Welcome back to all of our returning students, and welcome to all those students new to campus and/or new to studying CS at Carleton! I hope your summer was adventurous or restorative or whatever you needed it to be.
This calendar year has been challenging in many ways, and with so many things uncertain (elections! The ever-changing abilities of and hype around generative AI! The general state of the world!), it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unmoored. If you’re eligible to vote in the US, I hope you’re making your voting plan (and utilizing the valuable resources on voting from the CCCE). Voting is an excellent way to do something in the face of uncertainty and make your voice heard. I also want you to know that whatever else is going on in the world, these things will always be true:
- The CS department will always center community, inclusion, and belonging. We care about your well-being, whether you’re a major, taking your first CS course, or showing up to our events and spaces. We’re glad you’re here and value you for who you are!
- The CS department values dialogue, sharing perspectives, and fruitful engagement with diverse ideas. When people ask me why our department faculty function so well together, I tell them that we disagree respectfully. We learn from the different perspectives and values we bring to the table. We care about each other as whole people, and so when we have different ideas on, say, the role of AI in our curriculum (which we do!), we listen thoughtfully and critically. Even (especially) when it’s uncomfortable. We try to bring these values to our classrooms and spaces, even when it’s messy. We hope we’re modeling these values well for you (and want to hear when we mess that up).
- We are here for you. Come to office hours. Stop in our offices, even if it’s just to grab candy or say a quick hi. Send us email. We love getting to know you, hearing what you’re finding fulfilling, answering your questions, and even sharing terrible jokes. (Or reading recommendations!)
I hope you find yourself at home on 3rd Olin this year! I look forward to seeing you in the classrooms, in the labs and study spaces, at department events, and in the hallways. I’m always interested in hearing from you, so please feel free to reach out to me with questions, concerns, observations, ideas, or just to say hi. You can reach me at adalal@carleton.edu, or in Olin 301B.
Happy school year!
— Amy Csizmar Dalal, CS Department Chair