Mara Steven, history freshman, is the first, first-semester freshman serving as Student Government Association justice.
While in high school, Steven was involved in several leadership organizations that helped her prepare for the position.
After hearing of the SGA justice position during freshman orientation and gathering other information on it, she decided to run. The process was intimidating at first, Steven said, but after a while, she was more confident about her abilities.
“Mara has a level of enthusiasm and drive for significant involvement not common in first-year students,” said Cody Dardeau, criminal justice senior and SGA chief justice. “This, in addition to her unique perspectives, gave me great confidence in her abilities to fulfill the role of an associate justice.”
According to Dardeau, Steven will be treated no different than any of the other justices.
“I don’t like people getting unfair advantages,” Steven said. “Rules are important because they protect the interests of the group.”
Her duties are to serve as a voting member on the SGA Court of Review, which oversees cases concerning violations of the Student Code of Conduct. Steven will also be a part of the SGA allocations review process, in which she will monitor the distribution and use of allocated funds and review organizations’ conduct during the allocations process.
“I would not have endorsed her selection if I felt she could not handle the position. I take my responsibilities very seriously,” Dardeau said. “I demand a lot of myself and the court as a whole, but it is only to ensure that we serve the Loyola community to the best of our abilities. Mara, like all the other justices, gives me great confidence that the court is going to accomplish great things this year.”
The judicial branch of SGA is responsible for upholding the code of conduct for the university.
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