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The Chicago Maroon

Chicago Maroon •

The Programmer’s Dilemma

Four months ago, a Reddit user in r/uchicago described how professors delayed releasing fall quarter grades for Computer Science 141 due to “widespread plagiarism” on the final.
Directly underneath the post, a second user commented: “lmfao ig this happens every year now.”
CMSC 14100, colloquially known as CS 141, is an introductory course in the computer science (CS) department, and for nearly every quarter in the past few years, platforms like Sidechat and Reddit have been flooded with posts ab...
Chicago Maroon •

Divest UChicago Hosts Fourth “Divestival” Rally Protesting UChicago Fossil Fuel Investments

Divest UChicago, a collaboration between the Phoenix Sustainability Initiative (PSI) and the Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF), held its fourth annual “Divestival” rally on Friday to protest the University’s investments in fossil fuels and its lack of financial transparency.   
The rally, which began at 5 p.m. on Harper quad, featured speakers from student advocacy groups, tables from UChicago College Democrats and the reSOURCE Thrift Store, and performances from student music groups Dirt...
Chicago Maroon •

Max Palevsky East Reaches Third Week With No Water Fountain

The only water fountain in Max Palevsky East, a building in Max Palevsky Residential Commons, was damaged and removed earlier this month, leaving residents without in-building access to drinking water for more than three weeks.
The fountain was removed on February 5 for safety reasons. The cause of the damage is still unknown. Housing & Residence Life (HRL) stated in an email to the Maroon that the replacement process is scheduled to begin on March 3 and will be completed by March 4.
The first c...
Chicago Maroon •

“A Step Backwards”: Students and Faculty on the Arts & Humanities Restructuring

Sophia Rodriguez-Bell (A.B. ’24) had not planned to major in Slavic and Russian studies. But after taking her first Slavic studies class—drawn in by the professor’s evident passion and its small class size—she was sold.
The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, housed in the Division of the Arts & Humanities, is one of several small, highly specialized departments that distinguish the University even among its elite peers. These departments have cultivated close-knit communities dedica...
Chicago Maroon •

The AI Epidemic

As someone who avoids using AI, it’s becoming harder and harder to go a day without encountering it. If I search something up, Google returns an AI overview before showing website links. When I updated my iPhone to iOS 18, it automatically prompted me to create AI emojis with new Apple Intelligence. Even in conversations with peers, I hear about a new ChatGPT model every week. Now, UChicago has eagerly hopped on the bandwagon, trying to incorporate its very own artificial intelligence service in...
Chicago Maroon •

Bait and Hook

I still remember the first time I set foot on this campus as a UChicago student. O-Week was full of smiles and fresh faces; everyone was excited to be part of a new community. As the quarters passed, however, and friend groups solidified, the initial enthusiasm faded alongside the passion to meet new peers. It’s strange how quickly a campus full of expression and life can start to feel like a collection of isolated bubbles. The eager energy we once had during O-Week vanished, and I felt as if my...
Chicago Maroon •

Catan and the Winter Quarter

As midterms creep up and the winter grows colder, it’s easy to hole up indoors and make everything about studying. Just last week, I had confined myself to a small cubicle on the 4th floor of the Reg; all I thought about was my next assignments, my upcoming exams, and the essays I had yet to write. The mounting academic pressure (mixed with the single-digit temperatures) had started to take their toll. Just as I was about ready to collapse, my phone buzzed with a message from a friend: “Catan t...
Chicago Maroon •

Secret Places, Secret Faces

The first thing we noticed when we crept into the Ryerson basement was the scent of dry concrete and industrial musk. The old metallic scents are fitting for the basement’s low ceiling crisscrossed with pipes, its dusty floors littered with long-forgotten debris, and the hum of machinery ever-present within its aged walls. Along the corridor, forgotten classrooms hide behind worn wooden doors, and as we peer into their darkened entryways, only empty interiors and repurposed utility rooms stare...
Chicago Maroon •

Where’s the Smart in RideSmart?

It’s 2 a.m. on a Friday evening, and I stand outside Campus North Residential Commons with two friends. We need to get back to Woodlawn. It’s a 20-minute walk, it’s cold, it’s dark. It’s a trek none of us want to make.
As I pull up the RideSmart by Via app, UChicago’s new free rideshare system, I type in our destination and wait for a car, only to see that the closest Via is more than 15 minutes away. Refreshing the app only shows Vias with longer wait times, and tonight I’m not lucky enough to...

Trill Magazine

Trill Mag •

'Sydney Sweeney has Great Jeans,' An American Eagle Ad Turned Eugenics Controversy

American Eagle Outfitters has come under fire for a recent promotional video starring actress Sydney Sweeney. The advertisement features a play on words that promotes Sweeney’s “great jeans,” which critics have deemed a promotion of eugenics. On July 23, actress Sydney Sweeney, known for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus, posted videos of herself featuring in an American Eagle advertisement.Sweeney, sporting American Eagle blue jeans, says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offsprin...
Trill Mag •

Paige Bueckers Suggests Relationship with Azzi Fudd. It’s What the Internet Suspected All Along.

After years of fan speculation, professional basketball player Paige Bueckers seemingly confirms a relationship with long time teammate Azzi Fudd. In an interview at a WNBA All-Star event, Bueckers calls Fudd her ‘girlfriend’.On July 17th, Paige Bueckers, a professional basketball player known for her college basketball contributions to the UConn Huskies, took part in an ESPN interview inquiring about her “D1 Girlfriend.” Bueckers answered a series of questions, including one about Fudd’s phone...
Trill Mag •

Gen-Z is the Last Generation to see Fireflies... or Are We?

The claim that Gen-Z will be the last generation to see fireflies is trending on TikTok. These bugs do face environmental issues and declining numbers, but fireflies are not disappearing just yet. Fireflies, or lightning bugs, are insects known for their illuminating abdomen. Appearing on every continent except for Antarctica, they light up to communicate and attract mates.From catching and releasing these creatures during hot summer nights to reading about them in picture books, or watching the...
Trill Mag •

Popularity Can’t Buy Ethics, As Travel Influencers Prove

In recent years, many influencers have threaded travel content into their regular routine. As they seek to commodify their adventures, however, many have disrespected cultural norms, disrupted local communities, and contributed to the growing problem of overtourism. Today, social media overtourism has become a significant issue, affecting popular destinations worldwide.In December 2017, YouTuber Logan Paul uploaded a now-deleted video of what appeared to be a suicide victim in Japan. After the i...
Trill Mag •

For LGBTQ+ Representation to Matter, Queer Media Censorship Must End.

Around the world, LGBTQ+ characters in movies, shows, and books are routinely censored and removed. This kind of erasure forces queer communities to stay in the dark, fueling prejudice and violence that affects people even beyond the screen. As long as queer media censorship continues to persist, LGBTQ+ communities will stay ostracized and invisible. In November 2024, Netflix released season two of Arcane. The popular show, based on video game League of Legends, features a queer relationship bet...
Trill Mag •

U.S. Policy Still Reflects Anti-Chinese Sentiment, But What Do The People Think?

Relations between the U.S. and China have a history of conflict. Today, anti-Chinese sentiment is perpetuated by the U.S. through policies such as the rising tariffs against China and the prohibition of government personnel from having sexual relations with Chinese citizens. Public perception of China is also at record lows, but the rise of online culture combined with efforts from social media influencers may have started to shift the narrative. The United States and China are seen as two of th...
Trill Mag •

Politics or Propaganda? The White House Instagram's Far Right Imagery

The official White House Instagram account has posted many controversial topics related to or endorsed by President Donald Trump. The content presented, such as the promotion of Tesla vehicles, the politicization of plastic vs. paper straws, and the presentation of Trump as a king, all cater to far-right viewership. These posts call into question the potential biases and effects of such polarizing iconography...

Unpublished Writing Samples

Marx & The Bourgeois Mode of Production

“Fast Fashion” refers to clothing mass produced by retailers attempting to capitalize on recent trends while selling their products as cheaply as possible. Such business practices allow large companies to maximize consumption in hopes for profit, yet have side effects that include high carbon emissions, pollution, and most notably, poor labor conditions. One company stands out when it comes to fast fashion: Shein. Shein sells clothing...