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Incidents at California State University - San Marcos

Total: 4


Incident 8724

Status: Resolved
Person: Chetan Kumar
Role: Faculty
Position: Associate Professor
Discipline: Business
Specific Discipline: Information Systems
Outcome Year: 2020
Outcome Category: Other
Quote: "In an investigative report obtained by Voice of San Diego through a Public Records Act request, officials at the school found Kumar sexually harassed his former teacher’s aide and acted unprofessionally with three other students during the 2019 fall semester. He complimented their looks. He texted and emailed them to ask them out to coffee, dinner or beach walks. He hugged three of them. He offered to console three of them when they were feeling down. He pressured two of them into closed-door meetings in his office. He asked two of them about their sex lives. All of the women told investigators they felt he was seeking out a romantic or sexual relationship.

Officials determined that the incidents violated school policies and state education code. In November, the university told Kumar he would be fired on those grounds.

But the employee union that represents faculty members in the CSU system quickly appealed, and university officials ultimately agreed to settle the case if Kumar agreed to drop the appeal and stop talking to the women who complained."
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Incident 8880

Status: Resolved
Person: David Bwambok
Role: Faculty
Position: Assistant Professor
Discipline: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Specific Discipline: Chemistry
Outcome Year: 2019
Outcome Category: Resigned
Quote: "As a result of the campus police investigation, the university notified Bwambok of its intent to dismiss him, which Bwambok appealed. Under the terms of the settlement, documents relating to the disciplinary action were withdrawn from his personnel file.

“The parties desire to avoid the expense, inconvenience and uncertainty of continued proceedings and wish to resolve all disputes and claims between them,” the settlement stated.

The Title IX investigation uncovered that Bwambok was previously cautioned by his department chairman about inappropriately touching students. In early 2019, another student of Bwambok’s requested that the chairman bring up the topic after she described a lingering hug that made her uncomfortable. A formal complaint was never filed.

Neither of the professors responded to phone and email requests for comment.

Under the terms of the settlements, Morrissette and Bwambok did not acknowledge any wrongdoing. The Times obtained the settlements under the state’s open records law.

Both professors’ settlements came with a stipulation that they would not seek employment in the Cal State system again. The university agreed that if contacted for a reference, it would not comment on their eligibility to be rehired and would only confirm their titles and dates of employment."
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Incident 8948

Status: Resolved
Role: Administrator
Position: Latin@ Center Director
Discipline:
Specific Discipline:
Outcome Year: 2017
Outcome Category: No Longer Employed (includes Fired and Contract Non-renewal)
Quote: "Without obtaining affirmative consent, Respondent straddled and kissed Complainant while in Respondent's residence. Incident occurred at the beginning of a prohibited consensual relationship....Terminated."
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Incident 8878

Status: Resolved
Role: Faculty
Position: Professor
Discipline: Medicine and Health Sciences
Specific Discipline: Psychology
Outcome Year: 2017
Outcome Category: Resigned
Quote: "Neither of the professors responded to phone and email requests for comment.

Under the terms of the settlements, Morrissette and Bwambok did not acknowledge any wrongdoing. The Times obtained the settlements under the state’s open records law.

Both professors’ settlements came with a stipulation that they would not seek employment in the Cal State system again. The university agreed that if contacted for a reference, it would not comment on their eligibility to be rehired and would only confirm their titles and dates of employment."

"Morrissette collected paid administrative leave and benefits following the investigation, according to his settlement, which was dated May 2017. He previously had been suspended for several months with pay.

While working at Cal State San Marcos, he was also employed by Palomar College, a community college just three miles from the San Marcos campus. A spokesperson at Palomar, where Morrissette is now a tenured professor, said the college was not aware of Morrissette’s record at San Marcos and declined to comment further."
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