President-Elect Jon Long may have misused QSA funds

Shortly after Jonathan Long was elected to next year's ASUWT presidency, evidence has come to light that the former president of the Queer Straight Alliance may have misappropriated club funds, using the group's account as if it were his own. The scandal may get him suspended for a year.

The revelation, made public in a Thursday QSA meeting and substantiated by documents, is now raising questions in student government regarding how to handle the situation, which isn't accounted for in the by-laws.

A student conduct incident report filed March 2 by QSA Treasurer Paul Scarberry, then-Vice-President and current President Bill Hillius, and advisors Teresa Holt and Robert Guerrero alleged that Long had used the club account for multiple personal transactions.

From the report: "Secretary/Treasurer [Scarberry], using an online bank print out, identified unauthorized uses of QSA funds, then a rather large deposit [of] funds and use of the QSA account for unexplained expenditures. Jonathan shared this was a personal deposit, and use of the account for his personal expenditures as he straightened out difficulties he was having with a separate and personal account.

"He identified the large deposit as his financial aid, and the withdrawal as the remainder of his personal funds. This is followed by a large withdrawal identified by Jonathan as an end to of his use of the QSA account for personal use."

Long agreed to the club's decision to bring him up for review, according to the report. QSA provided access to its financial records regarding the incident - including Long and Scarberry's separate records and the official bank transaction history - at the meeting, which ASUWT President Tommy Bauer attended.

All three sets of financial records were consistent with one another.

Fast food, iTunes songs, a pair of contact lenses and large cash withdrawals were all included in Long's use of the account. He balanced the withdrawals with large deposits from financial aid and his tax refund.

Between Nov. 25, 2008 and Jan. 12, QSA account activity consisted entirely of Long's personal transactions.

From Nov. 25 through Feb. 9 -- shortly before being discovered by other QSA members -- Long's activity actually provided the club with a positive cash flow of $84.81. However, his spending patterns were troublesome for the account's day-to-day activity, sending it into debt at several points in January and February and incurring overdraft fees. The worst of the overdrafts reached $660.82, though the largest debts were almost immediately balanced out by deposits of equal or greater amounts.

The problem wasn't the flow of money, but the fact that the account funds were misappropriated, Hillius said.

"At no point have we used the word 'embezzlement' in relation to this case," Hillius said. "But there was a serious misuse of club funds."

Though the Ledger obtained a copy of the initial incident report against Long, official documentation regarding the resulting sanction against him was unavailable. A Facebook message written by Long and sent to Hillius stated that he would be suspended until spring quarter 2010, pending approval by the Faculty Appeals Board in Seattle. A copy of the Facebook message was provided ot the newspaper. In it, Long said he intended to appeal and requested that Hillius submit a letter on his behalf.

Hillius did write a letter to the board, though he was not supportive of Long.

"We agreed… as an organization that Jon needed to step down as the President," Hillius wrote. "We allowed Jon to step down with out [sic] any publicity, hoping this would be punishment enough.

"However within just a few weeks of his stepping down form the smallest organization on campus, he decides to run for ASUWT president. This is strong evidence that Jon has no remorse for his actions."

The members of QSA stood behind Julie Draper's decision, he wrote.

Draper, the associate director for student services and arbiter on the incident report, said she was unable to discuss the specifics of the QSA report because she is a staff member. But Long's report was given the same consideration as any other report filed for another student, and judged on all available evidence, she said.

The decision to suspend Long came during or before April 22, the same week as ASUWT elections, according to the timestamp on Long's message to Hillius.

Furthermore, the March 2 filing of the first incident report with Long's knowledge suggests that Long was aware of possible sanctions prior to applying for candidacy.

The allegations against Long pose an interesting and troubling problem for ASUWT: Neither the current Constitution nor the recently approved new Constitution contain procedure for investigating allegations against officials who are not yet sworn into office.

Bauer was present at the QSA meeting last Thursday to review the financial records of the incident and make a statement of ASUWT's interest in the allegations.

"Traditionally, when someone is reviewed, like if they're caught in class cheating, it's handled through the proper channels, and we have no problem with that," he said. "Given the unique circumstances of the situation and the fact that it involves our incoming president, the Senate is taking an interest in the case."

If Long were to be exonerated in appeal and student government subsequently impeached him as President, or if the appeal did not pass and Long, unable to attend UWT, was prevented from becoming president, Vice President Cruz Credle would take over duties as president and the Senate would hire a new vice president.

One concern was that active involvement in investigating the issue may not be legal, constituting a sort of double jeopardy. Bauer provided the example of the OJ Simpson case, in which the criminal case had to be resolved before the civil lawsuit could begin.