Ousted CSU chancellor unfit for professor job at Cal Poly, Fresno State academic senate says

Former California State University Chancellor Joseph I. Castro, who resigned while under fire for his handing of sexual harassment allegations while president at Fresno State, retained retreat rights to the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a tenured professor of leadership and public policy.

Castro, who received a settlement that runs through Feb. 17, 2023, has not yet informed the university whether he will exercise those rights.

But the academic senate at Fresno State made clear it does not believe their former university president is fit to hold that or any teaching position within the CSU and is drafting a resolution of no confidence to enter the professoriate of the largest four-year public university system in the country.

“Basically, we’re expressing a lack of confidence to do that and the second points out his very actions and words tell him that he’s incapable, he has demonstrated that he not only does not deserve to hold the rank of professor but he is unqualified to teach or conduct research in leadership, in leadership and public policy,” academic senator Michael Jenkins said at the meeting, which was conducted on Zoom.

The resolution was one of four introduced at the academic senate meeting on Monday afternoon related to Castro, Fresno State and its handling of harassment allegations over a six-year period against Frank Lamas, the university’s former vice president of student affairs.

Lamas has denied the allegations, but a 2019 Title IX investigation found that he had engaged in inappropriate conduct in violation of CSU executive order 1096, the systemwide policy prohibiting discrimination, harassment, retaliation, sexual misconduct, dating and domestic violence, and stalking against employees and third parties.

There also was a resolution calling for an investigation into the actions taken at Fresno State to cover up Title IX violations to protect the perpetrator and his supervisor; one for more intensive training for administrators, faculty, and staff on Title IX; and one acknowledging victims’ harm resulting from sexual harassment by Lamas and affirming support of victims by the campus community.

The resolution was to be distributed to the CSU board of trustees, CSU chancellor, Fresno State president Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, the CSU academic Senate, the academic senates of the 22 sister campuses in the CSU system, California Faculty Association, California Senate Education committee and California Assembly Higher Education Committee.

This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 9:44 AM with the headline "Ousted CSU chancellor unfit for professor job at Cal Poly, Fresno State academic senate says."