April 3, 2023 – Campus Safety Update

Dear Campus Community,  

As the spring semester nears the home stretch, I’d like to provide an update on the actions the University has taken to improve safety on our campus. I briefed Academic Senate in February about the progress made related to its resolution passed in December 2022 regarding the situation involving a professor in the Biological Sciences Department. Additionally, we have taken the following actions:  

• The Chancellor’s Office’s Systemwide Human Resources has retained a consultant from an independent firm who will conduct an assessment of the personnel processes used in the situation involving a professor in the Biological Sciences. Systemwide Human Resources will oversee this assessment. To support the integrity of the review, Chico State will have only minimal administrative involvement in the process by helping to coordinate it. The consultant will conduct a review of all processes related to this matter and provide a report to the Chancellor’s Office and University President later this year. 
• The professor remains on leave. In addition, a temporary Workplace Violence Restraining Order (WVRO) is currently in place, which legally bars him from being on campus and also from possessing firearms. A judge will rule on the University’s request to make the WVRO permanent, with the ruling likely to be issued later this month. 
• I recently received a charge from the Academic Senate Executive Committee regarding work to revise EM 12-025 (Policy on Campus Behavior and Violence Prevention), which guides the structure and scope of the Campus Violence Consultation Team (CVCT). 
• The University has established a new comprehensive safety website with a more user-friendly approach to finding tools and resources. We also added a safety section to the “Student Resources” webpage, accessible at the top of every landing page. We will continue actively communicating with new and returning students to make sure they know where to go when they need help.

Finally, the systemwide assessment of the CSU’s Title IX and DHR programs and responses, which was conducted by the law firm Cozen O’Conner, will be completed in May and presented to the CSU Board of Trustees. In March, I received a preliminary confidential briefing of Chico State’s campus report, and I was not surprised that our Title IX Office earned praise for its professionalism. After the May Board of Trustees meeting, I will receive a copy of Cozen O’Connor’s review of Chico State Title IX and DHR programs and responses after which I will convene a campus team that will include students, staff, and faculty to review, consider, and implement the recommendations.

I thank everyone who has shared their experiences, concerns, and ideas about what we can collectively do to make our campus a safer place for all.

Sincerely,
Gayle E. Hutchinson