Investigation Finds “Fiscal Malpractice” by President Pettit While He Served As Appropriations Chair

By Vince Gasparini | May 5, 2025

A five-month-long investigation from the Student Association (SA) Committee on Rules and Administration (CRA) found that President Trevor Pettit failed to ensure financial literacy and adherence to bylaws among members of the Appropriations Committee (AC) during his time as Appropriations Chair this academic year, according to a CRA report released April 30.

Pettit, who has served as a Senator for the past two years, recently won the SA Presidential Election alongside Vice Presidential running mate Allison Mitchell; the pair were sworn into their new positions the same day the report was released. The pair ran on a platform of financial transparency and restoring the student body’s trust in SA.

Pettit speaking during an SA Senate meeting on Sept. 25, 2024.

Photo Credit: Vince Gasparini / The ASP

The AC “hears requests for supplemental funding from the various Student Association-recognized organizations. They also are responsible for reviewing requests of new groups to receive funding for the first time,” according to SA’s website. There are a total of five members on the committee.

The investigation found that the only member of the AC who had taken and passed the Financial Literacy Exam (FLE) was Pettit, while the other members had not done so. Members of the AC are required to pass the exam in order to take part in AC operations, according to SA bylaws.

The report additionally stated that while Pettit was not required to “chase down” members of the AC to take the FLE, he failed in his duties as chair in making sure that all members had taken the exam before the AC conducted any business.

The investigation also found that the Appropriations Handbook was not up-to-date with recently overhauled SA bylaws, which the CRA said “demonstrated an environment of negligence” within the AC. 

The report also stated that a majority of the members of the AC said the handbook was not frequently referenced in meetings where they voted on appropriations bills, despite stipulations in the bylaws which require such action.

The CRA also spoke to two individuals who had also served as AC Chair in the past, who said they were “shocked” and “baffled” by the findings of the CRA investigation into Pettit’s actions as Chair.

The report also suggested that Pettit had engaged in a “pattern of neglect and malpractice” throughout the academic year, dating back to when he was found to be at fault for misuse of confidential election information while he was running for Senate Vice Chair in September. 

The CRA claimed that in four instances of investigations, Pettit claimed to have had a “lack of knowledge”: once during the investigation into his handling of confidential election information, once during the CRA’s investigation into his malpractice as AC Chair, once during an investigation by the Elections Commission of an election violation during the presidential election, and once during an investigation into a leak of emails from members of the CRA that were used to lobby the CRA for funding.

According to the report regarding the email leak investigation, Pettit claimed he had no knowledge of a motion to seal or of confidentiality notices on official SA emails, despite the Supreme Court having recommended the confidentiality notices on all official SA emails after their ruling on Pettit’s misuse of confidential election information.

One section of the report also stated that other Senators who were interested in the Chair and Ranker positions of the AC were not given adequate consideration for the roles, despite holding adequate qualifications. 

Committee leadership is ultimately decided by the Senate Chair, a position currently held by Ethan Madappatt. Madappatt has been accused of bias in his committee selections in the past, such as when he denied Senator Marcos Perez a spot on the Ethics Committee in October.

As part of their investigation, the CRA interviewed four of the five members of the AC, Senate leadership, a number of student group E-Boards, and the Chair of the Elections Commission, according to the report. The investigation was opened on Dec. 6, 2024, after a complaint had been filed the previous day.

The one member of the AC who was not interviewed “was not available to meet and had not been present at AC meetings for an extended period of time,” according to the report.

Pettit did not respond to a request for comment from the ASP.