By Michael Der Manouel, Jr., Luis Chavez and Lisa Smittcamp | Fresno Bee | APR. 12, 2022 | Photo credit: Craig Kohlruss
We’ve all been around long enough to understand what a political hit job looks like. And in the case of former Fresno State President Joseph Castro, a man without a blemish on a sterling career in higher education, the assassination of his character by so many, is not only egregious, but also un-American.
Yes, we are referring to the matter of Dr. Frank Lamas, and the university’s disposition of allegations of sexual harassment charges against him while Dr. Castro was president.
In the matter of harassment charges brought against Frank Lamas, we know that Dr. Castro relied upon the advice of his Title IX office staff, his campus vice president of administration and campus counsel in handling personnel matters like the one involving Dr. Lamas. We also know that the CSU chancellor at the time, as well as the Board of Trustees, had full knowledge of the process and approved every significant step. They’ve since disappeared, choosing instead the path of self-preservation rather than introspection and transparency.
Let us be clear. We did not always agree with Dr. Castro when he was at Fresno State. At the same time, the campus undoubtedly rose in academic prominence during his seven-year-plus tenure as president. Our national rankings for academics surged while he was in office.
Dr. Castro’s focus on supporting students from all backgrounds to graduate more quickly and join the regional workforce was embraced by everyone in the Central Valley. It was this focus on student success that inspired the California State University Board of Trustees to appoint him as chancellor in September 2020.
Sadly, armed only with provocative, unsourced, and misleading media “reports” regarding a complex personnel issue, the same CSU Board of Trustees voted behind closed doors on Feb. 17 to pressure Chancellor Castro to resign. Their abrupt action took place during a seven-hour meeting without any discussion with Chancellor Castro and before an investigation of the allegations made against him.
Don’t be mistaken, we agree that the CSU must have no tolerance for sexual harassment and bullying. Those who violate policies and laws should be dealt with in the most serious manner.
However, it is clear to us that Dr. Castro has become a scapegoat for a deeply flawed system that desperately needs to be reformed. For years, the CSU — like many other public entities — has opted to settle challenging legal matters outside of court rather than to aggressively fight them in court. This isn’t “risk management,” this is a subsidy of behaviors that should have been rooted out and eliminated everywhere within the CSU — a legacy issue that extends well beyond Dr. Castro’s and his campus colleagues’ involvement in this matter and raises important questions about the role that former Chancellor Timothy White and General Counsel Andrew Jones have played, with support and encouragement from the Board of Trustees, in settling other similar cases across the CSU over the past decade.
We would suggest that we all take a deep breath before drawing any final conclusions about Dr. Castro’s handling of the Lamas matter until after the external investigation is completed. Isn’t that what we as Americans would all want if we were faced with the same circumstances?
Finally, and most importantly, California’s students have lost a leader who understood their life experiences better than any of his predecessors and, with his wife Mary, dramatically expanded educational opportunities to help our youth realize their full potential.
Now that the “mob” has succeeded in removing Dr. Castro from office without evidence of any wrongdoing, which other respected educational leader or community member is next?
###
Michael Der Manouel Jr. is chairman of the Fresno County Lincoln Club, a local businessman and a 1985 graduate of Fresno State. Luis Chavez represents southeast Fresno on the City Council and earned two degrees at Fresno State, most recently in 2008. Lisa Smittcamp is Fresno County’s district attorney.
