Dear Class of 2025,

We know that you will bring the same adaptability and curiosity we’ve admired at UChicago to your lives after undergrad. You face the blessing and curse of graduating in interesting times, but there is no class of students better prepared to make the best of the uncertainty. 

Despite the worst of COVID-19 having passed by the time you entered college, your transition to UChicago still occurred amid testing and masks. You became part of this campus early in the tenure of one U.S. president and are now leaving under another. The future of the country seems anything but settled, and we look forward to seeing the countless contributions you will no doubt make in shaping that future. We congratulate you for all you’ve achieved in your time here, and we bid you the best of luck—it has been a privilege to have been a part of this community with you.

To the graduating members of the Maroon: We will miss all of your editorial and personal contributions to the paper, from covering an encampment to reviewing works of art. You’ve not only been our mentors and leaders but also our friends.

To our readers: In this issue, we hope to share a snapshot of where members of the Class of 2025 are going and what they’ve achieved during their time at UChicago. Read on to hear perspectives from our graduating seniors on topics ranging from their favorite places in Hyde Park to the road to completing a thesis. 

Beyond being a tribute to our graduating seniors, this issue will also bring readers up to date on financial and administrative problems affecting the University. These issues include an overview of trustees’ political donations, an update on the University’s financial outlook under a second Trump administration, a history of UChicago divestment movements, and the last installment of our investigation into last year’s disciplinary proceedings for disruptive conduct.

Tiffany Li,  Editor-in-Chief

Elena Eisenstadt, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Evgenia Anastasakos, Managing Editor