Former Fresno State president under fire for mishandling sexual harassment allegations

California State University chancellor and former Fresno State president Dr. Joseph I. Castro is under fire after a damning report in USA Today regarding his handling of sexual harassment allegations against Frank Lamas, the university’s former vice president for student affairs.

Castro, the school’s human resources department and its Title IX office received at least 12 complaints about Lamas over a six-year period, according to the report, including that he stared at women’s breasts, touched women inappropriately, made sexist remarks, and berated, belittled, and retaliated against employees.

You can read the full USA Today report here. Other details from it:

Castro personally received at least seven of those complaints, but never formally disciplined Lamas. The CSU chancellor instead praised Lamas in annual performance reviews, endorsed him for a prestigious lifetime achievement award and quietly paid Lamas to leave the university after an investigation that was launched when an employee accused Lamas of implying he would help her get promoted in exchange for sexual favors.

When Lamas was forced from his job, Castro also told staff and the public that Lamas chose to retire at the end of the year and thanked him for his years of service.

He departed with a settlement finalized by Castro and university counsel Darryl Hamm that paid him a full year’s salary – $260,000 – to retire on Dec. 31, 2020. Though Lamas was never again to seek employment within the CSU system, the settlement also ensured Fresno State would help Lamas find work elsewhere.

Future reference requests, according to the agreement, would be directed to the Fresno State president’s office and that Castro would provide a letter of reference to facilitate the Employee’s efforts to pursue future opportunities.

Castro released a statement Thursday through the CSU, regarding the separation of Lamas at Fresno State:

A statement from Castro, CSU

“First and foremost, I apologize to anyone in the Fresno State community who was impacted by Dr. Lamas’ behavior. I recognize how difficult this entire process was for the Division, especially those who were individually impacted by his actions.

“Within four days of having a complaint that could be formally investigated, Dr. Lamas was removed from campus and never returned. As president of Fresno State, I took seriously all of the allegations surrounding Dr. Lamas and his leadership. One of the main challenges facing us in this situation was the inability to formally investigate all but the 2019 complaint. While we took steps to counsel and improve the climate based on the numerous informal or anonymous complaints, we faced a series of administrative hurdles in making a change until we had a formal complaint that could be investigated. The unfortunate reality is that public universities face more complex termination procedures and significant civil liability in terminating an employee without documented evidence. The fact that until 2019 there was no formal complaint meant that we were limited in our ability to proceed with an investigation like the one that ultimately led to the separation of Dr. Lamas from Fresno State.”

Castro, who was appointed Fresno State president in 2013 and CSU chancellor in 2020, told USA Today he regretted endorsing Lamas for the lifetime achievement award, not placing Lamas on a “performance improvement plan,” and not mentioning any of his concerns in Lamas’ performance reviews.

Castro also told USA Today that he “should’ve been more neutral” in his announcement of Lamas’ retirement and in the letter of recommendation he wrote Lamas as part of the settlement.

CSU Board of Trustees Chair Lillian Kimbell issued a statement later Thursday throwing the board’s support behind Castro, lauding him for taking ownership of missteps and applauding his commitment to supporting Title IX ideals. Read the full statement here.

Lamas denied the allegations, to USA Today.

Details of sexual harassment allegations

The report by USA Today includes explosive details of allegations against Lamas, including charges of sexual harassment that led to the investigation.

A member of Lamas’ staff who was enrolled at Fresno State as a full-time doctoral student filed a formal Title IX complaint against him in October, 2019, alleging that he had sexually harassed her for nearly a year.

The complaint triggered the university’s Title IX grievance procedures. Castro placed Lamas on a paid leave, and the university hired Mary Lee Wegner, a Los Angeles-area employment lawyer, to conduct the investigation.

Wegner, USA Today reported, interviewed 26 current and former employees over four months. In the investigative report, 13 said they had witnessed Lamas make sexist comments, touch women inappropriately, or close his office window blinds while alone with them. Three women said they had caught Lamas staring at their breasts, and three others said they knew colleagues who would make the same allegation.

Read the full USA Today report here.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 12:00 PM.