Missouri State president responds to federal lawsuit over ‘vulgar’ incident at Utah Tech

The new president of Missouri State University was accused in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday of arranging vegetables in the shape of a penis and testicles on the front porch of a cabinet-level coworker during his time as president of Utah Tech University.

As part of the apparent practical joke, Williams left a note referring to the display of two eggplant and one zucchini − referred to as a “zuweenie” − but signed with the name of three of university colleagues, rather than his own.

Th falsely named colleagues — Rebecca Broadbent, Jared Rasband and Hazel Sainsbury — filed the lawsuit Thursday against former president Richard “Biff” Williams along with Utah Tech, members of Williams’ former leadership team, as well as higher education officials and institutions in Utah.

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

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

Williams was president of Utah Tech from mid-2014 through January 2024. He resigned less than two months after the vegetable incident, saying he wanted to pursue career advancement elsewhere.

In an email Saturday, Williams provided a response to the lawsuit and media coverage of the incident toward the end of his presidency at Utah Tech.

“While I was there, I initiated what I intended to be a humorous gesture toward a member of our staff,” he wrote.

“I have since come to realize that the prank was not appropriate. This was a mistake. I regret my lapse in judgment and I accept this as a learning moment.”

He added: “This incident is now included in a lawsuit that was 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. A lengthy story was published Friday by the Salt Lake Tribune.

“This experience continues to remind me how important it is to always strive to foster a campus environment that is safe and welcoming to all students, faculty and staff,” he wrote.

The MSU Board of Governors issued a statement Saturday that they were aware of the lawsuit. The board said it “continues to have confidence in President Williams’ ability to lead Missouri State University. We are committed to working alongside him to ensure that the university is a safe and welcoming environment to all students, faculty and staff.

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

Williams was one of three publicly named finalists for the job and emerged as the unanimous choice to serve as the 12th president and succeed the institution’s longtime leader, Clif Smart.

Missouri State has not provided an answer and said Williams will not be available for an interview.

They allege the following in a 42-page lawsuit:

• Utah Tech openly flouted the protections of Title IX and plaintiffs faced resistance, intimidation, harassment and retaliation from the university’s top leaders as they worked to establish an environment free or harassment and discrimination;
• Then-president Williams was involved in the practical joke, which they described as sexual and obscene, at the home of a university vice president;
• A “sham” investigation was completed, as part of a cover-up, by 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 the work they were doing in Title IX and equity compliance.

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

In a printed note left with the display, was attributed to Broadbent, Rasband and Sainsbury — two of the names were misspelled — without their knowledge or consent.

Williams, who did not broadly acknowledge that he left the display in the days following the surgery, reportedly told his chief of staff about the gift before he dropped it off, adding he thought it would trigger a laugh.

The university vice president did not immediately know who left the display and messaged colleagues at Utah Tech with a photo of the display along with RING doorbell footage showing a man − later identified as Williams − with a hoodie cinched up to disguise his face making the delivery.

According to the suit, the image and the note falsely signed by the three university officials was widely shared among top officials and others.

The day after the display was left, Williams allegedly showed the images of the display and note to his chief of staff and admitted he left the vegetables. However, the chief of staff did not report the incident to the expected channels on campus.

The suit argued Williams and others should have recognized the gravity of falsely signing the names of other university officials, including two female administrators with responsibilities for ensuring Title IX compliance.

In the suit, plaintiffs alleged the “zuweenie” incident was part of a pattern.

They allege that for at least four years, there were posts to a quote board in a public break room on campus that containing obscene and vulgar sexual comments with names attributed.

The plaintiffs said concerns raised about this quote wall was minimized by Williams and others, creating a hostile work environment.

Sainsbury, who is Black, said the university sought to leverage her race to enhance its image in marketing videos and in meetings with athletes, freshmen and their families. She served as a central figure in a rebranding effort for the university in 2022, when it changed its name from Dixie State University.

She alleged in the suit that despite using her voice and image in the videos distributed nationally, she faced a pattern of marginalization and her input was either not sought or wanted in key matters pertaining to her role.

The plaintiffs said they experienced verbal threats, physical intimidation and harassment from university officials, which made it harder to ensure Utah Tech employees and students complied with nondiscrimination and harassment laws and policies.

Sainsbury said her work was undermined in other ways. For example, deans were involved in a “Title IX mocking party,” where she was given gag gifts including the “Title IX for Dummies” book.

In the suit, Sainsbury said the university failed to protect or support her when a high-ranking official was upset with the outcome of his case.

(This story was updated to include new information).