Student visas being revoked across the district and new AI tools were discussed at the Pierce College Academic Senate meeting on Monday, April 21, in Building 600.
Vice President Rolf Schleicher announced during the meeting that in the district, seven students have had their visas revoked. The district is working on a district-wide response to how to deal with international students.
“In the international space that we have right now, we want to make aware of what could happen,” Schleicher said. “The district is not going to talk specifically, we don’t want any further problems.”
ASO President Jasmine Minchez notified faculty and staff that the ASO scholarship closed on April 18, 2025, and is under review. She asked faculty and staff if they were familiar with the ASO scholarship and if they had informed their students about the opportunity. The response was limited, with only a few hands raised.
“I’ve seen over my entire term, publicity about events on campus is a little disjointed,” Minchez said. “We don’t have the centralized power of publicity that a lot of bigger colleges have, especially four years.”
Reference librarian Melissa Cober gave a demonstration of a new tool named “OneSearch” that is available on the Pierce College library website for students and faculty. This AI tool is designed to assist with research, providing a couple of paragraphs that meet legitimate formatting expectations, and is a safer tool for students to use.
“This tool has some really great benefits,” Cober said. “All resources are real sources. With other AI tools, they sometimes make up fake sources.”
According to Cober, students are seeking clear guidance from instructors on what they can use. When instructors only say, ‘Don’t use AI,’ students are left with unanswered questions. Therefore, students are asking for more detailed information on the ‘dos and don’ts’ of using AI
A workshop that will take place in the Library on Monday, April 28, 2025 at 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. called “A.I. for Better Research.”
“I’ve used the OneSearch tool before. I think the library website is really helpful,” Minchez said. “You can use AI as an aid, but not as a replacement for your work.”
The next Academic Senate meeting will be on May 5, 2025.
