On Thursday, May 7, UChicago Housing and Residential Life announced that rising third and fourth-years who had opted into student housing for the 2026-27 school year could select apartments in Vue53, an upscale apartment building on 53rd Street. Coupled with the College’s plans to expand enrollment to 9,000 students, these moves signal that the University is seeking to boost revenue through Residential Life by targeting students torn between on- and off-campus living. The question remains as to whether these steps will relieve the University’s budget deficit.

During my first month at UChicago, I participated in Art to Live With, where students camp out in line for a chance to snag artwork like they’re waiting for Duke-UNC tickets. While I got the artwork I wanted, my deepest joy came from being a part of that temporary community. For the eight hours I was in line, I played card games and walked around the SMART Museum plaza, chatting with other students determined enough to undertake this endeavor as well. The same sense of temporary community is why I get up at seven in the morning to secure a seat in Mansueto during finals. 

High-achieving students’ college process is shaped by how high on the list the colleges they’re applying to are, rather than those colleges’ identity and resources. The best school for many students might be ranked 30th, 50th, or 150th—but those schools don’t have the prestige and potential for high future earnings that T20s do. As a result, many kids are encouraged, both explicitly and implicitly, to grit their teeth for four years at a top-ranked school instead of thriving at a “less prestigious” institution. 

In 2026, we don’t remember Obama’s policy accomplishments as they happened; most of them have been walked back or downscaled anyway. Despite his relative youth, he feels like a character from a completely different political era. His hesitance to engage with the current political environment and adherence to the party’s centrist establishment have left his ideals feeling out of touch, reliant on a landscape that doesn’t exist anymore.  

Spirit Week 2023 featured faculty developing their own theme days, marking the first time faculty joined students in this tradition. From Tacky Tourist Tuesday to Barbie vs. Oppenheimer, each opportunity to dress up allows students to demonstrate their classwide spirit, and this year, faculty joined the fun.

In a new policy aligning with the Quaker value of plain speech and providing the opportunity for enhanced self-expression, MFS faculty and staff now have the opportunity to choose how they wish to be addressed by students. The decision, instituted at the start of the 2023-24 school year, allows teachers to move beyond traditional honorifics such as "Mr." or "Mrs." and strengthen this Quaker practice at MFS.

Returning to the Meetinghouse provided a solemn experience that, while not a complete return to normalcy, reminded me of the purpose and intent behind Meeting for Worship.