidates and making recommendations to the board. They hope to have a final choice named by Thanksgiving, which has been Denno’s goal since the start of the search in March.

Professors navigate use of artificial intelligence in the classroom

The growing presence of generative artificial intelligence, or AI, a technology that uses algorithms to create content based on the data that it’s trained on, is no longer avoidable on college campuses. As the number of students who use AI, like ChatGPT, for assignments continues to increase, professors face the challenge of adapting to it.

Before fall semester began, Michigan State University sent a broad guideline on AI use in the classroom to professors.

The guideline stated that departments should take into account MSU’s values and mission statement, along with the honor code and pledge, as they develop their own guidance in approaching generative AI in classes. MSU recommended that academic units seek ways to work with — not in opposition to — generative AI, and shared the university would release more information in the future.

With no clear-cut policy in place, MSU has essentially given their faculty free rein in determining whether or not to let students access and use AI in the classroom.

One of the reasons creating an AI policy is difficult is that it can be hard to know and prove which students are using it.

Some professors also use AI to assist with their own work.

Communications Assistant Professor Jacob Fisher had chosen not to ban AI in his classes, but he does require students to disclose when they use it.

According to Fisher, the current usage of artificial intelligence “requires an almost complete rethinking of how education works.” Fisher stated that if his job as a professor is to prepare the students for the real world, then they must know the tools they have access to.

Based on original reporting by Jayden Hewitt, Alex Walters, Theo Scheer and Kaspar Haehnle.

To end our last episode of the week, here are a few announcements!

Here is the MSU Athletic line-up for the weekend…

Tonight

• Cross Country will participate in the Spartan Invitational at Forest Akers East.

Tomorrow

• Football will go against Washington at 5 P.M. at Spartan Stadium.

Sunday

• Field Hockey will vs. Ohio State at noon at Ralph Young Field.
• Women’s Golf will participate in the Mary Fossum Invitational as well through Monday at Forest Akers West.
• Women’s Soccer will also play Ohio State at 1 P.M. at Demartin Stadium.