Report 2022-109 Recommendation 8 Responses

Report 2022-109: California State University: It Did Not Adequately or Consistently Address Some Allegations of Sexual Harassment (Release Date: July 2023)

Recommendation #8 To: University, California State

To better ensure the timeliness of investigations, the Chancellor's Office should identify a solution by July 2024 for ascertaining that campuses have adequate resources for conducting formal investigations. As part of this process, the Chancellor's Office should consider whether employing a pool of dedicated systemwide investigators who are external to campuses would help provide timely, consistent, and independent investigations for campuses when they choose not to investigate allegations themselves or lack the available internal resources to do so. Finally, once it has identified a solution, the Chancellor's Office should implement this solution.

1-Year Agency Response

In June 2024, the Chancellor's Office provided guidance to all CSU Title IX coordinators and Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation (DHR) administrators on the procedure by which university campuses shall retain external investigators to investigate allegations of conduct prohibited by the CSU's nondiscrimination policy. Each Title IX coordinator / DHR administrator may request a specific investigator or be assigned an investigator from a list of external investigators developed by the Chancellor's Office.

The procedure ensures that campuses have adequate resources for conducting formal investigations by allowing for the retention of external investigators. By following the procedure, the CSU will maintain consistency in the identification, selection, retention, and evaluation of the services provided by external investigators.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

The Chancellor's Office's guidance on retaining external investigators refers to an investigator list developed by the Chancellor's Office and that individual campuses can work with the Chancellor's office to retain an external investigator if needed. This solution satisfies the elements in our recommendation.

6-Month Agency Response

The Chancellor's Office continues to evaluate staffing solutions including whether to employ a pool of dedicated systemwide investigators.

In addition, the Chancellor's Office is considering strategies for centralizing the hearing process across campuses.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

The Chancellor's Office is evaluating additional staffing solutions including whether to employ a pool of dedicated systemwide investigators.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2022-109

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.