Over the past two semesters, the Editorial Board has strived to make sense of the rapidly changing landscape facing students at the University of Connecticut. We have covered everything from the dangers of artificial intelligence to UConn’s plan for developing its regional campus. Throughout our analysis, there is a common through line that all students should take to heart. Amid the all-consuming and numbing national news, against the backdrop of pressure on higher education, we must ask: How can we make our time and money spent on UConn worth it? At The Daily Campus, we believe that students should be mindful of their actions and the world around them.
Photo by Connor Sharp, Photo Editor
One of the most pressing ethical concerns facing colleges today is the use of AI among both students and staff. The Editorial Board has written on the subject twice over the past year, emphasizing both times The Daily Campus’ zero-tolerance policy for AI. Our staunch belief is that using AI to complete tasks, especially in terms of journalism and writing, takes out the integral human element needed for free expression. As such, we have taken steps to make sure The Daily Campus remains AI-free. Despite this, the AI wave has largely seemed to take over the educational landscape. According to a Gallup poll last March, more than half of college students now use AI on a regular basis.
The question of AI usage returns to our central concern. As students, are we getting the most out of our education? Do we even know what we’re getting from it in the first place? In an ideal world, UConn would reflect and represent what its students believe in. After all, we are the ones who pay the university’s tuition costs. The Editorial Board has highlighted many of UConn’s decisions in the past two semesters, most prominently the university’s plan for regional campus growth. This plan has the potential to impact both current and future UConn students. It is the belief of the Editorial Board that the student body should be made aware of this initiative. So too do we believe that students should know about UConn’s ongoing housing and admittance crises, as well as its attempts to sweep its negotiations with educational faculty unions under the rug. Student awareness of these issues is an important step in the process of understanding what exactly is happening at UConn. Too often, students go about their day without considering how UConn behaves as a whole. How do we change that?
The Daily Campus aims to keep the student body informed and engaged by preserving the freedom of the press. More than a year after President Donald Trump took office for the second time, the fundamental right of journalistic freedom is under fierce attack. This pressure includes FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s attempts to intimidate and belittle the media. As a bastion of free expression, The Daily Campus is continuing the fight to remain an independent organization, unyielding in reponse to attacks on press rights.
Those attacks are not just coming from the national level. The Editorial Board was alarmed to learn in fall 2025 that the Indiana Daily Student, a fellow student-run college newspaper, was forced to shut down print operations due to clashes over freedom of expression with Indiana University. We condemned this action then, and we do so now. The fundamental right of press freedom cannot be undone, and that is why maintaining the independence of The Daily Campus is paramount.
The best way to ensure our newspaper remains a fully free organization is through our funding. The funding increase approved by UConn students has allowed The Daily Campus to acquire more resources and given us financial room to pursue greater heights of journalism. We will continue to give back to the student body by advancing their interests, ensuring their words are not left behind. Our readership deserves the right to be heard and to be informed, and we will continue to fulfill that promise. The Daily Campus will continue to ensure that it makes the most of its time and resources to deliver award-winning journalism to UConn students. The question is now put to you: Will you make the most of your time here at UConn? Hopefully, the answer is a yes.