Call for an Independent Investigation into the Actions of CSU Chancellor Castro as President of CSU Fresno, and for an Effective CSU Response to Prevent Future Such Incidents
Resolved: That the Sonoma State University (SSU) Academic Senate express serious concern about Chancellor Castro’s judgment and ability to successfully lead the California State University (CSU) given his handling of sexual harassment complaints while President of CSU Fresno; and be it further
Resolved: That the SSU Academic Senate call for an immediate independent legislative investigation into the actions taken by Chancellor Castro and his staff in handling the sexual harassment allegations against Frank Lamas—including providing Dr. Lamas with a “golden parachute” upon termination and a letter of recommendation, allowing him to continue working in other higher education settings—and into CSU leadership, policies, and practices that enabled these actions;
Resolved: That the SSU Academic Senate assert that the admitted actions of then-President Castro perpetuated sexual harassment at CSU Fresno and thereby failed to protect present and future faculty, staff, and students of the CSU; and be it further
Resolved: That the SSU Academic Senate call upon the Board of Trustees and State of California legislature to complete an independent investigation should Chancellor Castro at any point resign during this process; and be it further
Resolved: That the SSU Academic Senate call upon the CSU Board of Trustees to immediately place Chancellor Castro on leave without pay pending the results of this investigation; and be it further
Resolved: That should the independent legislative investigation corroborate the investigative reporting of USA Today and/or find additional evidence of an inappropriate response to this case, the SSU Academic Senate call upon the CSU Board of Trustees to immediately fire Chancellor Castro; and be it further
Resolved: That the SSU Academic Senate urge the CSU Board of Trustees to review and change its processes for handling sexual harassment, as detailed in Chancellor Castro’s letter to the CSU community, to prioritize accountability for acts of sexual harassment and gender discrimination, and the protection of faculty, staff and students from sexual harassment, over risk management and the protection of the reputation of perpetrators; and be it further
Resolved: That the SSU Academic Senate distribute this resolution to:
CSU Board of Trustees
CSU Chancellor
SSU President Judy Sakaki
Chair of the Academic Senate, CSU
California Faculty Association
California State Senate Pro Tempore
Speaker of the California State Assembly
California State Senate Higher Education Committee
California State Assembly Higher Education Committee
Footnotes:
[1] Jacoby, K. (2022) Fresno State president mishandled sexual harassment complaints. Now he leads all 23 Cal State colleges. USA Today February 3.
[1] Castro, J. (2022) An Open Letter from Chancellor Castro to the CSU Community. February 4.
[1] Jacoby, K. (2022) Fresno State stonewalled the release of sexual harassment investigation reports, sought NDA. USA Today February 7.
[1] CFA (2022) CFA Calls on State Legislature to Launch Independent Investigation of CSU Chancellor. Calfac.org February 9.
[1] This call is stated in the article in fn6; however, she has since made public statements in support of Chancellor Castro; see fn7.
[1] Jacoby, K. (2022) Lawmakers seek investigation into Cal State chancellor's handling of sexual harassment. USA Today February 4.
[1] McEwan, B. (2022) CA Lawmaker Wants Probe Into Joe Castro’s Handling of Sexual Misconduct Complaints. GVwire February 4.