Rockland Students Need a Clear AI Rule Before Fall Classes Begin

Op-Ed by Gleb Tsipursky, PhD

Rockland Community College students face an August 13 payment deadline as they prepare for fall classes beginning September 2. They should not have to enter that semester guessing when artificial intelligence counts as legitimate assistance and when it crosses into academic misconduct.

RCC’s July 20 Board of Trustees agenda put “Generative AI Policies and Guidance” beside an academic honesty and integrity policy. That is the right conversation. The next step should be a rule students can use before the first assignment is due.

Every course should label AI use in plain language: green for permitted uses such as brainstorming, yellow for uses that require disclosure and verification, and red for work students must complete without generative AI. Faculty should state the rule on each major assignment, not leave students to infer it from a general syllabus.

RCC already has an AI Club focused on real-world applications. Clear boundaries would support that curiosity rather than chill it.

Students can learn to use powerful tools and still demonstrate their own judgment. Clarity before classes begin would protect both goals.

Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, a behavioral scientist, CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts, and author of The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work: From Resistance to Results (Georgetown University Press, 2026). https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/aibook