Student Body President Chaz Nichols apologized Monday at Student Senate in response to allegations circulated on petitions for his impeachment.

“I would like to apologize if I hurt the integrity of senate—it wasn’t my intention,” Nichols said. “I realize I do have to be mindful and I am taking steps to separate my personal and professional life.”

The petition was created and circulated by BILSA Senior Senator Johnathan Predaina, BILSA Student Senator Jordan Miller and other unnamed senators after a student unhappy with Nichols’ presidency approached Miller.

The petition claims that Nichols violated article five, section D of the Student Senate bylaws, which states: “No Executive Board member, Senator, or employee of Student Senate should perform any act that would result in the degradation of Student Senate.”

The four alleged violations addressed in the petition are: harassing a student in the Foundation Office; writing a profanity-laced Facebook post directed toward another student; submitting a letter to the editor that referenced Greeks as “superior to you in every single way;” and denying involvement in the same letter to the editor.

Nichols denied allegations that he harassed a student.

“Events that led to this interpretation [of the Foundation incident] were not as described by this petition,” Nichols said. “It was a private situation and both parties agree it was not harassment.

The other student involved in the Foundation incident declined to comment.

“A university employee did have to step in and ask Chaz Nichols to leave our office after several failed attempts by [another student],” a UW-Platteville Foundation staff member confirmed with an Exponent reporter via e-mail.

In regards to the Letter to the Editor published Nov. 10 in the Exponent, Nichols said he did not deny his involvement with the letter to the editor.

“The petition claims that I denied any involvement when I really denied writing it, not circulating it—which was true,” Nichols said.

During the Nov. 14 Student Senate meeting, Nichols said in reference to the letter; “No in fact it was not written by me. The only involvement I had in this was forwarding the e-mail along to another member of my fraternity.”

The member of Nichols’ fraternity that received the forwarded e-mail was Matt Ahasay, Exponent Photo Editor. In the e-mail, Nichols wrote, “I need you to put this in the paper for me! Please please please.”

Nichols said he has taken responsibility for the letter to the editor by explaining his involvement to the Senate.

Nichols also addressed the profanity-laced Facebook post about a female student with “more cleavage than talent” in his apology Monday.

“If any students or senators were offended by my actions I am sorry,” Nichols said. “It is a learning experience and I realize that what I put on social media can be interpreted as representing Student Senate and UW-Platteville.”

Although Predaina was not satisfied with the apology on Monday, he does not plan on moving forward with the petition.

“I am disappointed with the statement he made,” Predaina said. “He was only apologizing to the people offended, which was disheartening for me. It seemed like a cop out.”

Miller said he has no plans to circulate the petitions, either.

“I sat down with Chaz and said if he apologized and dropped his affiliation as student body president on the Student Senate Facebook page I would stop collecting signatures,” Miller said. “I think his statement was heartfelt.”

Both Predaina and Miller said that if other students want to move the petitions forward, they will give those students the existing signed petitions.

According to article six of the Student Senate bylaws, “President/Vice President will be up for recall if a petition circulated through the student body and obtaining signatures of at least 5 percent of the student body is presented to the Senate. There will be Executive Board review with a vote passed by at least two-thirds of all Executive Board members.”