Two former student government leaders appealed the ruling that removed them from their positions Tuesday.
Associated Students of Madison Vice Chair Beth Huang and Nominations Board Chair Niko Magallon were removed from their seats Sept. 20 after the Student Judiciary ruled they did not complete required community service hours on time.
According to Huang, she and Magallon were to submit their hours by Sept. 15, but when they submitted their hours that night, the SJ ruled their submissions late.
In their appeal, Huang and Magallon said while it was unclear whether the hours were to be submitted before or on Sept. 15, their hours were not turned in late according to federal rules and the Webster dictionary's definition of ""by.""
""We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience we may have caused by submitting the hours late at night, but submitting our 20 hours of community service on Sept. 15 ultimately complied with the deadline,"" Huang said.
Huang and Magallon also questioned if SJ had the authority to remove them from their seats.
""The ASM Constitution vests the sole power of removal of Student Council representatives with their peers through impeachment proceedings,"" Huang said. ""To remove Mr. Magallon and myself after the certification of results would be to set a precedent that alters the spirit of the ASM constitution.""
The SJ has 10 business days to determine whether to allow Huang and Magallon to return to their positions.
—Anna Duffin
