Faculty, staff and students across the California State University system are demanding Chancellor Joseph Castro resign or be placed on unpaid leave and investigated amid allegations he failed to properly address sexual harassment complaints against a former administrator.

The CSU Board of Trustees gathered Thursday for a marathon closed-session meeting to discuss Castro’s handling of sexual harassment complaints against Frank Lamas, Cal State Fresno’s former vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, in 2019. Trustees, meeting from the morning into the night, were expected to discuss whether to commission an investigation into Castro’s handling of the complaints.

Dozens of faculty members and staff at Cal State Long Beach, endorsed by their union — the California Faculty Association — began circulating a petition earlier this month calling for Castro to resign, saying an administrative investigation isn’t enough.

“Castro’s actions covering up sexual harassment and discrimination over a 6-year period at Fresno State indicate that he does not believe the CSU needs to abide by the regulations of Title IX, and he will not protect those of us who are most likely to be victimized by predators like Lamas,” CSU Long Beach professors Emily Berquist and Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson said in a joint statement on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Title IX protects individuals from discrimination based on gender in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

220 sign petition

The petition, which began circulating on Feb. 6, has been signed by more than 220 faculty members and other staff, Berquist said. With CFA’s support, the petition has been shared across the CSU system, including its Board of Trustees, Berquist said.

“A lot of us have had these experiences and we don’t see how we can have an equitable and safe working environment if we don’t have someone in charge who will respond adequately to sexual harassment complaints,” Berquist said.

Campuses across the CSU system have joined Cal State Long Beach in demanding that the Board of Trustees take a no-confidence vote in Castro and that he either resign or be placed on immediate unpaid leave and investigated.

Among the universities that have drafted resolutions include Cal State L.A., San Diego State, Cal State Stanislaus, Cal State Fresno, and Sonoma State, said Irene Matz, an associate professor at Cal State Fullerton and chair of the Faculty Affairs committee for Academic Senate for California State University, or ASCSU.

She said Cal State Fullerton is also preparing a resolution.

Mum on Lamas during interview

When Castro was interviewed by a search committee for the chancellor’s job, he never mentioned the problems involving Lamas at Cal State Fresno, nor Lamas’ forced retirement and generous settlement agreement, Matz said.

“There are things in our system that need to be addressed. It isn’t just getting rid of Castro, if that is the Board of Trustees’ recommendation,” Matz said.

She said the ASCSU’s faculty affairs committee is also preparing a resolution on Castro, to be finalized and presented at a meeting in March for approval.

Allegations surfaced this month

Castro came under fire earlier this month amid allegations he failed to properly handle sexual harassment complaints against Lamas when Castro was serving as president of the university. Instead of thoroughly investigating multiple complaints of sexual misconduct and other questionable behavior involving Lamas, Castro allowed him to quietly retire.

Under a settlement agreement Lamas signed on Aug. 31, 2020, he was paid $260,000 and provided a glowing letter of recommendation from Castro. Additionally, the settlement called for Lamas to continue working on special assignment for Castro, remotely, until his official retirement date of Dec 31, 2020. Lamas was allowed to return to the campus only if Castro authorized it.

Shortly after the settlement was signed, the Board of Trustees appointed Castro to the position of chancellor of the entire CSU system.

Details of the investigations involving Lamas and his subsequent settlement with Fresno State were first reported by USA Today.

Administrative investigations

CSU Fresno commissioned two administrative investigations into Lamas in November 2019. Among the investigations’ findings were that Lamas, who began working at the university in 2014, fostered a hostile work environment in which he was prone to bouts of rage, yelling and belittling subordinates, slamming his hands and phones on tables, and sexual harassment and misogynistic behavior.

The scandal prompted Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, and Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, to demand an immediate investigation by the CSU Board of Trustees into Castro’s handling of the allegations against Lamas.

Some are asking that the State Legislature investigate Castro, believing a CSU-commissioned investigation would present a potential conflict of interest.

The CFA on Feb. 9 called on the state Legislature to investigate after learning that Castro’s predecessor, Timothy White, was aware of the controversy surrounding Lamas and advised Castro during his interview process for the chancellor position.

“The handling of the incident reflects a systemic problem in society at large … where people with real institutional power protect one another by covering up bad behavior and allowing themselves and their colleagues to save face and avoid accountability, rather than doing what is best for the health and safety of the campus community,” the CFA said in a statement.

Related Articles