We at The Maroon strive to bring Loyola the most objective and unbiased coverage we can, and to bring as much light as we can to the circumstances on campus. Our role is to act as a mirror for Loyola and reflect it in all of its glorious imperfection. This week, however, our role as observer conflicted with a moral obligation to present our opinion on a pressing issue, and so we decided to devote the front of our paper to this issue in order to better serve in our role as mirror of the community.

We were compelled by two main concerns to make our opinion a matter for the front page. Practically, the most pressing issue was the urgency of the issue. The SGA is trying to force through a number of new officials in the space of only a week, including a new constitution and new SGA officials. Were there more time, we could possibly have afforded to devote our front page to news coverage rather than to our own opinions on SGA’s actions.

However, even with additional time, we might still have needed to use our front page to express our opinion. The new constitution and the question of whether the current election has been fair and balanced are pressing issues with the potential to seriously change Loyola for many years to come. The Maroon is a mirror of Loyola, but it is also a part of the campus, affected by all the same issues. It is always our duty to report honestly and fairly about issues, but it is also our obligation to speak up on issues which have such potential to change our campus.

The Maroon remains committed to reflecting the reality of Loyola, but we are also a part of Loyola and cannot stay silent when we believe it may be harmed. To do so would be to fail in our role as observers, as a mirror and as members of the Loyola community. And the short time we had to voice our opinion made it imperative that we speak out as quickly as possible. The new constitution was both an important and an urgent issue, and so we used both online distribution and our front page to speak against the new constitution while offering the SGA the chance to offer its own argument in favor of their actions.

Whatever happens, the votes of March 14 and 15 will have major consequences for Loyola. As an organization with a vested interest in observing, informing and upholding this university, we at The Maroon used every means at our disposal to make our feelings known on an important and pressing issue, and will do so again if necessary.