The Undergraduate Student Government Judicial Panel ruled yesterday that Aftab Pureval and Deb Mason, presidential and vice presidential candidates for USG, violated Elections Governance Board bylaws by campaigning early.

The violation was filed because Pureval sponsored a Red Wanting Blue concert Friday.

According to the Judicial Panel’s ruling, Pureval’s association with the concert was an act of campaigning. The panel ruled that Pureval and Mason shall remove all of their campaign materials, including chalkings, posters and any other tangible materials, by Sunday.

“We decided that since they started campaigning four days early, that we would take four days away,” said Teresa Stout, Judicial Panel chief justice.

Pureval was also accused of violating the campaign spending limit of $2,000 because of the concert expense, Stout said. The Judicial Panel ordered the team to include the expenses of promoting the concert in their campaign value report, which is due at 5 p.m. today, according to the ruling. Exceeding the limit or falsifying a budget would result in disqualification.

Pureval appealed the Judicial Panel’s findings.

“We’re appealing because we don’t feel we’re in violation,” Pureval said. “Disqualification is a fairly severe reaction, and I strongly believe that the undergraduate student population should decide on the outcome of the election – not the Judicial Panel.

“I understand it being the Judicial Panel’s first trial – there were many, many errors as to the way the trial was supposed to go,” Pureval said. “It’s hard to assess in what way we violated the law.”

Pureval said his involvement in the Red Wanting Blue concert was minimal.

“Our specific argument (for the appeal) is that the manager of Red Wanting Blue approached me,” Pureval said. “He had already set the date for the event, so I had no involvement in that. He approached me to be a promoter of the event to get a broader base of students – a more diverse student – to see the band perform. My involvement was very minimal. I didn’t even make the flier,” Pureval said.

Mason said she wasn’t involved with the concert.

“It was something that Aftab does. He’s done concert promoting in the past. He brought Better than Ezra before with Buckeyethon,” Mason said.

She also said their budget shouldn’t be affected by including concert expenses.

“We’ve spent a good amount of time working on our budget to make sure we left a good chunk of money, just because they can fine you,” Mason said.

Pat Hall, director of Student Judicial Affairs, will consider the appeal. Attempts to reach Hall were unsuccessful.

“Because (Student Judicial Affairs) has judicial experience and legal experience, they have the final say,” said Matt Couch, assistant director at the Ohio Union and USG adviser. Couch sits on the Judicial Panel as an adviser and is not a voting member.

Pureval said he hopes the judicial actions do not cast a poor image for USG.

“USG is a great organization, and I don’t want people to negatively associate these proceedings with USG,” Pureval said.