MSU president named in federal lawsuit over ‘vulgar’ incident at Utah Tech

by Junna Base November 9, 2024

The new president of Missouri State University was accused in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday of arranging vegetables shaped like a penis and testicles on a Cabinet colleague’s porch during his time as president of Utah Tech University.

As part of the apparent joke, Williams left a note referring to the display of two eggplants and a zucchini – labeled a “Zuweenie” – but it was signed with the names of three university colleagues rather than his own.

The falsely named colleagues – Rebecca Broadbent, Jared Rasband and Hazel Sainsbury – joined Utah Tech, members of Williams’ former leadership team and university officials and institutions in Utah in filing the lawsuit against former President Richard “Biff” Williams on Thursday.

At the time of the incident in November 2023, Broadbent was general counsel, Rasband was senior associate general counsel, and Sainsbury was director of equity compliance and Title IX coordinator. Broadbent, who was reportedly a direct employee of Williams, and Rasband were also involved in enforcing anti-discrimination and harassment laws at Utah Tech.

They alleged in the lawsuit that the incident was part of a toxic, hostile and “toxic” work environment.

Williams served as president of Utah Tech from mid-2014 until January 2024. Less than two months after the vegetable incident, he resigned, saying he wanted to pursue career advancement elsewhere.

In an email Saturday, Williams responded to the lawsuit and media coverage of the incident near the end of his presidency at Utah Tech.

“While I was there, I initiated what I thought was a humorous gesture toward one of our employees,” he wrote.

“I now realize that the prank was not appropriate. That was a mistake. I regret my misjudgment and accept this as a learning moment.”

He added: “This incident is now the subject of a lawsuit which has been shared with the media. I apologize for the undue attention this has brought to the university.”

Williams said his statement was prompted by recent media coverage. On Friday, the Salt Lake Tribune published a detailed article.

“This experience continues to remind me of the importance of always striving to create a safe and welcoming campus environment for all students, faculty and staff,” he wrote.

MSU’s Board of Governors issued a statement Saturday saying it was aware of the lawsuit. The board said it “remains confident in President Williams’ ability to lead Missouri State University. We are committed to working with him to ensure the university provides a safe and welcoming environment for all students, faculty and staff.”

The News-Leader asked the university whether the board was aware of the incident and the subsequent investigation as part of the hiring process.

Williams was one of three publicly named finalists for the post and was unanimously selected as the institution’s 12th president and successor to the institution’s longtime leader, Clif Smart.

Missouri State did not respond and said Williams would not be available for an interview.

In a 42-page lawsuit they claim the following:

Utah Tech blatantly disregarded the protections of Title IX, and plaintiffs faced resistance, intimidation, harassment, and retaliation from the university’s top leadership while working to create an environment free of harassment and discrimination;
Then-President Williams was involved in the hoax at a university vice president’s home, which they described as sexual and obscene.
As part of a cover-up, the university’s governing bodies, the Utah System of Higher Education, the Utah Board of Higher Education; and the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education;
The incident and subsequent investigation undermined the plaintiffs and their work on Title IX and capital compliance.

The lawsuit alleged that on Nov. 8, 2023, Williams left a display of vegetables shaped like male genitalia — including a long zucchini called a “zuweenie” — on the porch of a university vice president who was recovering from a vasectomy relaxed day.

A printed note accompanying the exhibition credited Broadbent, Rasband and Sainsbury – two of the names were misspelled – without their knowledge or consent.

Williams, who did not generally admit that he left the exhibit in the days after the operation, reportedly told his chief of staff about the gift before he delivered it, adding that he thought it would get a laugh.

The university vice president didn’t immediately know who had left the exhibit and sent a message to colleagues at Utah Tech with a photo of the exhibit as well as footage from the RING doorbell that showed a man – later identified as Williams – leaving wore a hoodie to hide his face during the handover.

According to the lawsuit, the image and note falsely signed by the three university officials were widely distributed among top officials and others.

The day after leaving the exhibit, Williams allegedly showed the exhibit’s images and the note to his chief of staff and admitted that he had left the vegetables behind. However, the chief of staff did not report the incident through the expected channels on campus.

The lawsuit argued that Williams and others should have recognized the seriousness of falsely signing the names of other university officials, including two female administrators responsible for ensuring Title IX compliance.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs alleged that the “Zuweenie” incident was part of a pattern.

They allege that for at least four years there were posts on a quote board in a public break room on campus that contained obscene and vulgar sexual comments with attribution.

The plaintiffs said concerns about this quote wall were downplayed by Williams and others, resulting in a hostile work environment.

Sainsbury, who is Black, said the university has tried to use her heritage to improve its image in marketing videos and in meetings with athletes, freshmen and their families. She played a central role in the university’s renaming in 2022, when it changed its name from Dixie State University.

She alleged in the lawsuit that despite the use of her voice and image in the nationally distributed videos, she faced a pattern of marginalization and that her input on important matters related to her role was either not requested or wanted.

The plaintiffs said they were subjected to verbal threats, physical intimidation and harassment from university officials, making it more difficult to ensure that Utah Tech employees and students comply with nondiscrimination and harassment laws and policies.

Sainsbury said her work had been undermined in other ways. For example, the deans were involved in a “Title IX Mocking Party” where she received prank gifts, including the book “Title IX for Dummies.”

In the lawsuit, Sainsbury said the university failed to protect or support her when a senior official was upset about the outcome of his case.

(This story has been updated to include new information).

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