LOS ANGELES — The California State University Board of Trustees chair will ask the board to launch an independent investigation into Chancellor Joseph I. Castro’s handling of sexual misconduct and workplace bullying allegations when he was president of Fresno State amid growing demands from the state’s two top higher education legislative leaders and others to examine his role in dealing with complaints that extended over a six-year period.
Chair Lillian Kimbell said in a statement Friday night that Castro is receptive and desires an investigation. “I intend to ask my board colleagues in the coming days to support these steps, as I know it will help us improve practices and policies for the future,” Kimbell said.
Kimbell’s decision comes after Assemblyman Jose Medina, a Democrat, who chairs the Assembly Higher Education Committee, Democratic state Sen. Connie Leyva, chair of the California Senate Education Committee, and the Cal State Faculty Association, the union representing 29,000 employees, called on the board to examine Castro’s handling of a university investigation of former Fresno State Vice President of Student Affairs Frank Lamas.
The investigation found “credible evidence” that Lamas engaged in sexual misconduct against a female employee, who filed a formal claim in 2019 that the administrator touched her knee and moved his hand up her thigh while talking about her future job prospects after two years of unwelcomed contact.
While still president of Fresno State in 2020, Castro authorized a quiet $260,000 payout and a retirement package and provided a glowing letter of recommendation to Lamas. Several weeks after approving the agreement, Castro was named chancellor of the largest public four-year university system in the nation.
Castro said in a statement Friday night that he supports Kimbell.
“I welcome an independent investigation. While I followed CSU policy and took the steps to ensure this individual could never work on a CSU campus, I recognize that certain aspects of the process should have been handled better — this is especially true of the hurt caused by my communications to the community during that time,” he said. “My expectation is that an independent investigation will not only help me in my growth as a leader, but also strengthen the work of the entire Cal State system.”
Castro was not available to comment Saturday and his office did not make any further comments.
Medina said “it is imperative that we determine the accuracy of the allegations and ensure that our leaders of higher education are truly prioritizing the safety of students, faculty and staff.”
Leyva said that if an investigation found that Castro mishandled allegations of misconduct, Castro should “immediately resign from his position since it would call into clear question his ability to lead the California State University system and its thousands of employees.” Based on the findings of an investigation, Leyva would also convene a Senate Education Committee to further look into Castro’s handling of the allegations while at Fresno State.
A USA Today report earlier this week described allegations against Lamas over a six-year period.
Allegations against Lamas over workplace bullying and harassment were shared with Fresno State’s human resources department and Title IX office starting in 2014, according to university documents. Investigative action was taken in 2019 when a formal Title IX complaint over physical harassment was filed.
On Saturday, a student-led “Me Too” protest at Fresno State was planned.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, Castro said that he followed Cal State policy in negotiating the Lamas departure agreement. Castro said he regrets writing the letter of recommendation, which praised Lamas’ work performance.
Early complaints against Lamas were anonymous or the person who came forward did not want to continue with an investigation, Fresno State vice president of administration and finance Deborah Adishian-Astone told The Times. If an allegation of physical touch had occurred, however, an investigation would have been launched sooner, with or without a direct and identified accuser.
Lamas denied any wrongdoing during his six years at Fresno State.
Castro did not inform the Board of Trustees of the investigation and settlement before becoming chancellor. He said that the board was not typically aware of such investigations and that because he had consulted with then-Chancellor Timothy White, the expectation was that White would share such details if he deemed it appropriate.
Castro told The Times that he planned to work with the board to improve the university’s policies, pledging to make them more transparent.
“I’ll be working with our Board of Trustees and our presidents to look at this and make appropriate adjustments,” he said.
