The Faculty Senate at Utah Tech University passed a rare no-confidence resolution Thursday against the school’s senior leadership, voicing “profound concern” over their response to the allegations of sexual misconduct by the former president that have recently rocked the school.
The vote is a largely symbolic measure to express disapproval. But the faculty group also included in their resolution demands for a new independent investigation into the conduct of former President Richard “Biff” Williams and for detailed plans on how the southern Utah school will recommit to creating a campus community built on respect.
“We call for immediate decisive action to restore trust and integrity at Utah Tech University,” the Faculty Senate wrote in its resolution.
Utah Tech Faculty Senate resolution by Courtney on Scribd
About 160 members of the faculty had met earlier Wednesday night in a preliminary virtual call to signal whether they supported the measure; roughly 80% voted in favor of moving forward.
That approval was then ratified by the Faculty Senate — which has a representative for each college or department — the following day with the formal vote in a closed session; Utah law does not require faculty senates for the state’s public colleges and universities to hold open meetings. Faculty senates typically are part of the shared governance model at Utah’s schools, providing input to the administration about academic policies.
Julie Chew, the president of the Faculty Senate at Utah Tech, did not respond to a request for comment from The Salt Lake Tribune. But several faculty members shared the text of the resolution after the vote.
The misconduct alleged about Williams was first made public in a federal lawsuit filed earlier this month. The Faculty Senate members say the behavior attributed to him is “antithetical to the core values of this institution.”
The university’s spokesperson issued a statement Friday on the faculty resolution, saying the school “remains committed to providing a supportive and productive space of learning and working for all.”
It continued: “We appreciate the university community’s dedication to helping the university provide our students dynamic active learning experiences as we continue to work diligently to address all concerns.”
Also on Thursday, the Faculty Senate at Missouri State University passed a similar resolution saying they have no confidence in the leadership of Williams. The president resigned from Utah Tech in January while he was under investigation and took the helm in Missouri in July.
Faculty there say they’re worried about how Williams’ actions in Utah — what they described in their resolution as a “breach in ethical leadership” — will affect his new school, according to coverage of the vote by the Springfield Daily Citizen.
Williams is accused of leaving a gag gift for one of his vice presidents after the man had surgery in November 2023. The present was a zucchini and two eggplants displayed to look like male genitalia, alongside a note.
The president signed the note using the names of the staff members who are now suing — the university’s top attorney, its second-in-command attorney, and its Title IX coordinator, who is tasked with responding to complaints of sexual misconduct.
Those three employees — Becky Broadbent, Jared Rasband and Hazel Sainsbury — say in their federal case that attributing the gift to them felt like payback for their efforts to clean up issues with harassment, misconduct and racism at Utah Tech University. They say the school has a toxic culture that stems from the top.
After the gag gift, they say, they faced retaliation for reporting it to the university’s human resources department which, alongside the Utah System of Higher Education, they allege conducted a “sham investigation” that served to protect the president.
Williams quietly stepped down two months after they reported saying he planned “to pursue other professional opportunities” after a decade at the helm of Utah Tech. He continued to receive pay from the school for six months until he started in Missouri.
Meanwhile, Broadbent has remained on leave for nine months in the fallout, which she says the school incorrectly put her on despite being the complainant in the case and not the alleged perpetrator.
In an apology to the Missouri State community after the lawsuit was filed, Williams acknowledged that he left the gift and said he regretted it.
“I apologize for the undue attention this has brought to the university,” Williams wrote in his statement.
(Screenshot) Pictured is the phallic vegetable display and note allegedly left by ex-Utah Tech University President Richard "Biff" Williams on the porch of one of his vice presidents. Williams did not sign the note with his own name; a lawsuit filed on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, alleges he thought it'd be funny to instead sign it as if the gift was from the university’s top attorney, the second-in-command attorney, and the Title IX coordinator.
In their resolution Thursday, the Utah Tech Faculty Senate members criticize that apology, saying it doesn’t address the community here, where they say there has been significant impact and harm, including to the school’s reputation.
They’re calling on interim President Courtney White, who has been serving since Williams stepped down, to issue an apology for that.
According to the lawsuit, Williams had told White about his plans for the phallic vegetable gift ahead of time; and White later reported it to the school’s human resources after photos of the display were shared with other administrators.
The Faculty Senate says the investigation that stemmed from that was unfair and not transparent, “raising serious questions about the integrity of the administration and its commitment to accountability.” They say a new investigation should be done, with the school hiring an outside agency — but no one named in the lawsuit should have a say on the company selected to conduct that.
The faculty members also say the school should work to strengthen protections for whistleblowers, including the three employees who filed the lawsuit, and should provide them with mediation and support.
