OpenAI, New Housing Plan, and Craft Stations!

Happening Off-Campus: On February 28, 2026, OpenAI signed an agreement with the US Department of War allowing the government to use its AI model in classified military networks. OpenAI publicly shared part of the contract and assured that there would be no use of mass domestic surveillance, direct autonomous weapons, or automated decision-making without human intervention. Some critics say the deal does not explicitly ban the Pentagon from collecting public data. President Trump directed the government to stop working with Anthropic after the AI lab refused to provide its models for military use. OpenAI stated that Anthropic should not be labeled as a “supply-chain risk” in the contract. (TechCrunch)

Happening Near Campus: Mamdani proposed to President Trump a new plan to build 12,000 housing units near Sunnyside Yard in Western Queens. The Mayor’s office claimed that building a platform over the rail yard to create more affordable housing would cost more than $21 billion in federal funding. The proposal is not yet official, as the rail infrastructure surrounding Sunnyside Yard is owned by Amtrak and requires approval from the federal government. In 2016, the MTA had plans to build commuter rail stations above Sunnyside Yard but did not move forward with the project due to high costs. The development of affordable housing could create up to 30,000 union jobs, along with new schools and medical clinics. (Gothamist)

Happening on Campus:

Women’s History Month is coming up! Celebrate with University Life and explore various craft stations, including needleworking, paper quilting, DIY boutonnieres, and more. Learn more here.

Field Note: I’m currently watching Gossip Girl for the first time (shocking, I know). It’s the classic NYC show that compelled so many of my friends to move to the city, and I’m the only one who hasn’t watched it. It’s actually pretty entertaining so far, but not exactly my cup of tea…

Image via Bwarchives