The center photo shows Tom Progeny, president of the Academic Senate of Fresno City College.
Credit: Mark Tapai, Fresno City College and Fresno State/Facebook
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The Center State Community College District announced late Friday that it is investigating allegations of “inappropriate behavior” by several unnamed employees who allegedly made several female employees “feel unsafe” during union meetings this month.
The district received “several complaints” about alleged misconduct, Jill Wagner, a district spokeswoman, said in the statement. “We fully support survivors of violence and harassment, and find this behavior, if confirmed, unacceptable, as it significantly impacts faculty in our district and contributes to a toxic work environment.”
Noting that the district “does not typically participate in internal faculty union activities,” the statement adds that “these complaints require further investigation by the faculty union, especially as they impact” district employees.
The union meetings included discussions about Fresno City College Academic Senate President Tom Borugini, whom the district placed on paid leave on Nov. 30, several people familiar with the matter said. That Brujeni committed an “act of sexual violence” against a professor. The alleged victim also teaches part-time at City College.
The union met on the issue on December 1, with some members calling on the group’s leadership to be transparent about what it knows about Borogeni. In an internal statement obtained by EdSource, union leadership wrote: “The union in no way supports or condones acts of harassment or violence under any circumstances.” That statement seemed “dismissive and anodyne,” Lori Taylor, an anthropology professor at Clovis Community College, told Edsource, adding that “more could have been said.”
Keith Ford, president of the State Center Teachers Union, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Members of the Federation’s Executive Committee did not do so.
The district’s statement issued Friday also called on the union to investigate the alleged misconduct.
Wagner did not respond to an interview request Friday with Chancellor Carol Goldsmith.
The complaints filed with the district include allegations of conduct that “significantly affects faculty,” the statement said.
The day after EdSource reported on sexual violence at Fresno State, three female teachers at City College abruptly canceled class, telling EdSource they felt unsafe on campus. The cancellations came as students were preparing for final exams and contributed to the district’s decision to place Brogyni on paid leave.
The district’s action against Borojeni, 38, of Clovis, a communications teacher also known as Farouk Izadi Borojeni and Tom Izadi, has been the subject of heated union discussions, according to people familiar with them. Some members defended Brogyni, who is also being investigated over what he told EdSource were complaints from three women for what he described as “gender discrimination.”
In an interview with EdSource in October, Progeny identified one of the complainants as Dean Cindy Luna of the college’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts and Communications. Separately, Luna issued a letter of reprimand to Brogyni last year in which he criticized him for incidents of unprofessional conduct that had “become more frequent and aggressive” and “caused me as your supervisor serious concern.”
Luna also wrote that in a conversation with her, Brogyni referred to a colleague in clear racist terms and said, in a “threatening and menacing” tone, that he would “arrest” his colleague for gossiping about him.
Brogeni told EdSource that Luna made up the accusations in the letter. “She makes up a lot of things,” he said. Brugeni also claimed to EdSource that the professor whom Fresno State determined had committed an “act of sexual violence” against him had fabricated the accusations against him.
He also complained that Luna was criticizing him for his actions as president of the Academic Senate, a position in which he said he was immune from her oversight.
At a SCCCD Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday in Fresno, the president of the Clovis Community College Academic Senate said Ford supported at the union meeting sanctioning Brogyni.
“Our union president helped create and perpetuate a narrative that the administration was targeting a particular harasser because of his work in the Academic Senate,” English teacher Teresa Mendez said at the meeting, without mentioning Borugini by name.
“This was a false narrative, and I blatantly reject the characterization of those who participate in participatory governance as being targeted or condemned for their work,” Mendes said.
“The system must be changed so that there is no safe haven in (the district) for those who commit sexual assault and harassment,” she said, and no “safe haven in our unions” for people who “embed misogynistic and discriminatory ideas.” Against faculty, staff and other students.
Trustees and district officials did not respond to Mendez. Neither Brugeni nor Ford attended the meeting in person. It is unclear whether either participated electronically.
Stetler-Brown, a College District alumnus, tore down the district via Zoom on Tuesday. “The system is designed to protect teachers who are found (to have made) credible threats of racism, misogyny, and sexual violence,” he said.
Without mentioning Progeny by name, Brown said the tenure granted by the SCCCD gives employees “a job as long as they want it.” Brujeni took office this year. He told EdSource that district officials were aware of the sexual violence issue at Fresno State while he was in office.
“Tuition and taxpayer dollars will protect the predators, and no one will take responsibility for that individual’s position and promotion,” Brown said. “It is no surprise that public support for higher education is waning. I hope this serves as a call to the leadership of this district to make changes that protect survivors and show students that they are standing up for justice.”
The district’s investigation into misconduct at union meetings comes as the bargaining unit selects its leaders. Ford, an English teacher at Fresno City College, is seeking another term as union president. He faces at least one competitor — Madera Community College business teacher Gina Vagnino, In the elections scheduled for January 16. It was not immediately clear on Friday whether there were other contenders.
Vagnino confirmed she was a candidate but did not respond to multiple questions from EdSource about whether she was running specifically because of disagreements within the union over the issue of Projeni.
Fresno State’s investigation, based on the federal anti-discrimination law known as Title IX, found that Borugini committed an act of sexual violence in 2015, when he was a graduate student and part-time teacher at Fresno State. University records show the case was not fully resolved until February, when the alleged victim reached a $53,300 settlement with the university after claiming it did not do enough to protect her.
Borugini was also a part-time instructor at Fresno City College while earning his master’s degree at Fresno State in 2015, records show.
Records show he resigned from Fresno State last year while facing a second, unrelated misconduct allegation that turned out to be unfounded. He agreed not to seek or accept employment in the 23-campus system again.
Borojeni was never disciplined in the sexual violence case because he was a graduate student when the alleged violence occurred. But Fresno State officials told him that an investigation report on the matter would be placed in his personnel file last year when he was ready for a performance evaluation. He said he resigned so that a three-person committee reviewing him would not have access to the document.
Fresno State released a redacted version of the report to EdSource under the state’s public record law. “Given that Mr. Brujeni remains active in the educational community and teaches at a local community college, there is a strong public interest in knowing that his college teacher has previously been found to have committed an act of Sexual violence at another university.
The college district has recently been conducting an investigation into the actions of its employees during union meetings that are centered around the crucial issue of sexual violence. These meetings have brought to light important discussions and debates surrounding the handling and prevention of such incidents on college campuses. The district’s inquiry into the behavior of its staff members during these meetings signifies a dedication to promoting a safe and respectful environment for all members of the college community. This investigation serves as a reminder of the district’s commitment to addressing challenging and pressing issues such as sexual violence in a thorough and appropriate manner.