Opinion
The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, March 31, 2023 observer.case.edu Volume LIV, Issue 23
EDITORIAL
CWRU’s sports success should not be overlooked Editorial Board When the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University were separate universities, not only were they rival institutions but they also had a heated sports rivalry. Between 1891 and 1969 the Case and Reserve teams went head-to-head in an annual Thanksgiving football game which not only captured campus life for both universities but also drew crowds of spectators from the Cleveland community as a whole. The games were so popular that they often filled the 70,000-seat Cleveland Stadium, and even eventually led to the Ministerial Association of Cleveland pleading to move the timing of the game because it was interfering with church attendance on Thanksgiving. The two schools refused, however, as the games were too profitable and much of student life at Case and Reserve revolved around the game. With the federation of the university, the fervent football rivalry also ended and Case Western Reserve University students’ fascination with their collegiate sports seemingly evaporated. The student populace of CWRU, with our primarily academic and nerdy outlook, scarcely attends games at Nobby’s Ballpark or DiSanto Field. Other than a Homecoming football game at the beginning of the year, CWRU students barely even know when games are happening. That’s a shame, especially because so many CWRU sports teams are currently doing the best they ever have.
We are a NCAA DIII university, competing against other primarily academic schools like the University of Chicago, New York University and Carnegie Mellon University, so it’s very unlikely that we’ll ever be a sports-crazed campus on par with DI schools. That being said, we should still support our student athletes and their efforts in fighting for CWRU across the nation, and they’re doing so tremendously. For the second year in a row, our men’s basketball team made it to the NCAA tournament after getting out of University Athletic Association (UAA) conference play. In fact, this year, for the first time ever, they were crowned champions of the UAA. The women’s soccer team also were UAA champions this year for the first time and made it all the way to the NCAA championship game after making it to the round of 16 last year. The men’s tennis team are backto-back ITA Indoor National Champions this year and competed in the NCAA championship match last year for the second year in a row. Whether they will repeat that performance remains to be seen but so far they are starting strong out of the gate as they had a 15-game win streak earlier this season and are currently on another 4-game win streak. The women’s tennis team also competed in the NCAA tournament last year for the first time ever and currently have an 11-3 record. The softball team is also having a historic season after starting with a 14-game win streak, leading to a current 15-2 record. Across the board, the Spartans have been firing at all cylinders.
AI’s threat to writing
And why, as a result, writing might actually improve Carsten Torgeson Staff Writer The advent of artificial intelligence (AI)—specifically OpenAI’s Chat GPT—may improve the quality of life for some, but it is also a weighty source of concern for many others. Though its potential to streamline many menial tasks is certainly impressive, I fear that AI is swiftly becoming the preferred method of shortcutting what makes education worthwhile: the process of learning. It is natural to avoid unnecessary struggle, but eventually we must contend with the fact that struggle itself is the impetus for learning. By removing that struggle and allowing AI to take over some of the less interesting components of education, we may be ushering in an era of academic stagnation. As I write this, I am well aware of my perspective as an English major. I likely have a greater-thanaverage appreciation for language and a simultaneous awareness of my major’s perceived inutility in the modern world. I concede that my perspective may be more pessimistic than is warranted. Undoubt-
edly, AI is being used in creative and worthwhile ways. It is also true that even prior to the development of AI—which might make students feel that the skill of writing is not as important as it once was—the decline of the English major’s popularity was well documented. Nevertheless, AI’s arrival should be cause for concern for more than just English majors. AI is threatening to take over the quintessentially important craft of basic writing. Already, students are using AI to write their essays—and they’re getting away with it. Additionally, Google has already developed a new AI for similar purposes, which has cheekily been named “Bard.” Google has no delusions about its AI’s role, and neither should we. I recognize that not everyone can have the same appreciation for writing that English majors do. For students whose fondness for the study of English is average or even nonexistent, AI does not seem like a threat. Instead, it is a useful tool. I am not so much of an alarmist that I cannot recognize its potential for utility. In careful hands, we, in fact, can put AI to admirable use. Continue reading on page 9
They deserve recognition. And it isn’t just our proper varsity sports that are doing well, but also our club sports. Club men’s volleyball will soon be going to compete in their national tournament in April after becoming national champions last year. The CWRU rowing team has been competing at regional and national regattas all year and soon will be competing in the Mid-America Collegiate Rowing Association Championship regatta. The CWRU rugby team also competes on a regional and national level. Last year, the club ice hockey team were playoff champions, and the club badminton and fencing teams both placed first place in their competitions. The efforts our student athletes make day in and day out is worthy of acknowledgement and support as such, but going to games and following our teams can also improve our own college experiences. It is an understatement to say that CWRU cur-
rently lacks school spirit. Without consistent widespread traditions, events and opportunities to rally together, we often don’t feel part of a cohesive community. However, by paying more attention to the efforts of our sports teams and creating a greater sports culture, we can have something that binds us all together and have pride in. So start reading our Sports section. Start following our Spartan win streaks. Most importantly, start going to games. Both DiSanto Field and Nobby’s Ballpark are right next to the North Residential Village, and Horsburgh Gymnasium and the Veale Natatorium are right next to the South Residential Village, so you have no excuse. Scores and schedules are consistently posted both within The Observer’s print editions and at athletics.case.edu. We may never be the most sports-obsessed campus, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start taking pride in the CWRU name and our Spartans.
The Case Western Reserve Observer Established in 1969 by the undergraduate students of Case Western Reserve University
Shreyas Banerjee Executive Editor & Publisher PRINT Sara Khorshidi Director of Print Grace Johnson News Editor Joey Gonzalez Life Editor Karuna Lakhiani Opinion Editor Puneet Bansal Sports Editor Beau Bilinovich Development Editor Shivangi Nanda Copy Editor Lexy Jensen Copy Editor Rachel Alexander Copy Editor Elie Aoun Copy Editor Kate Gordon Copy Editor DIGITAL MEDIA Joce Ortiz Director of Digital Media Sophia Popkin Social Media Editor Clay Preusch Photo Editor Shejuti Wahed Video Editor Collin Wong Web Editor DESIGN Tarun Sepuri Director of Design Shifra Narasimhan Layout Designer Auden Koetters Layout Designer Catherine Choi Layout Designer Tyler Vu Graphic Designer BUSINESS Khushali Desai Director of Business Operations Matthew Chang Business Manager Mohit Kosuru Business Manager Ryan Chang Business Manager The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer reports news affecting students and provides an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are typically written by the opinion editor but reflect the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. Opinion columns are the views of their writers and not necessarily of The Observer staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer via e-mail at observer@ case.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be e-mailed to observer@case.edu or submitted on our website at observer.case.edu. Letters can be mailed to Thwing Center 11111 Euclid Avenue, Suite 01, Cleveland, Ohio 44106. For policy and guidelines related to the submission of Letters to the Editor, refer to observer.case.edu/submit-a-letter. The Observer is a proud member of CWRU’s University Media Board. Follow The Observer on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram @cwruobserver.