Ex-Fresno State VP at the center of sexual harassment scandal got big raises each year

When dealing with sexual harassment allegations against Vice President of Student Affairs Frank Lamas, former Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro provided personal counsel, conducted a climate assessment of the department and brought in a trainer to work with the administrator.

Castro, who is now chancellor of the 23-campus California State University system, did one other thing: He approved merit raises for Lamas despite the university receiving at least 12 claims of misconduct over a six-year period.

Lamas received the merit pay increases when approved by the CSU for Management Personnel Plan administrators and one 5% equity raise for increased responsibilities around enrollment management, according to the university. He did not receive any merit bonuses.

His salary in 2020 was up to $260,356 and with benefits up to $357,983. His salary in 2015, his first full year at the university, was $221,303 and including benefits was $297,476.

Castro declined to comment, though the CSU released a statement to The Bee.

“We expect that the CSU Board of Trustees will review this matter soon, including at the closed-session meeting scheduled for Feb. 17. In light of, and in deference to such an investigation, it would not be appropriate to provide further comment specific to this matter. Ensuring an independent investigation is essential for the CSU moving forward and addressing the specifics of this matter will be part of that process.”

The CSU chancellor and university presidents have the flexibility to determine salaries and salary adjustments for employees within those job classifications, according to the California State University Management Personnel Plan. To ensure pay raises are based on merit, a performance evaluation must be on file with the university human resources department along with a justification memo.

The memo must indicate the employee meets expectations or higher, and the approval of the president is required for processing all salary increases for MPP personnel.

An equity increase for a campus vice president requires the prior approval of the campus president, the CSU vice chancellor of human resources and the CSU chancellor.

That procedure was followed by the campus in regards to Lamas’ equity increase, according to a university official. In addition, the action was reported to the Board of Trustees in the Annual Report on Vice President Compensation, Executive Relocation and Executive Transition.

Largest pay increase came in same year as Title IX investigation

The largest jump in salary Lamas received while at Fresno State was in 2019, the year a Title IX investigation was launched after a full-time doctoral student working in Student Affairs accused him of offering to help in securing a promotion in return for sexual favors.

Lamas’ total salary was $255,329, up from $239,662, an increase of $15,667. With benefits he was paid $350,305, an increase of $23,636 over the previous year. In 2020, he also received a raise in pay.

Lamas total pay and total pay with benefits, according to Transparent California:

2020: $260,365 and $357,983

2019: $255,329 and $350,305

2018: $239,662 and $326,669

2017: $229,539 and $312,749

2016: $224,856 and $306,151

2015: $221,303 and $297,476

2014: $104,028 and $140,813

The former Fresno State administrator has denied any wrongdoing, but the university and Castro, its former president, are under fire for its handing those sexual harassment allegations.

The university, now led by president Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, has formed a task force led by an outside consulting firm to assess the university’s Title IX, bullying, harassment, and discrimination policies.

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

The CSU chancellor, when president at Fresno State, personally received at least seven of those complaints, but never formally disciplined Lamas. He instead praised him in annual performance reviews, allowing for those pay increases, and endorsed him for a prestigious lifetime achievement award.

When leaving the university, Lamas also received $260,000 through a mediated settlement and a promise of a letter of recommendation toward future employment.

“First and foremost, I apologize to anyone in the Fresno State community who was impacted by Dr. Lamas’ behavior,” Castro said in a statement last week through the CSU. “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.”

This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 8:00 AM.