Vice President of University Administration Lisa Lloyd apologized Sept. 16 for falsely stating Texas State publicly communicated that men’s basketball Head Coach Danny Kaspar was on leave with pay and had no contact with players.
During the Sept. 2 Faculty Senate meeting, Lloyd and President Denise Trauth said that Kaspar, who is under investigation for allegedly making racist remarks to players, was not with the team, and Lloyd added that the university notified the public about it. However, the only public statements provided on behalf of Texas State, which did not include any news of Kaspar’s leave, came from Athletic Director Larry Teis and Provost Gene Bourgeois.
“It had been about three months since it had been communicated,” Lloyd said in the Sept. 16 Faculty Senate meeting where she apologized. “I knew we had released communication. I was very adamant about that, but I made a mistake because I couldn’t quite recall everything that had been communicated or not communicated externally.”
On June 5, a day after former basketball player Jaylen Shead made the allegations against Kaspar, Teis said he found the allegations “deeply troubling,” and that at his request, the university launched a formal investigation through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX. Bourgeois, on the same day, told The Star that the allegations are a serious matter that “in any time, but especially these times, the university must take extremely seriously.”
The formal investigation began June 12, led by Title IX Coordinator Alexandria Hatcher. There was no public communication about the allegations or investigation after the initial statements, until the Sept. 2 meeting.
“There was internal communication to those that needed to know [about Kaspar’s status], those that were impacted by the investigation, players and coaches,” Lloyd said. “That’s where a lot of the detailed information was shared with regards to how personnel were occurring over the summer. But externally, there was very limited communication. It was limited in scope because [of] confidentiality reasons.”
She told the senate there was “no ill intent at all on my part.”
“It was a mistake that I’ve learned desperately from,” Lloyd said. “Truth and transparency are extremely important to me. I’m in a tough spot because I can’t be transparent about this investigation, and I value truth and transparency… I just want you to know that I’m committed to repairing that fracture that happened from it. And I just hope that [I receive] that opportunity.”
All Title IX-related incident reports to the Office of Equity and Inclusion are forwarded to Hatcher. According to the Office of Equity and Inclusion’s website, the Title IX coordinator, Hatcher, evaluates reports and decides whether or not an investigation is necessary.
The Office of Equity and Inclusion reaches out to the complainant, which in this situation is Shead, to “offer resources” and gather information.
The department staff then notifies the respondent, Kaspar, of the investigation. The investigation, which includes interviews, witnesses and a “written report of all documented evidence,” takes place.
“It is up to [Hatcher] to release the [investigation] report; it is up to her to design the investigation process,” Trauth said. “When the report is completed, a copy of it will go to the complainant (Shead) and to the respondent (Kaspar), and in this case to the Athletic Director [Larry Teis].”
Teis then has 15 days to make a decision. Following the results, Kaspar can appeal the sanction, if any, but not the outcome.
“I wish it [could go] faster, but it just didn’t, and that’s because [Hatcher] is extremely thorough,” Lloyd said.