Fresno State students, faculty say Castro’s resignation isn’t enough. Here’s what they want
In the wake of California State University Chancellor Joseph Castro’s resignation, Fresno State students and campus leaders said the move by their former university president offered a glimmer of hope for accountability, but broader systemic change is needed in the campus’ Title IX office.
Castro announced his resignation Thursday evening, about two weeks after a bombshell USA Today investigation detailed how he, when serving as Fresno State’s president, handled sexual harassment allegations against Frank Lamas, former vice president of student affairs. The investigation revealed Castro signed off on a big settlement and wrote a letter of recommendation for Lamas, who maintains he did nothing wrong.
Students on campus Friday criticized the university’s announcements and communication about the scandal. Many learned of Castro’s resignation through social media or news outlets.
Students who spoke to The Bee said they felt the university swept the sexual harassment investigation under the rug. They heard about Castro’s role through word of a student-led protest last week.
Lesley Cruz, an 18-year-old Fresno State freshman, said it angered her that Castro wrote a letter of recommendation for Lamas.
“Resigning is the least he can do,” she said. “He handled the whole situation badly.”
Freshmen Julian Neal, Kamron Beachem, and Johnathan Raceneaux, all 19 years old, said the resignation wasn’t enough. “He needed to get fired,” they said.
“That ain’t it. His fingers are dirty too,” Neal said.
“He’s just saving himself,” Raceneaux added.
Jacob Gutierrez, a 19-year-old sophomore, said the scandal was embarrassing.
“I’m concerned for Castro, for his well-being and the campus well-being,” he said. “I hope Fresno State and the CSU colleges get their act together and do the right thing.”
Hannah Dandini, a 25-year-old Fresno State junior, said Castro’s behavior was bad for survivors and encouraged sexual harassment.
While officials said Lamas’ behavior didn’t align with the university’s values, Dandini said Castro’s actions demonstrated otherwise.
“It seems like it’s directly in line with your values if you’re going to give him (Lamas) a letter of recommendation,” she said.
If it weren’t for public pressure, Castro likely wouldn’t have resigned, and details of the scandal likely would’ve never been revealed, Dandini said.
Title IX overhaul
D’Aungillique Jackson, Fresno State’s Associated Students Inc. president, called the resignation “bittersweet.”
“I don’t know if I would say that it is truly accountability,” she said since Castro is likely to receive severance pay, a pension, or other benefits.
Jackson said she hopes the focus will be on “transformative justice” that will benefit survivors. That means overhauling Fresno State’s Title IX office.
“I would like for the focus to stay on the systems that allow for something like this to happen,” she said.
Jackson said she’d like to see a Title IX course created so college freshmen receive holistic information and training on how to navigate the system.
Kathryn Forbes, Fresno State’s women’s studies department chair, said Castro’s resignation won’t fix the existing systemic problem.
Fresno State’s Title IX office is weak because the Title IX coordinator has other duties, Forbes said. Plus, informal complaints aren’t tracked, so it’s impossible to know the scope of the campus’ sexual harassment and assault problem. The Title IX coordinator also doesn’t receive performance evaluations like other staff and faculty, she said.
“The problem is not that we just have to change the climate to get people to report, as our university and the CSU has been portraying it. People report,” Forbes said. “The problem is how those cases are evaluated and adjudicated. There’s a weakness in that (Title IX) office in terms of how they’re investigated and how they’re adjudicated.”
Sometimes, people feel further harmed by the complaint system because it takes too long to get to a resolution, she said.
Both Jackson and Dandini pointed for the need for more than one survivor advocate on campus.
Forbes also called for restitution for the women that Lamas sexually harassed.
“Women were materially harmed,” she said. “The administration keeps talking about their feelings.…They had loss of productivity, some left their jobs, some have suffered professionally. Where’s the restitution for them?… You have to do something to materially help the people who are harmed, and that’s not happening as far as I can see. I’m not hearing about it.”
While Forbes said it was good Castro resigned, she also pointed out that as a Latino man, he was treated differently than his white predecessor.
Under John Welty’s leadership, the university paid nearly $30 million to three women in Fresno State athletics — the women’s volleyball coach, women’s basketball coach and an associate athletics director. All three women alleged sex discrimination.
“I want us to notice that John Welty was not forced to resign,” she said. “There was an obvious difference in the way that John Welty was treated and the way that Castro was treated.
“It’s a different time period, and I’m not discounting how race comes into play,” she said. “The ways in which powerful white men continually get a pass, and men of color don’t, is also part of the story. So it’s very complicated, you know?”
Plus, Castro likely wasn’t the only person involved in arranging Lamas’ settlement and departure, Forbes said. Others who were involved should be held to account, she said.
Hope for the future
Xitllali Loya Alcocer, a former Fresno State student and vocal sexual assault survivor for over a year, called for Castro’s resignation. Loya Alcocer organized last week’s protest, calling for accountability for Castro and the university.
This week, Loya Alcocer took to Twitter, saying she finally felt heard. She also encouraged her followers to keep pressure on the CSU system.
Dandini said she hopes Castro’s resignation spurs changes in the campus Title IX office.
“I really, really hope this is the catalyst that really moves it forward and creates a better, safer environment for victims because there’s not a lot of trust between the two right now,” she said.
Jackson said Castro’s resignation is sparking CSU-wide discussions about how to create safer environments for survivors. She’s been in direct communication with current Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, who has been eager for feedback and responded quickly and thoughtfully, she said.
“I think that it’s a part of an old culture that our generation can be really influential in changing,” Jackson said. “I have a lot of faith in our generation and in the administration who is willing to help across the system, to again, create that safe space for survivors.
“That’s that’s the goal of this,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t end, and it doesn’t begin with a resignation. It ends and begins with looking at our structures and identifying the changes that we need to make.”