February 3, 2022
Dear Fresno State Community,
As many of you have likely seen by now, USA Today has published a story about the handling of climate and sexual harassment allegations surrounding former Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Frank Lamas. I want to start by recognizing and apologizing to any member of the Fresno State community hurt by Dr. Lamas' behavior and actions. I also want to acknowledge that I recognize, in hindsight, that the way in which I characterized Dr. Lamas' departure from Fresno State may have further triggered the survivors of Dr. Lamas' actions. For that, I'm deeply sorry.
The moment in 2019 when we had an actionable Title IX complaint, we acted. Dr. Lamas was off-campus within four days and never returned to the campus. One of the most significant challenges facing campus leaders is often the ability to formally investigate allegations. This reality was ever-present with Dr. Lamas. While there were earlier allegations, it wasn't until 2019 that someone was willing to go through a formal Title IX process. To be clear, I recognize for survivors that the Title IX process can be one that is difficult, and I deeply respect their decisions either way. The bottom line is nothing excuses Dr. Lamas' behavior, and I'm sorry for those who experienced it.
When I became Chancellor last year, I made it a priority to address many of the problems that we faced in investigating and separating Dr. Lamas from the CSU. One of my top priorities was to place conditions and limitations on the ability of senior administrators to return to the faculty when they are separated from their administrative position under certain circumstances. We've addressed this at Fresno State, and are working to make similar changes throughout all of the CSU campuses. I also launched a system-wide review of Title IX compliance, as well as community awareness and support resources. I'm also eager to continue to work with the Board of Trustees to further expand these efforts and look at ways to strengthen our policies and practices.
As always, I want to hear and learn from you. Please reach out anytime at [email protected]. The work to end sexual harassment and create climates that are inclusive is far from finished. Working together, I know we'll continue to make progress.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joseph I. Castro
About the California State University
The California State University is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, 56,000 faculty and staff and 477,000 students. Half of the CSU's students transfer from California community colleges. Created in 1960, the mission of the CSU is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity and student success, the CSU is renowned for superb teaching, innovative research and for producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards nearly 133,000 degrees. One in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU and our alumni are 4 million strong. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU NewsCenter.