Reporters Aubrey Barb and Amber Lin interrupt coverage to share sad news. Fourth-year student Joyce Qi passed away in an "automobile accident" early on the morning of January 18, Dean of the College Melina Hale wrote in an email to students.

The email invited students to "gather, connect with others in our community, and honor Joyce’s memory" at Bond Chapel on Monday, January 19, between 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The top news stories from the week:

A man was detained in Hyde Park on the morning of January 14 in what is suspected to be federal immigration activity. Rhodes Scholar Tori Harris opens up about embarking on research in African diasporic archaeology at Oxford University. Finally, a look at ClubHub, a third-year student’s start-up which seeks to improve the organization of student-run clubs in high schools around the country.

Featuring: Aubrey Barb and Amber Lin, Edited by: Aubrey Barb

The winter festival Kuvia, a beloved campus tradition, returns this week for the first time since 2024. At the eighth annual Chicago Quantum Summit, two University researchers received awards for their work in the field of quantum computing. And, back in November, the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality hosted a so-called Performative Male Contest, joining the viral internet trend and opening up discussions about gender as a social construct.

Featuring and edited by: Aubrey Barb

Maroon reporter Aubrey Barb has an update on the latest news, as students return from winter break.

The Organization of Black Students held a vigil for Keith Butler, a cook who worked at Bartlett Dining Commons. Businessman Thomas Pritzker and New York Times columnist David Brooks appear in new photographs released by the Epstein estate. Also, university administrators remain cautiously optimistic about future reductions to the budget deficit.

Featuring and edited by: Aubrey Barb

On this episode, your favorite podcast hosts review Tate McRae’s most recent album, So Close to What. They are joined by special guest Justin (resident Tate McRae stan and expert) as they spar over whether or not this album was able to achieve what seemed to be Tate’s vision. Tune in to hear what we love and hate from Tate!

Hosted by: Elizabeth Eck, podcast editor; Tiffany Li, editor-in-chief; Nolan Shaffer, arts editor Edited by: Tiffany Li, editor-in-chief

For this episode, each of your favorite arts podcast hosts picked three songs that they have been listening to recently, and played it for everyone. There was some fierce debate over who has the better music taste (and deep disagreement on how to pronounce Bladee’s name). Tune in to find out what’s been playing in our ears!

Hosted by: Elizabeth Eck, podcast editor; Tiffany Li, editor-in-chief; Nolan Shaffer, arts editor

Edited by: Elizabeth Eck, podcast editor; Nolan Shaffer, arts editor

Your hosts are back with an episode on the Grammy awards! Who deserved it? Who didn’t? Find out with Elizabeth, Nolan, and Tiffany as they discuss, disagree, and dissect.

Hosted by: Elizabeth Eck, podcast editor; Tiffany Li, editor-in-chief; Nolan Shaffer, arts editor

In 1967, University President George Beadle appointed a faculty committee—chaired by First Amendment scholar Harry Kalven Jr.—to prepare “a statement on the University’s role in political and social action.” Journalist Jamie Kalven, Harry Kalven Jr.’s son, sat down with the _Maroon_ to walk through the Kalven Report. In the 14 years he spent editing his father’s manuscript on the First Amendment and the American tradition of freedom of speech, Jamie Kalven reviewed hundreds of Harry Kalven Jr.’s papers to familiarize himself with his father’s thinking. Providing context on his father’s writing, Jamie Kalven argues that we, now in a moment of attacks on academic freedom and higher education, should return to “the point of departure” provided by the document.

An annotated version of the 1967 report based on our conversation, along with the interview itself, can be found on the Maroon's website (https://chicagomaroon.github.io/data-visualizations/2025/kalven-report-annotated/).

Hosted by: Anushree Vashist, managing editor and Celeste Alcalay, Grey City editor Edited by: Celeste Alcalay, Grey City editor and William Kimani, Podcasts Co-Head Editor

The University of Chicago has long been regarded as a bastion of free expression, and outsiders associate the school with a commitment to institutional neutrality and open discourse. But how well does this commitment hold up in practice? Do members of the institution consider those principles important in their duties at the University? The Maroon’s Nicole Ochoa conducted interviews with non-tenure-track faculty and student interns from the Department of Physics and Pozen Family Center for Human Rights to provide a look into how free expression functions within the University for three of its members. The views expressed are the interviewees’ own.

Hosted by: Nicole Ochoa Edited by: William Kimani