The Oregon State University student government Elections Committee has disqualified Dylan Perfect from his newly won position as Chair of the Student Fee Committee, following a ruling that his campaign committed a major violation.

The decision sparked concerns about transparency after it was revealed that the committee held private meetings—initially in violation of Oregon Public Meetings Law.

Perfect, a former ASOSU Elections Committee chair, was found responsible for accumulating three minor campaign violations during the 2025 election cycle. According to the April 4 ruling, the violations included unauthorized posting of campaign materials, improper endorsements from university departments or student organizations, and additional infractions under the ASOSU Elections Packet rules.

After a closed-door hearing on April 2, the committee concluded that Perfect bore direct responsibility for these infractions, including campaign materials and emails sent under his name. The committee stated they did not find Perfect’s explanations or efforts to distance himself from the violations credible.

“In deliberations, the Committee thoroughly discussed whether the appropriate sanction was censure or disqualification,” the ruling letter reads. “Through a majority vote, the elections committee has ruled that Dylan Perfect’s candidacy is disqualified from the 2025 ASOSU elections.”

Following the ruling, Perfect appealed the decision and raised objections to the committee’s private meetings—arguing that they violated Oregon’s Public Meetings Law, which mandates that public bodies, including student government  committees, conduct business transparently.

The Elections Committee Chair Connor Chen—who filled former ASOSU Vice President Zach Kowash’s position as Elections Committee Chair—stated that the decision to meet in private was due to the precedent set by past Elections Committees, which did conduct private meetings. Chen also noted that the reason behind meeting in private was to ensure and protect the information of electoral candidates.

The Elections Committee acknowledged the misstep and resumed its deliberations in a public meeting held Tuesday. During this session, in a unanimous vote the committee upheld the overall validity of the ASOSU election results, stating that the outcome remained legitimate despite the procedural concerns.

Though the results of the election have been validated, the disqualification of Perfect still has yet to be publicly heard, leaving the future of SFC leadership uncertain.

The Barometer will continue to follow this developing story.