Andrew Pierce, current president of the Billiards Club at Iowa State, was shocked to discover a red color in the club’s budget at the beginning of this semester.

The club’s previous president is accused of spending approximately $900 of unallowed charges from the club’s funds, causing the club’s account to dip into the negative, Pierce said.

When the club asked if the deficit was true, Pierce said the previous president admitted yes, but didn’t tell the truth as to how much and where the funds were spent.

“Turns out he probably had been lying to us for a long time,” Pierce said.

Ian Nichols, who was president of the Billiards Club and the History Club treasurer, has been accused of spending money from both clubs that was not authorized. He has worked out a deal with the university to pay back the money.

Nichols said in a Facebook response, “About the p-card ‘issue’, the proper documentation was not turned in at a timely matter and was added to my U-Bill as is p-card policy. I have not had either club or the police try to contact me as the situation has been handled.”

Nichols did not respond to further messages.

Pierce said Nichols told the Billiards Club he had accidentally switched the two clubs’ purchase cards, a credit card issued to an officer of a campus organization to make purchases for the club, to make a purchase. Pierce said Nichols told the Billiards Club that the History Club had an event and he had accidentally used the Billiards Club’s p-card to pay for the History Club trip.

Amardeep Singh, treasurer for the Billiards Club, said: “At first, we trusted him. A few days later, the president of the History Club sent an email to our president and said there was no such thing. There was no going on a field trip. Apparently, he’s been taking money from them as well.”

Both the Billiards and the History clubs’ p-cards were used to charge unallowed purchases at various locations, many of them restaurants such as Panchero’s and Perfect Games, said Rebecca Dickman, president of the History Club.

Dickman discovered approximately $230 had been used from the History Club’s account in February, but didn’t leave the club negative because of a fundraiser the club held in April. She said Nichols was treasurer for the club for about one year and two months.

“It shocked me because he was actually a really good friend,” Pierce said. “I actually thought it was a joke at first. Everybody in the club thought it was a joke because we never pictured it from him.”

The ISU Police Department investigated the situation and did not pursue criminal charges because Nichols had already agreed to set up a payment plan before police were involved Lt. Peter Gagne said.

Any unapproved p-card charges get charged to the student-in-question’s U-Bill, Gagne said. The amount taken from the cards has been charged to Nichols’ U-Bill.

“It’s not like he stole the card because he had a legitimate reason to have it in the first place, but used it to buy things that really weren’t proper,” Gagne said.

Gagne said ISU Police also consulted with the Story County Attorney’s office, which was reluctant to charge the case as criminal because of the agreement set up.

Gagne said ISU Police started the investigation looking at the case as if criminal. ISU Police has one year to go back and charge the case as criminal if payments are not being reimbursed, Gagne said.

Gagne said the case as of right now will not go on Nichols’ criminal record, but he is dealing with the repercussions of the university with the U-Bill pay agreement.

“[What he did] is not ethical. I don’t want to give the message that our police or investigators are going to ignore this case because it’s a civil case,” Gagne said. “I don’t want people to get the notion [they can] get into trouble and spend money and just put it on their U-Bill. … It’s a rare case where the student had already made an agreement to pay back before police even got involved.”

Neither the Billiards or History Clubs were certain, but said if Nichols pays his U-Bill, the money should be reimbursed to both the clubs.

U-Bill terms and conditions say a failure to make payments on the U-Bill can result in denial of future term course enrollment and academic records are subject to be placed on hold.

Dickman said she thinks Nichols was a senior last year and has not graduated or registered for classes. Singh also said he thinks Nichols has not graduated, registered for classes or was is able to order transcripts due to the remaining U-Bill. The Office of the Registrar said there was no Ian Nichols in the directory system.

Campus Organizations Accounting office approached the Billiards Club about the deficit.

After learning of the deficit in September, Singh and Pierce started talking to the campus organization accounting office.

Because student organizations are funded by Government of Student Body, Singh and Pierce then set an appointment with GSB to discuss requesting a loan.

The Billiards Club also receives funding from membership dues, but much of that money goes to paying for the Underground at the Memorial Union, where their weekly club meetings are held.

Singh said the whole process took about five weeks including the loan process, which took about two weeks, ending in late October. Singh said the loan was between $700 and $750, which will get the club to the break-even point.

Pierce and Singh said they didn’t hear from Nichols after asking about the deficit. Gagne said ISU Police hasn’t spoken with Nichols.