LOS ANGELES — In his final weeks as president of Fresno State, California State University Chancellor Joseph I. Castro quietly authorized a $260,000 payout and a retirement package with a glowing letter of recommendation for a campus vice president after an investigation found “credible evidence” that the administrator engaged in sexual misconduct against an employee, according to public documents and university officials.
In the 2019 complaint, the female employee alleged that Fresno State Vice President of Student Affairs Frank Lamas touched her knee and moved his hand up her thigh in a car while talking to her about job prospects after at least two years of other unwelcome contact. A university investigation found the allegations to be credible, including reports that he touched her shoulder while adjusting her bra strap, grabbed her arm and massaged her biceps, touched her lower back near her buttocks and put his arm around her even after she asked him not to touch her.
The subsequent 2020 departure agreement with Lamas, whom Castro hired, has prompted criticism among faculty and others. The Cal State faculty union Thursday called on the Board of Trustees to investigate Castro’s handling of the misconduct claims and earlier knowledge of workplace harassment while he served at Fresno State.
