Protesters want Joseph Castro out as CSU chancellor over handling of sexual harassment case
About 100 Fresno State students and others decrying sexual harassment and abuse staked out a major intersection at the edge of the university in a protest Saturday demanding the resignation of Joseph Castro as chancellor of the California State University system.
Their anger at Castro is rooted in actions he took during his time as Fresno State’s president related to a settlement with a university administrator faced with multiple accusations of sexual harassment.
Saturday’s protest at Shaw and Cedar avenues was organized through social media by Xitllali Loya, a former Fresno State student who said her own experience with sexual violence at the university was hampered by the administration’s policies.
Loya said the concerns were reinvigorated after USA Today reported Thursday on questions over Castro’s handling of at least a dozen complaints against Frank Lamas, the university’s former vice president for student affairs.
“I organized this protest to bring awareness about the sexual violence going on here at Fresno State,” Loya said, “and to hold Joseph Castro accountable and hold Fresno State accountable for letting this abuse go on for so long.”
Loya added that issues extend beyond complaints against administrators and into how allegations of rape and sexual assault among the school’s Greek community of fraternities and sororities are handled.
“It’s definitely a fraternity and sorority problem as well,” she said. “I feel like what the administration and Castro did was try to keep Fresno State’s reputation good by ignoring everything, not dealing with it.”
Loya carried a sign that read: “Castro resign. Here’s your letter of recommendation,” a reference to Castro providing a reference letter for Lamas as part of the settlement the university reached with the administrator.
“I hope Castro sees it and knows we’re not going to stop fighting until he is held accountable,” she said. “At this point, an apology doesn’t even really matter, but he needs to be held accountable.”
Castro told The Bee on Friday that he will not resign, but welcomes an inquiry into his and the university’s handling of sexual misconduct claims.
State Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, was among a growing number of voices calling for an investigation by the CSU Board of Trustees into Castro’s actions before he became chancellor of the statewide university system. Leyva said the situation could also spark hearings before the state Senate Education Committee.
The USA Today report described how the university’s human resources or Title IX offices received at least 12 complaints against Lamas over a six-year period, including allegations that he stared at women’s breasts, touched them inappropriately, made sexist remarks and created a hostile or abusive work environment while never formally disciplined by the university
Title IX is part of federal education law that forbids discrimination based on gender at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. The law also applies to incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Lamas has denied any wrongdoing, but in his settlement in 2020 agreed to never again seek employment in the CSU system. The settlement, finalized by Castro and university counsel Darryl Hamm, included paying Lamas a full year’s salary of $260,000. The settlement also provided assurances that Fresno State would help him find work elsewhere, with future reference requests directed to the Fresno State president’s office and Castro.
Loya said her own experience revealed cracks in Fresno State’s system for handling student allegations and providing support.
“The school needs to educate students on their rights,” she said. “When everything happened to me, I didn’t even know what Title IX was. I was walking around campus looking for a counselor. That shouldn’t have happened.”
Instead, she said she believes students should be referred or directed to counseling upon reporting an assault or harassment instead of having to find their own support.
The protest was confined to the sidewalks at the four corners of the intersection, punctuated by honks of support from passing motorists as students held signs such as, “Honk if you hate abusers,” “End victim blaming,” “Justice for survivors,” and “Sexual assault should not be part of the ‘college experience.’”
This story was originally published February 5, 2022 at 3:13 PM.
