As the semester draws to a close, Student Council still has no vice chair.

The Associated Students of Madison’s 18th session of council has sparked frequent criticism for remaining locked in debate on an array of issues, with one reoccurring issue being how to fill the vacant leadership seat.

As the session began last spring, Beth Huang was elected vice chair under Chair Allie Gardner.

The contention began when Huang and Nominations Board Chair Niko Magallon turned in documentation on volunteer hours ordered by Student Judiciary following an elections violation during the spring election. The judicial body ruled the hours were received late, and both officials were removed from office Oct. 17.

The Nominations Board was charged with the duty of filling the vacant seats, and after vetting applications and interviewing candidates, presented Huang and Magallon as the board’s nominees in front of the council.

After the vote to approve the nominations carried, both were immediately sworn into office during the Nov. 3 meeting, a move some openly condemned as “cronyism.”

Another complication in the process emerged with an alternate interpretation of the ASM constitution, which states that a two-thirds majority of the entire sitting Student Council, excluding vacancies, is required to fill vacant seats.

While no representatives questioned Gardner’s calling the vote, neither official had received the necessary number of votes, and it was rendered void during the following meeting.

The most recent attempt to fill the position with either Rep. Tom Templeton or Rep. Nneka Akubeze also stalled because of concerns about Akubeze’s eligibility as a special student under University of Wisconsin Financial Policy F50.