Ousted CSU chancellor could wind up teaching at Cal Poly. That’s an outrage

Let’s be blunt: Former Cal State University Chancellor Joseph I. Castro should not teach at Cal Poly — or anywhere else, for that matter.

Castro resigned in disgrace last week, after serving a year and a half as the head of the nation’s largest public university system. His troubles stemmed from his mishandling of a sexual harassment case while he was president of Fresno State University — a situation first brought to light this month by USA Today.

Castro may have stepped down as chancellor, but he still has the promise of a handsome consolation prize: a prestigious faculty position at Cal Poly’s Orfalea School of Business, teaching leadership and public policy.

That’s ironic, given that Castro failed at both leadership and public policy.

Still, his chancellor’s contract includes “retreat rights” that allow him to join the Cal Poly faculty as a fully tenured professor.

“Dr. Castro’s retreat rights to Cal Poly were established by the CSU in September of 2020 in accordance with the standard process of naming a new CSU chancellor,” Cal Poly spokesman Matt Lazier wrote in an email. “At that time — at the request of the CSU and as part of the process of establishing Dr. Castro’s retreat rights — Cal Poly tenured faculty reviewed Dr. Castro’s academic credentials and supported his retreat rights into a tenured professor position within the Orfalea College of Business.”

That was obviously before news about the Fresno State harassment case broke, yet Cal Poly is still obligated to honor the terms of Castro’s contract.

That’s an outrage.

By treating harassment allegations so lightly, Castro acted unethically; he breached the public trust; and he failed to protect university employees.

If Cal State’s employment contracts don’t include a clause that invalidates “retreat rights” in the event of such behavior, it needs to find better attorneys.

What happened at Fresno State

According to the USA Today article, former Fresno State vice president of student affairs Frank Lamas created a climate of abusive behavior toward staff under his direction, especially women. Over a six-year period, starting in 2014 when Lamas was hired, the university received 12 complaints about him. Seven of those were received by Castro himself.

Despite the allegations against Lamas — which included staring at women’s breasts, making sexual comments, inappropriate touching and promising a woman a promotion in exchange for sex — Castro gave him positive performance evaluations and annual merit pay increases.

Lamas was eventually forced out after one of the victims filed a formal complaint, but he was allowed to leave quietly with a $260,000 settlement and the promise of a letter of recommendation.

That’s galling, and allowing Castro to ride off into the SLO sunset is almost as bad.

Cal Poly hiring history

This isn’t the first time Cal Poly has dealt with the prospect of taking on a high-ranking administrator involved in a sexual harassment scandal.

In 2020, the university announced the appointment of Paulette Granberry Russell as vice president of diversity and inclusion. Russell oversaw the Title IX office at Michigan State University when Larry Nassar, a faculty member and doctor at MSU, sexually abused hundreds of women and girls. As a result, the university paid $500 million in a civil settlement and a $4.5 million federal fine for its poor handling of the case.

Nassar also was a doctor for USA gymnastics, and, in a highly publicized criminal case, was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison.

There were questions about Russell’s handling of the Nassar case, and the Cal Poly community was outraged when it learned she had been selected for a position. More than 10,000 people signed petitions opposing her appointment, and Russell decided not to accept the position.

That’s one indication of the reception Castro should be prepared for should he opt to exercise his option of teaching at Cal Poly.

Community reaction

At this point, Castro has not said whether he plans to join the Cal Poly faculty, yet there already has been some negative feedback:

“How is our state university system going to move forward as a credible educational institution and as an advocate for women’s rights? The local and state-wide communities are certainly watching,” one Tribune reader wrote in a letter to the editor.

For Castro, it’s a sad way to end what had been a highly distinguished academic career.

And it’s worth pointing out that he may not have been the only one responsible for failing to properly investigate the numerous sexual harassment allegations against Lamas.

But as university president, Castro set the tone and was ultimately responsible for what happened on his watch.

Allowing Lamas to walk away with a sweetheart deal sent a horrible message.

It’s past time to hold not only the perpetrators accountable, but also those who fail to properly respond to allegations.

Dumping a failed administrator onto its top university would be nothing less than malfeasance by the CSU. We are well past the time of allowing disgraced public employees to remain working at taxpayer-funded organizations after they’ve failed in some of their most basic duties.

The CSU will conduct a system-wide review of compliance with anti-harassment law, with the goal of improving accountability and support for victims.

That’s a start, but it’s not enough.

If the California State University is to regain any credibility, Joseph Castro cannot teach at Cal Poly.

This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 5:30 AM.