SGLC Chief Justice Resigns, Legislation is Passed at Senate Meeting

Chief Justice Paige Gutierrez announced her resignation from her elected position in Student Government of Loyola Chicago during their Dec. 5 senate meeting, citing the organization’s negative impact on her mental health. Gutierrez’s resignation prompted an emergency internal election to elect the new Chief Justice Lindsey Elliot. 

The meeting included the approval of two new pieces of legislation and the introduction of five new executive orders from SGLC President Alexandra Brist.

Gutierrez said in a speech to the SGLC body she had to take a leave of absence earlier this semester due to her mental health, which caused her to receive backlash from some members of SGLC. 

Gutierrez said while she enjoyed working with other members of the organization throughout the semester, the culture of SGLC hindered her from feeling satisfied with the work she had been doing.

“I felt underappreciated, disrespected and undervalued as branch leader despite how I’ve been chosen for this role by the student body,” Gutierrez said in her speech.

Gutierrez said she didn’t expect to have her character and judgment questioned when she was elected to be chief justice, and she hopes SGLC can find ways to ensure members feel valued and supported.

She said the concerns of an unhealthy culture in SGLC contributing to her resignation, as well as other student’s resignation from the organization, aren’t seriously considered.

Gutierrez didn’t respond to The Phoenix’s request for comment.

Two members of the SGLC judicial branch also recently resigned due to graduation and study abroad plans, including the chief justice pro tempore, who is usually next-in-line to be chief justice in the case of a resignation. Since both the chief justice pro tempore and the chief justice resigned, SGLC didn’t have a procedure for replacing Gutierrez.

Brist told The Phoenix she commends Gutierrez for speaking up about her disappointment in the SGLC environment and for being transparent about her mental health. 

“We need to ensure that senators have access to mental health resources,” Brist said. “I think more than the average student only because the nature of our work is very challenging, and we engage in debate pretty often.”

New procedures will be implemented in the spring semester to improve the mental well-being of SGLC members, specifically through a retreat which will take place in the spring, according to Brist.

Faculty advisor Astrid Beltran said she hears the concerns of students and plans to continue working to improve the culture of the organization with students.

The Dec. 5 meeting initially allotted time for SGLC senators to vote on new legislation and for nominees for new executive positions to give speeches in front of the senate, according to Brist.

During the meeting, two pieces of legislation were passed — the Confirmation Act and the Right to Counsel Act. 

Brist said the Confirmation Act will ensure administrators have access to individuals who are nominated and elected to leadership positions at the beginning of each term.

The Right to Counsel Act will make sure every SGLC meeting is supervised by an advisor who can provide mental health support to SGLC members, according to Brist.   

“They are incredible pieces that will help with both the transparency of the SGLC to the wider organization and to the student body and our administrators,” Brist said to The Phoenix.

Two new executive positions — chief technology officer and chief academic affairs officer — were added to the organization at the meeting, according to Brist.

Both of these new positions were created by a series of five executive orders by Brist which aimed to give all members of the executive branch “chief” titles alongside equally distributing responsibility and recognition, according to Brist.

Brist said the other three executive orders pertained to reaffirming SGLC’s attendance policy and redistributing scholarship money for board members. 

Although resignations were expected, the decision to host a special election for chief justice was proposed by senators in the meeting.

Due to the unexpected election, a substantial amount of time originally blocked out for additional executive orders was used to elect a new Chief Justice. Executive orders which weren’t carried out because of time restraints will instead be discussed at the first meeting of the second semester Jan. 16.

Speaker of the Senate Michael Clausen and Attorney General Stefanie Flores said they came up with a plan to nominate new associate justices in the judicial branch, consequently allowing the associate justices to elect the new chief justice pro tempore who would be immediately promoted to chief justice upon election. The new chief justice would then select the new chief justice pro tempore. 

The plan laid out by Clausen and Flores was intended to be enacted following winter break when SGLC reconvened Jan. 16, but the senators called to instead hold an emergency internal election and immediately fill the position of chief justice for the remainder of the term.

In order for the emergency election to be used in SGLC, it needed a two-thirds majority — which it received, prompting the senators to nominate Senator Lindsey Elliot and Senator Joseph Kosman for the position of Chief Justice.

The senators then cast their votes, electing Elliot as the new chief justice of SGLC. 

“I am honored and grateful to be elected to the role of the Chief Justice of the SGLC,” Elliott wrote in an email to The Phoenix. “I look forward to upholding principles of equity, fairness, and integrity in this esteemed position.” 

Featured image by Holden Green / The Phoenix