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Nov 21, 2024 | 
chicagomaroon.com | Amy Ma
On November 13, Faculty Forward, the non-tenure-track faculty union at the University of Chicago, ratified a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the University. Negotiations began in March and spanned 29 bargaining sessions. A tentative agreement was reached on November 1, and the contract was ratified by union members with 200 “yes” votes to 27 “no” votes, or 88 percent to 12 percent.
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Nov 4, 2024 | 
chicagomaroon.com | Amy Ma
This fall, changes to the University of Chicago’s campus policies following last year’s protests impacted the Smart Museum’s long-running “Art to Live With” program. The event, which allows students to borrow artworks from the museum’s collection for a year, had to adapt to the University’s updated guidelines for on-campus activities, particularly regarding overnight camping. Originally based on a 120-work collection donated by alumnus Joseph R.
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Jul 11, 2024 | 
chicagomaroon.com | Amy Ma
The current Lyft Ride Smart Program will be replaced by Via as the point-to-point transportation service on campus, Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen and Associate Vice President of Safety and Security Eric Heath announced in an email to students on June 18. The change will take effect on September 1, ahead of the 2024–25 academic year. The existing Lyft program, which was scaled back for the 2023–24 academic year, offers students seven rides per month—each subsidized up to $10.
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Jun 23, 2024 | 
towardsdatascience.com | Amy Ma
For anyone job hunting, not just tech folksOne year ago today, on May 13th 2023, I was laid off. Today, I started the first day at my new job. Over the past year, I became a mother and discovered parts of myself I never knew existed. I want to share some of my learnings from this journey. But if you’re looking for tips on cracking coding interviews or nailing behavioral questions, this isn’t that kind of post.
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May 23, 2024 | 
chicagomaroon.com | Amy Ma
As graduation approaches, we asked the Class of 2024 to share some of their most beloved Hyde Park businesses. From elevated Southern cuisine to a classic cup of coffee, which slice of Hyde Park’s food scene will remain in their hearts? Virtue Restaurant1462 E. 53rd Street, Chicago, IL 60615Chef Erick Williams opened Virtue Restaurant in 2018 with the vision of bringing classic southern hospitality to the Hyde Park community.
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May 16, 2024 | 
chicagomaroon.com | Amy Ma
Rohr Chabad at the University of Chicago and Hyde Park celebrated the groundbreaking of a new $3.2 million expansion at 5700 South Woodlawn Avenue on May 2. Chabad purchased their current house at the corner of Woodlawn Avenue and 57th Street in 2010. The ambitious $3.2 million expansion will include a large, fully accessible multi-purpose room, dedicated study spaces, a student lounge, and an expanded kitchen. In addition, the new basement area will include a mikvah (ritual bath).
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May 3, 2024 | 
towardsdatascience.com | Amy Ma
Courage to Learn ML: Tackling Vanishing and Exploding Gradients (Part 2)A Comprehensive Survey on Activation Functions, Weights Initialization, Batch Normalization, and Their Applications in PyTorchWelcome back to a new chapter of “Courage to Learn ML.” For those new to this series, this series aims to make these complex topics accessible and engaging, much like a casual conversation between a mentor and a learner, inspired by the writing style of “The Courage to Be Disliked,” with a specific…
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May 3, 2024 | 
towardsdatascience.com | Amy Ma
A Comprehensive Survey on Activation Functions, Weights Initialization, Batch Normalization, and Their Applications in PyTorch Welcome back to a new chapter of " Courage to Learn ML." For those new to this series, this series aims to make these complex topics accessible and engaging, much like a casual conversation between a mentor and a learner, inspired by the writing style of " The Courage to Be Disliked," with a specific...
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Apr 17, 2024 | 
chicagomaroon.com | Amy Ma
This spring’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) elections will take place from Monday, April 15 through Friday, April 19 at 4:00 p.m. Over a five-day voting window, students can cast their ballots for the Executive Slate (President, Executive Vice President), various Cabinet positions, and their College Council class representatives. The Maroon reached out to this year’s candidates to understand their respective platforms.
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Apr 4, 2024 | 
chicagomaroon.com | Amy Ma
Jennifer Pahlka is former White House Deputy Chief Technology Officer and founder of Code for America. She is also a 2023 Democracy Fellow for the Center for Effective Government (CEG), a think tank housed in the Harris School of Public Policy which aims to strengthen institutions of democracy and improve the capability of the government to solve public problems. The Maroon sat down with Pahlka to learn more about her.
