BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — California State University, Bakersfield President Vernon B. Harper Jr. says he will hold a town hall meeting to address the ongoing issues in the university's athletic program in the near future. No date has been set.
Within the past year, the CSUB athletics program has fallen under scrutiny as several coaches and the athletic director have been put on administrative leave, fired or have parted ways with the university.
The athletics programs that have seen departures this year are swimming, men's basketball and softball.
The letter sent via email to the CSUB community reads:
Dear CSUB Community,
At CSUB, our top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of each and every student. Recent inaccurate assertions have cast doubt on our commitment to that guiding principle and called into question the university’s response to allegations of criminal conduct in our Athletics Program.
I am writing to you today to address the misinformation and share the facts with you.
The most damaging falsehood must be corrected at once: At no time did CSUB ignore allegations of criminal activity against any coach, employee or student of this organization. All accusations of criminal activity stemming from investigations of the Athletics Program were reported to outside law-enforcement agencies, including the Bakersfield Police Department, Kern County District Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In February of this year, allegations of criminal activity and workplace misconduct against former men’s assistant basketball coach Kevin Mays were reported to CSUB in the course of a larger investigation of the softball program. University officials immediately conducted thorough interviews with nearly two dozen current and former students, parents and employees and found no substantiating evidence of criminal activity or misconduct by Mr. Mays. At no time during the primary softball investigation were allegations related to human trafficking or child pornography ever made.
Out of an abundance of caution for our students, the University Police Department reported the criminal allegations against Mr. Mays to the Bakersfield Police Department and the FBI. No arrests were made by any law-enforcement agency.
Mr. Mays was not placed on leave or terminated from employment because the allegations were not substantiated by law enforcement, and there was no evidence to support a violation of university policy.
In March, a criminal background check was ordered for Mr. Mays when former Director of Athletics Kyle Conder approved Mr. Mays’ new appointment as an assistant coach. There were no concerns identified in that background check, nor in any of the previous background checks conducted during Mr. Mays’ time as an employee or student of CSUB.
On Aug. 29, a CSUB employee received an email alleging that Mr. Mays was engaged in human trafficking, which had never been reported to university personnel until that time. The employee immediately shared the information with campus administrators and the University Police Department. The UPD contacted the Bakersfield Police Department, which launched an investigation that resulted in Mr. Mays’ arrest five days later. Following his arrest, additional charges of possession of child pornography were filed against Mr. Mays.
At the time of his arrest, CSUB placed Mr. Mays on administrative leave. He was separated from the university on Sept. 4.
Several investigations related to the Athletics Program are ongoing in the Office of Civil Rights and Compliance. For active investigations, there is not a great deal that can be shared publicly because current and former employees are entitled to privacy while the investigations are underway.
However, whether I am at liberty to share specific information or not, please know that I have taken decisive action to protect students and address the damage done to CSUB. Moving forward, we are taking a number of corrective actions to restore confidence and enhance transparency, including a search for new leaders, the formation of the President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, the full integration of the department into the greater university community, and additional opportunities for public dialogue on the Athletics Program, including at an upcoming Town Hall.
As we navigate these troubling and disappointing developments together, I offer you my promise: CSUB will keep this community informed of our actions and seek the truth wherever it leads. We will continue to conduct our investigations with the utmost integrity and a commitment to the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff and community.
Vernon B. Harper, Jr., Ph.D.
President
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