Fresno State’s Title IX office understaffed, ineffective under Castro

• Fresno State’s Title IX office had no full-time staffers until 2018, despite federal recommendations
• The school’s then-victim advocate complained of dysfunction, lack of any “real” prevention efforts
• Even after hiring a full-time Title IX coordinator, sexual violence investigations ground to a halt
• A female student told USA TODAY she received little protection after she was groped in a campus hall

During his seven years as president of California State University’s Fresno campus, Joseph Castro sparked ire among students and staff for failing to heed repeated warnings that the school lacked the resources needed to keep women on campus safe.

Castro left Fresno State in December 2020 to become chancellor of the entire 23-campus CSU. He resigned last month amid mounting pressure after a USA TODAY investigation revealed he mishandled years of sexual harassment complaints against a top administrator as president of Fresno State.