The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon
The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon
The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon
Zachary Leiter

Zachary Leiter, 2024–25 Deputy Managing Editor

From the humid bog of Washington, D.C., Zachary Leiter studied political science at UChicago. His areas of journalistic interest include Chicago’s hazy administrative systems, theater, and the environment. In his free time, he ballroom dances, plays Magic: The Gathering, draws, and researches American offshore fisheries policy.

All content by Zachary Leiter
Chad Bay and Justin Albinder in Yasmina Reza’s Art. Courtesy of Nomee Photography.

Remy Bumppo’s Art Is Bright White and Brilliant

By Zachary Leiter
June 8, 2025
Dan Cobbler, David Lovejoy, and Genevieve Corkery in Bertolt Brecht’s Galileo. Courtesy of J. Michael Griggs.

A Naked Astronomer and a Twice-Clothed Pope: Trap Door’s Galileo Thrills

By Zachary Leiter
June 8, 2025
The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

The White House in Washington, D.C.

The White House in Washington, D.C.

The White House in Washington, D.C.

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building in D.C., which houses the Executive Office of the President

The New Executive Office Building in D.C., which houses much of the White House Office of Management and Budget

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building in D.C., which houses the Executive Office of the President

The U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.

The J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, D.C.

The J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.

The E. Barrett Prettyman Court House in Washington D.C., which houses the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

The E. Barrett Prettyman Court House in Washington D.C., which houses the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

The U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Kris Tori, Marvin Tate, Willie Round, and Matt Fleming in Richard Maxwell’s The End of Reality. Courtesy of Karl Soderstrom.

Two Spectacular Hours of Nothingness and Blood in The End of Reality

By Zachary Leiter
June 4, 2025
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where DOGE is located.

UChicago Undergrad, Four Alums Hold Senior Positions at DOGE

By Zachary Leiter
May 28, 2025
Political donations from the current trustees by election cycle from the 1999–2000 election cycle to the 2023–24 election cycle. Source: Federal Election Commission

[Video] Current UChicago Trustees’ Donations to Republicans Skyrocketed in Last Two Years

By Zachary Leiter
May 22, 2025
Helena Glory (Madelyn Loehr) and the robot Sulla (Alex George) in Bo List’s adaption of Karel Čapek’s R.U.R. Courtesy of Steve Graue.

City Lit’s R.U.R. Brings Humor but Little Power

By Zachary Leiter
May 20, 2025
Gabriela Diaz and Alice Wu in Time is a Color and the Color is Blue. Courtesy of Akosua-Asamoabea Ampofo.

Time Is a Color and the Color Is Blue and the Blue Is Warm

By Zachary Leiter
May 12, 2025
Johnard Washington as David in Red Theater’s Kairos. Courtesy of Wannabe Studio.

Kairos Makes a Mess of Immortality

By Zachary Leiter
May 7, 2025
Marthe (Raven Whitley) and Kurt (Tim Decker) in a snowstorm in Berlin. Courtesy of Michael Brosilow.

In Berlin, Beauty in the Life of the City and the Fall of Liberalism

By Zachary Leiter
May 5, 2025
Zainab Jah and Namir Smallwood in Suzan-Lori Parks’s The Book of Grace. Courtesy of Michael Brosilow.

Steppenwolf’s The Book of Grace Wanders Through the Desert

By Zachary Leiter
April 30, 2025
UCPD officers and protesters face off on South Ellis Avenue following the encampment raid.

[Video] New Information on Lead-up to Encampment Raid

By Elena Eisenstadt and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
April 28, 2025
A banner reading "End the Siege on Gaza," Ceasefire Now," and "Free Palestine" hangs inside the encampment.

[Video] The Encampment and IOP Occupation One Year Later

By Elena Eisenstadt and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
April 28, 2025
The Salomon and Benhamou families gather for a Passover seder in Joshua Harmon’s Prayer for the French Republic. Courtesy of Michael Brosilow.

Prayer for the French Republic Is Dark in Mood but Warm in Tone

By Zachary Leiter
April 21, 2025
The Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C.

[Photo] DoJ Says UChicago Suspended a Diversity Scholarship Amid Lawsuit Threats, University Claims It Hasn’t Participated Since 2023

By Julian Moreno and Evgenia Anastasakos
April 19, 2025
Gene (Thomas Gibson) lectures the titular Henry Johnson (Daniil Krimer) about gender, wisdom, and justice. Courtesy of Michael Brosilow.

David Mamet’s Henry Johnson Misses the Mark

By Zachary Leiter
April 18, 2025
Protesters rally on the one-year anniversary of the January 27, 2013 demonstration at the Center for Care and Discovery.

[Video] Reworking a Decades-Old Disciplinary System

By Evgenia Anastasakos, Celeste Alcalay, and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
April 17, 2025
The Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington, D.C.

[Photo] HHS Cuts UChicago Grants for HIV, COVID Research

By Grace Beatty and Isaiah Glick
April 10, 2025
The U.S. Department of State building in Washington, D.C.

[Photo] State Department Reinstates Visas of International Students and Alums

May 3, 2025
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where DOGE is located.

UChicago Trustee Joins DOGE, Targets Social Security

By Zachary Leiter
April 4, 2025
Saieh Hall, where UChicago's world-famous Department of Economics is housed.

April Fools: University Reverses Position on Free Speech

By Peter Maheras and Zachary Leiter
April 1, 2025
Edward H. Levi Hall, which houses many of the University’s administrative offices.

UChicago to Investigate Faculty Member’s Posters for Alleged Antisemitism

By Zachary Leiter
March 31, 2025
The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C.

Trump Signs Order to Begin Dismantling Education Department

By Zachary Leiter
March 20, 2025
UChicago's Booth School of Business.

Department of Education to Investigate UChicago for Alleged Racial Discrimination

By Zachary Leiter and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
March 14, 2025
Maroons for Israel's installation on March 4.

UChicago Denounces Anti-Israel Vandalism as Trump Targets Antisemitism in Chicago

By Zachary Leiter and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
March 14, 2025
The University's administration building, now Edward H. Levi Hall. Courtesy of the University of Chicago Photographic Archive.

“Choosing to Govern Itself”: How the Protests of 1969 Shaped UChicago’s Disciplinary System

By Zachary Leiter, Elena Eisenstadt, and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
March 7, 2025
Edward H. Levi Hall, which houses many of the University's administrative offices.

[Video] UChicago’s Secrecy Thwarts Discourse

By Maroon Editorial Board
March 5, 2025
Cover of the March 5, 2025 print edition.

[Photo] Chicago Principles Special Insert Editor's Note

March 6, 2025
Edward H. Levi Hall, which houses the Office of the University Provost.

[Video] University Restricts Non-Tenure-Track Faculty’s Research Spending

By Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
February 26, 2025
Julius Rosenwald Hall, which houses the University's College admissions office.

[Video] Department of Education Claims DEI Programs Violate the Civil Rights Act

By Evgenia Anastasakos
February 17, 2025
Edward H. Levi Hall, which houses many of the University's administrative offices.

Alivisatos Defends Lawsuit Against the NIH

By Zachary Leiter
February 12, 2025
Donnelley Biological Sciences Learning Center houses much of the University's NIH funded research.

Trump Administration’s Legal Strategy Raises Constitutional Concerns

By Zachary Leiter, Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon, and Evgenia Anastasakos
February 12, 2025
The University of Chicago Medical Center

“Flagrantly Unlawful”: UChicago Sues NIH Over Funding Cuts

By Anushree Vashist and Zachary Leiter
February 11, 2025
The Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse building in downtown Chicago, where the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division is located.

[Video] Justice Department Sues Chicago Over Sanctuary City Policies

By Evgenia Anastasakos and Elena Eisenstadt
February 9, 2025
On Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators joined Democratic lawmakers outside the Department of the Treasury in Washington D.C. to protest Elon Musk’s role in the new Trump administration.

With Trump Taking Aim at Department of Education, University Could See Major Changes

By Zachary Leiter, Evgenia Anastasakos, and Kalyna Vickers
February 5, 2025
Edward H. Levi Hall, which houses many of the University's administrative offices.

[Video] Trump Targets International Students Involved in Pro-Palestine Protests

By Evgenia Anastasakos and Kalyna Vickers
January 30, 2025
Edward H. Levi Hall, which houses many of the University's administrative offices.

Trump Administration Flip-Flops on Grant Freeze

By Zachary Leiter and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
January 29, 2025
Edward H. Levi Hall, which houses many of the University’s administrative offices.

White House Grant Freeze Could Affect Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in UChicago Research Funding

By Zachary Leiter and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
January 28, 2025
Professor Allen Sanderson.

[Video] Longtime Economics Professor Allen Sanderson Dies at 81

By Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
January 27, 2025
Edward H. Levi Hall, which houses many of the University’s administrative offices.

[Video] UChicago Student Sues University, Alleging First Amendment and Tenant Rights Violations

By Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
January 22, 2025
A UCPD officer stands on the steps of University President Paul Alivisatos’s house while protesters rallied outside.

[Video] UCUP Rallies Outside University President’s House, Demands Reinstatement of Arrested Students

By Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon and Oliver Buntin
January 16, 2025
Mamayan Jabateh, whom UCUP formerly identified as “Student B.,” speaks about their December 11 arrest by CPD and subsequent eviction from University housing.

[Video] UCUP Holds Briefing on Arrested and Evicted Students

By Sabrina Chang and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
January 8, 2025
From the October 11 UCUP protest: The student in the orange skirt was arrested on December 11 and charged with “aggravated battery of a peace officer” and “causing an injury while resisting or obstructing a peace officer.” They were allegedly attempting to prevent the arrest of the student in khaki shorts, who was charged with “aggravated battery of a peace officer.”

[Video] CPD Arrests Second UChicago Undergraduate in Connection With October 11 Protest

By Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
January 7, 2025
Protesters rally around Cobb Gate, which they had locked with a bike lock.

[Video] UChicago Places Unidentified Student, Arrested at October 11 Protest, on Involuntary Leave of Absence

By Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
October 25, 2024
Left: The student kicks a CPD officer. Right: Using a baton, CPD officers grab and attempt to detain the student as he flees down South Ellis Avenue.

[Video] UChicago Undergrad Charged for Battery of CPD Officer at pro-Palestine Protest

By Oliver Buntin
October 24, 2024
UCPD officers and protesters surround a police car where a protester had been detained.

[Video] Protesters and Police Clash as Protesters Lock Cobb Gate, Police Arrest Three

By Maroon Staff
October 11, 2024
Protesters lock Cobb Gate.

LIVE UPDATES: UCUP Locks Cobb Gate, Protesters Arrested

By Zachary Leiter, Katherine Weaver, and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
October 11, 2024
The Booth School of Business, home to the Polsky Center.

[Video] The Arts Staff’s Ten Can’t-Miss Arts and Culture Spots Across Chicago

By Maroon Arts
September 23, 2024
Screenshot 2024-09-23 at 5.58.42 PM

[Photo] A Welcome Letter from the Maroon

September 23, 2024
Wooden boards and a banner surrounding the encampment on Monday, May 6.

[Video] LIVE UPDATES: Pro-Palestine Encampment Enters Eighth Day on Quad

By Maroon Staff
May 6, 2024
The projected text on Levi Hall reading "From the river to the sea."

[Video] LIVE UPDATES: Pro-Palestine Encampment Enters Seventh Day on Quad

By Maroon Staff
May 5, 2024
UCUP's encampment on the quad enters its sixth day.

[Video] LIVE UPDATES: Pro-Palestine Encampment Enters Sixth Day on Quad

By Maroon Staff
May 4, 2024
The Maroon estimated that there were roughly a thousand people on the main quad during the midday protests.

[Video] LIVE UPDATES: Pro-Palestine Encampment Enters Fifth Day on Quad

By Maroon Staff
May 3, 2024
Facilities Services removing a Palestinian flag from a large tree across the quad from the encampment.

[Photo] LIVE UPDATES: Pro-Palestine Encampment Enters Fourth Day on Quad

By Maroon Staff
May 2, 2024
The encampment on the quad enters its third day.

[Video] LIVE UPDATES: Pro-Palestine Encampment Enters Its Third Day on Quad

By Maroon Staff
May 1, 2024
The encampment on the Quad enters its second day.

[Video] LIVE UPDATES: Pro-Palestine Encampment Enters Its Second Day on Quad

By Maroon Staff
April 30, 2024
Signs placed on the quad in front of the encampment.

[Video] LIVE UPDATES: Pro-Palestine Encampment on Quad

By Maroon Staff
April 29, 2024
Madonna performs at the United Center.

Madonna Is as Mesmerizing as Ever

By Zachary Leiter
February 23, 2024
Halloween decorations invade campus.

Twenty-Eight Minimally Researched Halloween Movie Reviews

By Zachary Leiter
October 29, 2023
OIssue 2023 Square Cover

[Photo] O-Issue 2023

By The Maroon Staff
September 19, 2023
A stack of issues of The Maroon.

The “Write” Way to Get Involved on Campus

By Zachary Leiter and Natalie Manley
September 19, 2023
(Left to right) Martasia Jones, Kandice Robins, and David Goodloe in Jackie Sibblies Drury’s "Fairview."

“Fairview” Shocks, Shames, and Shatters the Fourth Wall

By Zachary Leiter
June 5, 2023
Illustration of Dean Boyer in academic regalia

John W. Boyer, Dean of the College for 30 Years, in His Own and His Colleagues’ Words

By Zachary Leiter
May 18, 2023
Worth Walking For

[Photo] Worth Walking For

By Angelina Torre
May 18, 2023
Glenn Davis (left) watches as Yasen Peyankov (right) re-writes Soviet history with a black marker.

Yasen Peyankov Is Spectacular in Steppenwolf’s Deep and Disturbing “Describe the Night”

By Zachary Leiter
April 10, 2023
Susaan Jamshidi and Adam Shalzi in Raven Theatre’s Chicago premiere of Right To Be Forgotten.

“Right To Be Forgotten” Is a Welcome, If Somewhat Distracted, Portrayal of Internet Privacy Debates

By Zachary Leiter
March 1, 2023
"Outer Banks" Season 3 premieres on Netflix on February 23rd.

“Outer Banks” Season 3 Is a Thrilling and Fitting, If Unwieldy, Continuation of the Hit Series

By Zachary Leiter
February 22, 2023
From left to right: Elaine Carlson, David Fink, Sahara Glasener-Boles, James Sparling in City Lit Theater's production of "The Birthday Party." (Photo by Steve Graue.)

City Lit Theater Flirts with Uncertainty in Pinter’s The Birthday Party

By Zachary Leiter
February 5, 2023
Catherine (Leah Brotherhead) and Heathcliff (Liam Tamne), with the company of Wise Children’s Wuthering Heights, adapted and directed by Emma Rice, presented as part of Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s WorldStage Series, January 27–February 19, 2023. Photo by Kevin Berne, courtesy of Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Wise Children’s “Wuthering Heights:” Pretty but Lacking Depth

By Zachary Leiter
February 5, 2023
(Left to right) Luke Halpern, Alec Phan, and Crystal Claros in BoHo Theater's "tick, tick... BOOM!"

“tick, tick… BOOM!” Lives in Little Moments Between Dialogue and Lyric

By Zachary Leiter
January 22, 2023
Load More Stories
Donate to Chicago Maroon
$10000
$10000
Contributed
Our Goal