Letters to the Editor: How CSU is making itself do better on sexual misconduct investigations

To the editor: Let’s be clear — any form of sexual misconduct is unacceptable. As the California State University’s new chancellor and as chair of the Board of Trustees, we are committed to partnering with state legislators and leaders across the CSU system to make the changes needed to transform our Title IX and other antidiscrimination policies and procedures. (“Sexual misconduct scandals rocked this California university system. Top leaders escaped scrutiny,” Dec. 14)

In March 2022, at the behest of the trustees, CSU initiated a comprehensive Title IX assessment to ensure the health, safety and welfare of our students, faculty and staff. The report, assembled independently by the law firm Cozen O’Connor, makes recommendations for improvements at both the campus and system levels. 



No other university has so transparently conducted a Title IX review to this scale. Nearly 18,000 university community members participated in the study. We are now positioned to serve as a national exemplar for developing best practices and piloting new ways to report, investigate and adjudicate allegations.

We will do more than what is legally required and take a holistic approach that includes prevention, supportive care and restorative justice. Our focus is on creating a meaningful pathway forward, informed by the past, the Cozen O’Connor report and the state audit, for the benefit of all we serve and employ.

Mildred Garcia and Wenda Fong, Long Beach

The writers are, respectively, chancellor of CSU and chair of the CSU Board of Trustees.