Union calls for Fresno State president to resign; cites ‘tone-deaf’ messaging, mismanagement

Fresno State president Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval appears to have dodged a demand for his resignation from the two largest unions representing employees and faculty in the California State University system in a wild 24 hours on a campus that has had its share of issues with high-ranking administrators.

The California State University Employees Union, which represents technical, administrative, healthcare and operations employees on campus, sent a petition to its membership Thursday afternoon that demands the resignation of the Fresno State president, citing poor management and stewardship.

Also factoring into the decision to send the petition was dismay among union membership that Jiménez-Sandoval “was so tone-deaf to the needs and concerns of core campus constituents in his recent announcement of a controversial departing executive,” according to the petition.

The Fresno State chapter of the California Faculty Association, which originally planned to join the CSUEU, decided to back away on Friday and withdrew its support. Its logo, however, still appears on the petition.

“We are withdrawing our support and will issue a retraction of our support for the petition,” Andrew Jones, CFA’s Fresno State chapter president, said Friday.

Jiménez-Sandoval acknowledged the petition in a campus email Friday morning, expressing some surprise at the move.

“I have been in touch with many union members who did not receive this message and were unaware that it was coming,” Jiménez-Sandoval said in the email. “ASI (Associated Students Inc.) leadership has confirmed that they were not consulted, were unaware of the petition and do not endorse it. Needless to say, I am surprised at this message, especially when Fresno State has a balanced budget and all funding is explained to the Academic Senate, Staff Assembly, and ASI on an annual basis.”

The Fresno State president met Friday with union leadership, according to university sources.

Leaders of the CSUEU did not back off their position when contacted by The Bee on Friday.

“We recognize the magnitude of the demand we are making in calling for President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval to step down,” CSUEU president Catherine Hutchinson said in a statement to The Bee. “We see the failures in leadership, financial responsibility, and delegation of authority. We need a leader who will listen to students, faculty and staff and then act on those concerns by executing a culture change. Do not dismiss us anymore.”

Lack of oversight, Title IX cited in petition

In the petition, leadership of the two unions cited poor management and stewardship of the university. Specific examples cited by the CSUEU in its statement to The Bee include, but are not limited to, a lack of oversight of key campus projects on campus, including the Save Mart Center.

The university paid interest-only on the multi-purpose arena for more than a decade and after more than 20 years still owes $35 million on a building that cost $103 million to build.

Jiménez-Sandoval also appointed administrators that were tied to a Title IX scandal that rocked the university and 23-campus CSU system to serve on the committee tasked with improving how Title IX is implemented to better protect the campus. The CSUEU said in its statement to the Bee that the president appeared by his actions to be oblivious to the many cases of Title IX violations on campus — well documented by a state audit and the CSU’s own independent investigation.

The Fresno State president, the union said, also delegated too much power to Debbie Adishian-Astone, the outgoing vice president for administration and chief financial officer, to oversee athletics, auxiliaries, police department and human resources/Title IX.

The Bee reported Aug. 29 that Adishian-Astone, a Fresno State graduate who has worked at the university for more than 30 years and was appointed vice president of administration in 2016, will retire at the end of the year.

CFA update

The California Faculty Association has retracted its endorsement of the petition demanding the resignation of Jiménez-Sandoval.

Andrew Jones, president of the Fresno State chapter of the CFA, said in an email sent to union members and the university administration on Monday that he had endorsed the petition without consulting with the union’s executive board or membership, and apologized to ASI (Associated Students, Inc.) and students for not consulting with them before the CSUEU sent it to members accompanied by a CFA logo.

“I felt we needed to show solidarity and support our sibling union, given they were going ahead with the petition,” Jones said, in the email. “In hindsight, this was a serious mistake, and I take full responsibility for it.”

This story was originally published September 20, 2024 at 8:32 PM.