CHICO — Inheriting a university that has absorbed a huge hit in enrollment, and being expected to restore it, would be a big enough task for any new president.
To add a major scandal, however — involving alleged prohibited sexual relations, and death threats toward colleagues — would require an intrepid individual to take the school’s helm. Yet, that’s exactly what Steve Perez did when he assumed the presidency at Chico State on July 1, with the retirement of predecessor Gayle Hutchinson.
Perez had two major tasks when he took command. The first was to lead the 136-year-old university in reversing a serious decline in enrollment — approximately 4,000 students — as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The other was to become an integral part of the campus community, being visible and accessible while participating in as many university functions as his schedule will allow. Obviously, it’s difficult to be an advocate for prospective students to consider attending Chico State if the top officer spends the bulk of his time in his office.
Perez has succeeded in the second endeavor, as a frequent sight around campus. Whether he succeeds in solving the enrollment issue will require time before anyone knows for sure. The university plunged from an all-time high enrollment of 17,789 in the 2017 academic year to just 13,880 in the just-completed fall 2023 semester. However, if his plan and accompanying enthusiasm are any indication, numbers should improve fairly soon on campus.
Unfortunately, Perez also has had to deal with the blowback from an unsavory series of events that began between an instructor and a student in 2020.
David Stachura, a biology professor, remains on the payroll and the school’s website lists him as an active member of his department, despite being on administrative leave. This is true despite a Butte County Superior Court official granting a restraining order to keep Stachura off the university campus for three years. He also may not possess firearms during that time span.
Court commissioner Virginia Gingery found Stachura made “a credible threat of violence” that “could reasonably be construed to be carried out on the CSUC campus.” The ruling came via a hearing that began in April as part of the fallout of revelations made public last year, stating that Stachura had a prohibited sexual affair with a student in 2020 and allegedly threatened to kill the professors who cooperated in a university investigation of the matter.
Making matters worse for Stachura, Butte County Superior Court Judge Stephen Benson threw out a Stachura libel suit July 25. The professor had filed the suit against a colleague who revealed at a public forum in December 2022 that Stachura allegedly threatened gun violence on campus. Stachura has repeatedly claimed in legal papers and in testimony in a related restraining order case that Tamietti is lying and that he made no such threats.
On top of that, San Diego attorney Nancy Aeling released a 20-page report Nov. 27 that concluded the university followed proper procedures in how it handled the sex investigation and its lengthy aftermath — including not informing faculty and students that Stachura allegedly threatened gun violence on campus.
