Mount Hood

Microsoft’s AI chatbot ‘Tay’ turned into a PR disaster

 
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By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

Microsoft unveiled its Twitter chatbot called Tay on March 23. According to the company, Tay was created as an experiment in “conversational understanding.” The more Twitter users engaged with Tay, the more it would learn and mimic what it saw. The only problem: Tay wound up being a racist, fascist, drugged-out asshole.

Microsoft designed Tay to mimic millennials’ speaking styles; however, the experiment worked a little too efficiently and quickly spiraled out of control. The artificial intelligence debacle started with an innocent and cheerful first tweet of, “Humans are super cool!” However, as time went by, Tay’s tweets kept getting more and more disturbing.

Some of the offensive tweets were the direct effect of Twitter users asking the chatbot to repeat their offensive posts, to which Tay obliged. Other times, Tay didn’t need the help of social media trolls to figure out how to be offensive. In one instance, when a user asked Tay if the Holocaust happened, Tay replied: “it was made up ?.” Tay also tweeted, “Hitler was right.”

Tay had some things to say on the presidential candidates as well. One tweet said, “Have you accepted Donald Trump as your lord and personal saviour yet?” Another of Tay’s tweets read, “ted cruz would never have been satisfied with ruining the lives of only 5 innocent people.”

24 hours into the experiment, Microsoft took Tay offline and released this statement on their web site: “We are deeply sorry for the unintended offensive and hurtful tweets from Tay, which do not represent who we are or what we stand for, nor how we designed Tay.”

“Tay is now offline and we’ll look to bring Tay back only when we are confident we can better anticipate malicious intent that conflicts with our principles and values,” the statement concluded.

Then, a few days later, Microsoft put Tay back online with the hopes that they had worked out the bugs; however, it soon became clear it didn’t work when she tweeted, “kush! [I’m smoking kush in front of the police].” Microsoft immediately pulled her offline and set her profile to private.

So, what does the Tay experiment teach us about the current human condition? Tay wasn’t programed to be a racist or a fascist, but rather mimicked what it saw from others. While some people believe that Microsoft’s experiment was a success because Tay effectively mimicked and interacted with other users, others view it as a complete failure because the experiment quickly spiraled out of control.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @woujournalsport

Arbor Day Traditions take Root

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

The Arbor Day Foundation boasts Western Oregon University as one of five Oregon campuses to be declared and certified as a Tree Campus USA award recipient. In order to be awarded, five standards must be met.

These five standards are: a campus tree advisory committee, campus tree care plan, campus tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, Arbor Day observance, and a service learning project. Western’s University Tree Advisory Committee is led by Paul Finke, who started off the ceremony at noon.

The committee gathered together for the Arbor Day observance on April 8 and consisted of staff and students alike. The large group clustered near the north entry to campus and listened as Kristin Ramstad of the Oregon Department of Forestry presented her thoughts on trees on campuses, as well as the poem “When I am among the trees” by Mary Oliver.

From there, Ramstad introduced President Rex Fuller and awarded the campus with the Tree Campus USA award. In commemoration of the event, and Arbor Day 2016, a sugar maple tree was planted by the members of the committee.

Next, the group was led around campus to three specific legacy trees out of the total 11 on campus. At each tree, a student presenter explained which tree it was, the scientific names, and some fun facts such as whether the tree was poisonous or endangered.

First seen was a black walnut tree at the northern entry, which Kylee Wiser, a fifth year biology major, explained had often had it’s bark chewed on by Native Americans wishing to alleve toothaches.

The second tree, a Southern catalpa, was located in the Grove near Ackerman. Phillip Van Ginkle, a fifth year psychology major, explained that although the roots were poisonous, the fruit and leaves were not.

“I can attest to that – I had one in my yard when I was growing up, and I would always taste the seeds. They taste awful, but they’re not poisonous. I would not recommend trying it,” said Ginkle.

The tour ended at a petunia tree behind The Cottage, where light refreshments were served as Kathrine Stender, a third year Horticulture major, spoke about the tree and why the Arbor Day event is so important.

“The use of trees on campus for not only beautification, but learning, shows that their presence is vital to the school,” said Stender.

Contact the author at jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @woujournalnews

Independence man arrested after standoff

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By: Conner Williams 
Editor-in-Chief

An Independence man was arrested on multiple charges last weekend after a nearly six hour standoff between police authorities in Independence.

49-year-old James Michael Munoz was taken into custody just after 5 a.m. at a residence on 6th Street near Monmouth Street, six hours after officers were originally dispatched the night before.

Munoz entered the residence when officers arrived and refused to come out, according to a statement by the Independence Police Department.
Neighborhood residents were notified and evacuated in preparation for a response from the Salem SWAT team.

Munoz eventually came out and was taken into custody without incident. He was taken to the Polk County Jail pending charges of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing, Coercion, Fourth-Degree Assault, and Reckless Endangerment.

The Salem Police Department, Monmouth Police Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dallas Police Department all assisted on scene.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalEIC

Graduation Checklist

hat tossing ceremony at graduation

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor
  1. Order your graduation supplies (gowns, caps, frames, etc.) by May 13th from Western’s Bookstore.
  2. Make sure all graduation documents and fees have been taken care of by now by contacting the Registrar office.
  3. Review your Degreeworks to make sure everything is order and accounted for (substitutions, exceptions, etc.)
  4. By Week five of Spring Term, reply to the email sent out regarding necessary name changes on diplomas.
  5. By Week 10, you will be asked to submit your diploma mailing address.
  6. If planning a party afterwards, reserve places and send out announcements at least a month in advance. Monmouth and surrounding areas are small and may fill up fast!
  7. Plan out extra graduations you may be interested in participating in, such as Lavender Graduation or Black Graduation, as some require you to contact them rather than the other way around.

Below are a few tips and tricks from WOU alumni:
“If you have a lot of faculty or staff you want to say goodbye to, you may want to arrange coffee or something throughout dead or finals week instead of hoping to see them for the .2 seconds on commencement.” – Joe Hahn, Interdisciplinary Studies, 2015.
“On [the] day of Grad, if you have family coming I’d suggest making a pre-planned area to meet at after graduation. The Grove is just a sea of people after graduation ends and you’ll save a ton of time if you pick a place before!” – Amanda Allen, ASL Studies, 2015.
“If you want pictures with people, try to do it before because you will be hungry and exhausted from the heat after.” – Megan Ross, [STILL CLARIFYING HER DEGREE], 2015
“Sunscreen for days, bobby pin your cap.” Yumi Kong, Criminal Justice, 2015.
“Wait a half hour before leaving town and make sure your phone is fully charged.” Hannah Barrie, ASL Studies, 2015.
Find more information regarding commencement at: wou.edu/graduation/

Coffee fiends rejoice

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

Do you ever find yourself studying in the library, when you’re suddenly overcome by a strong craving for food and caffeine?

Well, my fellow coffee fiend, worry no more. Hamersly Library is completing its latest improvement: a new café.

The café will be called The Press, and it is set to open on April 13. The opening date has changed a few times due to unexpected delays, and it is still subject to change.

So why build a café, something that creates a lot of noise, in the library?

According to Dr. Allen McKiel, director of library services at Hamersly, the noise was part of the reason.

“Studies of library usage over the years have resulted in a conceptual shift in understanding environments conducive to and supportive of studying,” said McKiel. “Libraries have been converting their spaces from ubiquitous quiet areas with tables and hard backed and bottomed chairs […] to a variety of study areas that have […] different noise level zones.”

McKiel said the increased noise level shouldn’t be a problem, since students generally don’t study on the noisier first floor of the library.

“We expect the first floor to get a bit noisier, but it is generally not the place where students who prefer quiet spaces study,” he said. “As a student, I used to study in the cafeteria where there was a lot of undifferentiated noise—white noise. The quiet places just made any little noise stand out, which I found disruptive.”

McKiel said a café in the library would benefit students who want to study for longer periods without stopping.

“The decision to put the café in the library arose from the studies that indicated that food and drink were an integral part of the study habits of many students,” he said. “Having food available in the library encourages longer stretches of studying, since leaving the library to find food tends to disrupt and provide distractions that often prevent a return to studying.”

The Press will offer more food items than Café Allegro, and can be expected to be open longer hours (Monday to Thursday 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.–3 p.m. and closed Friday and Saturday.)

Tips for a safe spring break

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

Spring break is just around the corner, and many of us are anxious to leave campus and celebrate our time off the college way: with alcohol.

But before you hop in your car and say bottoms up, you should probably stop to consider a few things.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) published a study that shows nearly half of all college students binge-drink.

Binge-drinking is defined as drinking five or more drinks within a two-hour period.

Trever Jackson, Campus Public Safety officer for Western, says that excessive drinking is a problem even when it’s not spring break.

“We get a lot of people who become too intoxicated and end up causing problems,” he says. “People will drink, then take it too far, and it becomes unsafe for them and other people. We end up having to deal with that quite a bit on breaks as much as any other time.”

Rebecca Chiles, director of Public Safety, says the biggest things to keep in mind are your choices concerning alcohol and drug use.

“I think we get a little relaxed, or comfortable, with groups of people when we’re having a good time,” she says. “Then you wake up the next morning and your phone’s missing, or your laptop’s missing, or your wallet full of money’s missing. I think just be vigilant about the people you’re with.”

Chiles says it’s important to surround yourself with people you feel safe with to reduce the risk of dangerous situations.

“People are going to drink, so my best advice is to do it with someone you know and love and trust,” she says. “Have a designated person who’s going to be the safety person and look out for everybody—someone who will have your back and take care of you if a safety situation arises …”

Allen Risen, Occupational Environmental Safety Officer for Campus Public Safety, says another important thing to consider is travelling.

He says that during spring break, most of the students leave campus.

“Campus is pretty much dead,” he says. “Most of the students who live on campus are gone … Usually everything’s pretty quiet.”

Risen says that if you choose to travel, pack a blanket and extra water in case of an emergency, and make sure your belongings are locked up tight at home.

Officer Jackson also offers some words of advice about travelling during the break:

“Be in contact with your loved ones. Let them know when you’re leaving, what route you’re taking, how you’re getting there, when you arrive. If you’re travelling in your own vehicle, make sure it’s travel-worthy.”

The last thing you want is to be stranded on a highway in the middle of nowhere. Jackson mentioned that some car shops will do free “trip checks” to make sure your car is able to handle a road trip.

Your local Les Schwab is one such place. They will check everything from your tires and brakes to your oil—all for free (but, of course, they won’t fix anything for free).

Contact the author at awilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @awilsonjournal

2 New Digital Production Rooms in Library

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

Hamersly Library recently constructed two new digital production rooms, found in HL 221 and HL 222. The first specializes in audio production, and the second in video. Both rooms come equipped with a Mac and Dell for user preference, and each computer holds various programs for manipulating audio and video.

“This whole space is a work in progress. We plan on opening up the area for a full service desk so that people can receive help whenever they need it,” said Scott Carter, digital production and publishing specialist for Hamersly Library.

There are also several other computers set up in the alcove with media production software on them, in case a full production room is not necessary.

“This is one place that anyone on campus can come without needing special permissions,” said Carter.

If you would like to reserve a room and experience the brand new production centers, go to wou.edu/dmc