UNDER THE RUG

Officials Ignored Claims University Prez Was Inappropriate: Report

At least three complaints were made about President Framroze Virjee prior to his retirement, but school officials took little action, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The former president of a public university in Fullerton, California, was accused of inappropriately touching students on several occasions over two years, but school officials took little to action to investigate the claims prior to his retirement in January, according to internal records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times. In three incidents—one that occurred in August 2019 and two in November 2021—President Framroze Virjee of California State University, Fullerton hugged and touched female students, according to the Times. One student reported that Virjee kissed her on the forehead, making “her feel very uncomfortable.” In a statement, California State University system officials said that the campus official in charge of enforcing sexual harassment policy had “assessed the information” and determined no further investigation was warranted. They added that a campus employee had also told the chancellor’s office about the reports in early 2022, but that no action was taken to review the accusations or reach out to the students. Virjee, meanwhile, denied the allegations to the Times and said he was unaware of the “inaccurate descriptions” until the outlet reached out for comment.