The California State University system continues to wrestle with additional revelations of Title IX complaints following former chancellor Joseph Castro’s resignation this year.
Education trade publication EdSource published case summaries of 54 CSU employees that were named in sexual harassment reports from 2017 to 2021.
ADVERTISEMENT
That included three Fresno State employees which resulted in one termination.
On May 31, 2018, gardening specialist Theodore Woods was reported in a complaint for incidents ranging from 2016 to 2018.
Woods was accused of sexual harassment, as well as the unwelcome conduct of sexual nature including inappropriate comments, asking personal questions and holdings hands and not letting go.
Fresno State suspended Woods for 10 days and required him to take three EAP sessions, online and in-person Title IX training and mandated that he stay away from the complainant.
International Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator Danny Wan was the subject of a report on Feb. 19, 2019, for an incident that occurred one week earlier.
Wan was accused of sexual harassment and an intimidating and hostile work environment by spreading rumors about the complainant’s personal life.
Fresno State issued Wan a written reprimand.
Former assistant wrestling coach Israel Silva was the subject of a report on Jan. 24, 2020, for incidents that occurred between September 2018 and December 2019.
Silva was accussed of sexual harassment, inappropriately encouraging and allowing student-athletes to engage in inappropriate behavior and failing to report it. He was also accused of engaging in inappropriate physical and verbal conduct of a sexual nature.
Silva was fired in July 2020.
While the case summary does not explicitly detail the allegations against Silva, the Fresno State wrestling program faced an investigation two years ago for a stripper that danced at a party that involved potential recruits visiting the university.
Fresno State eventually axed the popular wrestling program – along with men’s tennis and lacrosse – in October 2020 in an effort to sustain the financial viability of the university’s athletics programs.
Along with Fresno State, Stanislaus State also had three reported Title IX incidents in recent years.
Heavy equipment operator and bus driver Larry Stone was accused of making multiple inappropriate comments that constituted sexual harassment in January 2019.
Stone underwent counseling on appropriate behavior and workplace policies and behaviors.
Athletic trainer Dashiel Buntjer was accused of engaging in unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, which was found to have created a hostile environment between June 2019 and February 2020.
Stanislaus State did not renew Buntjer’s contract when it was up for renewal.
Maggie McCloud, a disability services for students advisor, was found responsibile for sexual misconduct, not sexual harassment.
Stanislaus State found that she enganged in sexual activity without the complainant’s affirmative consent.
McCloud left the university prior to the conclusion of the investigation.
CSU Bakersfield claimed to not have any cases involving sexual misconduct or discrimination from 2017-2021.
The focus on sexual harassment and Title IX cases within the CSU system blew up after details involving former Fresno State Vice President of Student Affairs Frank Lamas were revealed about many sexual harassment complaints made against him during his tenure.
Just a few weeks after the report, Castro – who served as the Fresno State president from 2013-2021 – stepped down just 13 months into the job.
The California Legislature approved an independent state audit into the CSU system to take place in the coming months.
