Cal State adopts reforms, endures ire after sexual misconduct scandal

In its first public assembly because the resignation of its chancellor over his dealing with of sexual harassment complaints, the California State College’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously voted to undertake a collection of reforms and opinions in response to the scandal.

The vote passed off after a public remark interval throughout which college students, college and workers closely criticized the board and CSU leaders for betraying their belief and awarding profitable settlements to administrations who resigned or retired in shame.

The assembly comes six weeks after a USA TODAY investigation revealed then-Fresno State President Joseph Castro’s mishandling of six years of sexual harassment, bullying and retaliation complaints in opposition to then-Vice President of Scholar Affairs Frank Lamas. 

Castro repeatedly declined to self-discipline Lamas, USA TODAY’s investigation discovered, even after an outdoor investigator discovered Lamas accountable in 2020 for sexually harassing an subordinate and interesting in “abusive office conduct.” As an alternative, Castro approved a settlement with Lamas that gave him $260,000 and a clear file in trade for his retirement. Though the settlement banned Lamas from working on the CSU once more, it promised him a letter of advice from Castro to assist him discover work elsewhere.

Three weeks after the settlement, Castro was promoted to chancellor of the 23-campus CSU – the nation’s largest public college system with practically half 1,000,000 college students and 56,000 staff. He held the place from January 2021 till his resignation on Feb. 17 amid mounting stress from college students, college and workers after USA TODAY’s investigation.

Kevin Wehr, a professor at Sacramento State College for twenty years, criticized Castro for having “coated up for and paid off a serial sexual harasser” and the board for giving Castro a “golden parachute” after his resignation.

“I’ve felt lots of issues about my job in these years. I’ve felt delight, solidarity, pleasure, and in addition the stress, anxiousness and unhappiness, however I’ve by no means earlier than felt disgrace,” mentioned Wehr, who serves as vp of the California College Affiliation. “Proper now I really feel ashamed to inform individuals the place I train as a result of conduct of this board in dealing with the previous chancellor’s errors. You’re the ones who must be ashamed of this conduct.”

After listening to feedback from dozens of scholars, college and workers, the board took plenty of steps in response to the information group’s findings. Among the many actions they voted to take: the initiation of an “exterior, impartial investigation” of the dealing with of the complaints in opposition to Lamas by Fresno State and CSU chancellor’s workplace directors, together with Castro.

The investigation can be accomplished inside 90 to 120 days, board chair Lillian Kimbell mentioned. 

“You will need to acknowledge that we’re studying and that we maintain ourselves accountable, and genuine accountability contains reform,” Kimbell mentioned. “The CSU Board of Trustees has pledged to strengthen the CSU’s institutional tradition and make sure the well being security and welfare of its college students. This agenda units forth particular gadgets the CSU will undertake to meet that pledge.”

Moreover, the board voted to rent an outdoor legislation agency, Cozen O’Connor, to conduct a separate evaluation of Title IX practices throughout all 23 CSU campuses. The board may even reform its insurance policies on letters of advice for retiring or resigning directors and on “retreat rights,” which Castro and Fresno State directors cited as the primary purpose they didn’t fireplace Lamas. 

Retreat rights are supposed to present job safety to professors who go away tenured college positions to take “at-will” jobs in administration, equivalent to dean and provost. It permits them to retreat to their college place at any time if the executive place would not work out. 

Lamas negotiated retreat rights into his employment contract when Castro employed him in 2014. In accordance with Fresno State legal professional Darryl Hamm, that meant Lamas had the precise to take a non-tenured assistant professor job even when they’d fired him from his administrator job. 

Quite than threat Lamas exercising his retreat rights, Castro and Hamm mentioned, they signed the settlement that ensured Lamas wouldn’t sue the college for wrongful termination.

The board mentioned it should undertake a brand new coverage on retreat rights that bars directors from exercising them if they’ve been discovered accountable for critical misconduct. 

“We as a board had been saved in the dead of night and never served properly by current occasions and our previous chancellor,” mentioned Adam Day, a trustee who served as board chair earlier than Kimbell. “With as we speak’s actions, we acknowledge the ache suffered by victims and start the therapeutic course of as a system. Campuses, college, workers, alumni and lots of different constituencies have been let down.”

Castro additionally negotiated retreat rights into his contract when he was employed as chancellor in September 2020. It offers him the power to retreat to a tenured professor place within the enterprise faculty at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, despite the fact that Castro by no means held a school job and has no enterprise diploma.

Castro can train his rights in February 2023, when he completes a yearlong appointment as an adviser to the CSU board. The appointment, which pays $401,000, got here as a part of a settlement between the board and Castro within the days following his resignation. It’s a part of the CSU’s “government transition program,” which the board mentioned can be now below assessment. 

The CSU chancellor’s workplace will begin a job drive to assessment this system. Within the meantime, the CSU will “instantly” stop granting government transition program rights to new hires till the duty drive points its suggestions. It’s anticipated to take action by Might, Kimbell mentioned.

The board unanimously adopted all 5 resolutions. 

Trustee Douglas Faigin thanked USA TODAY for bringing the state of affairs to gentle and spoke of the worth of investigative journalism. 

“We’re right here as we speak, going by this catharsis and nice change for the higher due to a free press in America and particularly USA TODAY,” mentioned Faigin, who additionally referred to the reporter who broke the investigation. 

“What I additionally suppose is so necessary out of that is the thought of what sort of hazard America faces because the media face robust winds economically and institutionally in opposition to it. And what number of papers and investigative reporting are going downhill as a result of it is an costly, tough proposition,” Faigin mentioned. “This alone is a superb instance of why we want a free press in America.”

Kenny Jacoby is a reporter for USA TODAY’s investigations staff who covers universities, sports activities, policing and sexual violence. E mail him at kjacoby@gannett.com and comply with him on Twitter @kennyjacoby.