Newly-released court documents reveal more about alleged harassment and disparaging remarks aimed at Patricia Stock, a native of Argentina and former dean of California State University, Chico’s College of Agriculture.
The documents were released in the discovery phase of Stock’s lawsuit — filed in 2023 — against Chico State President Steve Perez and CSU’s Board of Trustees. The lawsuit alleges wrongful termination related to discrimination and retaliation. The suit is being heard in federal court in the Eastern District of California, and the new documents became public in July and August.
ChicoSol, in collaboration with Chico State’s The Orion, previously published text messages and emails detailing the campaign and the alleged discrimination against Stock and others by a small portion of the Ag community.
Stock’s lawyers at King & Siegel LLC allege university staff, including President Steve Perez, did not report accusations of discrimination — in spite of the CSU’s discrimination reporting requirements.
New allegations of disparaging and racist remarks
Documents released this summer allege that in text messages, several Ag faculty joked about what Stock could do after she was fired.
“We can then call her ‘Potty Patty'” — Kasey DeAtley
Faculty member Clay Carlson said: “Brad needs help emptying trash cans and mopping floors at the farm.”
Celina Phillips, another faculty member, responded: “The bathroom needs painting.”
This later prompted Kasey DeAtley, a faculty member in the Ag college who had been a candidate for the University Farm director position, to say, “We can then call her ‘Potty Patty.’”
In a separate message exchange, DeAtley complained to other Ag faculty about Stock calling her an “instructional asset” rather than a faculty member, and said to other faculty about Stock: “Fuck you bitch! She does NOT SEE people! I‘m taking her down.”
DeAtley declined to comment on the advice of attorneys when contacted by ChicoSol earlier this week. Carlson and Phillips were both contacted for the story, and both declined to comment.
Disparaging remarks were also aimed at Ricardo Orellana, Stock’s pick for farm director, as reported earlier this year by The Orion and ChicoSol. Darby Heffner, organic dairy manager at the farm, said Orellana is a “fucking foreigner … the dean is probably all about that” in an exchange with Haydn Clement, the university farm livestock technician.
Clement is also adviser to the university’s Turning Point USA chapter.
In another text exchange, Ag staff at the farm discussed their plans to survey college staff. In the chain, Kimberly Petersen, identified on the CSUC website as a University Farm administrative analyst, said about Stock, “That bitch needs to go,” the new batch of court documents show.
Various text messages released in the court’s discovery process indicate the survey results would be sent to Perez. Stock’s lawyers allege the survey was meant to pressure Perez into firing Stock.
Under Stock’s name tag by her door, someone scribbled “bitch,” according to court documents. A police report was filed, but it remains unclear if the university took action.
It’s also unclear why some Butte County Farm Bureau members and several faculty and staff wanted to oust Stock, despite multiple attempts by ChicoSol to contact those who participated in the group chats. Daley and others involved in the group chat declined to comment or did not respond to requests.
Stock alleges racist sentiments were expressed by a member of the Farm Bureau in a May 28, 2023, meeting of Superior Agriculture — an advisory board that includes members of the local farming community.
In an email to Boura about the meeting, she said: “One FB member made a racist comment about the FFA (Future Farmers of America) program insinuating ‘Latinos should not be involved or be part of that program.’”
The defense’s legal counsel noted in a briefing to the court that none of the people who have been deposed have verified Stock’s claim about the May meeting, court documents show. ChicoSol has also been unable to independently verify that accusation after speaking with a few people who attended the meeting.
The university has been a Hispanic-serving institution since 2015.
Attorneys raise reporting lapses, allege systemic failure
Denise Crosswhite, an adviser in the Ag college, told Stock’s attorneys in a deposition that students approached her with concerns about discrimination, especially involving Stock’s termination. She told Stock’s lawyers she reached out to Perez, former interim Dean David Hassenzahl and Kevin Patton, who is now the farm director and interim dean for the Ag college.
“The audit showed only a small fraction of all complaints reached an investigation”– external audit of CSU’s Title IX
When lawyers asked Crosswhite about Perez’s response to accusations of racism and sexism by faculty, she said he “deflected” and she “walked out of there knowing or not feeling like I had been heard, and understanding there was going to be no conversation about it,” according to court documents.
The CSU’s nondiscrimination policy requires staff to report instances of discrimination to the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX. However, no administrators above Crosswhite — including Perez — who were aware of the accusations of discrimination filed a report, according to court documents.
Hassenzahl, who is now dean for the College of Natural Sciences, told ChicoSol he reports any perceived violations of the nondiscrimination policy to Title IX. He declined to go into further detail.
Stock’s lawyers pushed to better understand why university administrators did not report those allegations related to the May meeting to Title IX, court documents show.
Assistant Vice President for Staff Human Resources Sheryl Woodward, who recieved Stock’s initial appeal, told lawyers she didn’t refer the concerns to former Title IX Director Dylan Saake, but in hindsight she said she should have, according to court documents.
She also told lawyers Perez should have reported those concerns as well.
Leora Freedman, vice chancellor of human resources for the CSU, later oversaw Stock’s appeal. Freedman told lawyers that she “didn’t read it as a complaint of racial bias,” according to court documents. She said Stock’s complaint about the May meeting came across as a complaint about “inappropriate or unprofessional behavior,” according to court documents.
Saake told lawyers in his deposition that he sent Stock the nondiscrimination policy and the complaint process following an in-person conversation.
Stock never filed a formal complaint, according to court documents from the defendant’s legal counsel, Sacramento-based Porter Scott Attorneys.
Stock’s lawyers: widespread pattern of negligence involving Title IX
While Stock’s termination played out, an external audit of the CSU’s Title IX was released. The audit showed only a small fraction of all complaints reached an investigation.
Cozen O’Connor, the organization which performed the audit, stated: “While respecting individual agency and autonomy is crucial, the burden should not solely rest on the complainant to seek accountability.”
Stock’s attorneys argue this report shows a widespread pattern of negligence involving Title IX cases, according to court documents.
In Perez’s deposition, Stock’s lawyers pressed him on why she was fired. Perez said Stock didn’t take feedback, was rude to people within the college and didn’t work well with the funding arm of the university, according to court documents.
Interviews with Ag staff and faculty suggest there is a divide in feelings about Stock. Some said she was kind, fast-paced and innovative; others said she took credit for others’ work and tried to change the “family” culture in the tight-knit college.
Stock raised $18.75 million in state funding in her first year.
Some supporters of Stock in the college noted instances of culture clash. They said she asked too much from a college lacking resources, that Stock mentioned in a meeting wanting to add the name “science” to the College of Agriculture and would sometimes speak harshly to staff.
Predictions that Stock would “play the race card”
Dave Daley, the outgoing farm director whom Stock’s attorneys say spearheaded the campaign to get the dean fired, discussed his concerns with a local rancher, Patrick Andersen.
Stock “is going to play the race card I think,” Daley said in a text to Andersen. “Big bad white farmers picking on the Latina Dean. Bullshit also. If she would listen and be nice to people and take advice, people wouldn’t care if she was green with horns! I’m still pissed.”
When Stock’s attorneys deposed Daley, they asked him why he thought Stock would “play the race card,” according to court documents.
Daley replied: “I think the ag community were assuming that it was going to move in that direction rather than the fact that she wasn’t doing a good job in her role.”
He later added it was merely a concern in a portion of the Ag community and said he wasn’t aware of an indication from Stock that she would use “the race card.”
Stock’s lawyers allege Daley and other staff used donor pressure to oust Stock, according to court documents. Emails and text messages show some Ag staff and faculty discussed their efforts to influence donors, and shared concerns with Ahmad Boura, who led the university’s funding arm before an abrupt retirement and subsequent global tour that made it impossible for him to be subpoenaed for nearly a half year.
Stock was actively recruited to Chico State while Gayle Hutchinson was president, and took a substantial pay cut when she left the University of Arizona. She negotiated a 15% merit bonus each year if she met certain criteria. Stock was given that bonus her first year by former Provost Debra Larson, but Perez denied it the next year.
In emails to Boura, Perez, referring to her second year, said: “The difficulty will be that there is evidence that she did (in some way) much of what she was asked.
“However, I believe we have comments, statements, and evidence that she is not working collaboratively with internal staff at the University or College. She has also alienated a significant portion of the agricultural community,” court documents show.
On June 14, 2023, Perez fired Stock without immediately providing a reason, according to court documents. The documents state that the meeting lasted only a few minutes and Perez was accompanied by human resources administrators.
“These administrators then encouraged Dr. Stock to resign, forfeiting her right to retreat to a faculty position, in exchange for permission to announce her ‘resignation’ and send a message passing the decision off as her own,” Stock’s complaint filing alleges.
Stock appealed her termination. Letters of support came in from several faculty, staff, Butte County Farm Bureau members and state employees.
In letters, many commended Stock for advancing the Ag college, building strong relationships with local farmers and state agricultural organizations.
Since the text messages from faculty and staff documenting crude remarks have been published, this outlet has been unable to identify any university employee who has faced disciplinary action in relation to group texts that included crude remarks. Many staff and faculty told ChicoSol they “didn’t know,” or “did not think” anyone had faced disciplinary action.
Andrew Staples, the university’s public relations director, and Kevin Patton, interim dean of the Ag college, said they are barred from discussing personnel matters.
Staples, Patton and Hassenzahl each said they couldn’t discuss what, if anything, was being done to address the alleged discrimination. But each said they take instances of discrimination seriously.
Several Ag faculty and staff said they work to support an open environment for students. Some said they create space to discuss matters relating to discrimination and offer resources to those with concerns.
In an Aug. 26 email to Chico State faculty, staff and student employees, Perez warned of upcoming “media coverage related to a lawsuit” and said “we disagree with the portrayal of the university …”
His email also read: “We are at our best when we treat one another with respect, empathy and integrity — especially during moments that challenge us or evoke strong emotions.”
Chris Hutton is a freelance journalist, part of ChicoSol’s New Generation reporting project and a recent Chico State journalism graduate. His reporting prior to graduation was recently recognized by the Associated Collegiate Press, which has named him a finalist for Reporter of the Year.