Faculty and students press Regents on accountability, harassment allegations and CCSU polytechnic plan

Members of Connecticut's faculty, staff and student bodies used the public-comment period to press the Board of Regents on leadership, sexual-harassment allegations, and a controversial exploration at Central Connecticut State University to become an R2 polytechnic.

Professor Christine Hegel Canerella of Western Connecticut State praised her campus leadership but warned that "the proposal to transform central into an R2 polytechnic raises significant concerns about our long-term financial stability," saying earlier statements from President Toro suggest the state block grant distribution could be altered to fund the initiative. "This would create a two-tier CSU system," she said, and urged protection for WestConn as an HSI-designated institution.

Students emphasized the stakes for learners. Dom Janeiro (CT State Gateway) urged the board to "keep our students in the forefront" and said many students are unaware of board actions; Ethan Breen (CT State) told regents that students face understaffed wellness counseling, limited food pantry hours and a system "that doesn't meet our needs." Faculty union leaders and senate presidents voiced similar frustrations about governance, transparency and frequent leadership turnover.

Carrie Swanson, an associate librarian and chapter president at SCSU, addressed alleged sexual-harassment conduct by former leadership and criticized how internal processes were handled in the past. "Any reasonable person who reads that document would conclude that the alleged conduct of the former chancellor was severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive," she said, and urged a transparent investigation and accountability aligned with CSCU's Title IX and harassment policies.

President Zulma Toro of Central Connecticut State addressed the public concerns directly in her presidential update, describing the polytechnic effort as an exploratory, task-force-driven process that gathered "more than 6,000 responses to surveys" and involves eight task forces with faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners. Toro said the process remains exploratory, that materials are posted online, and that task forces are analyzing input. When regents asked for raw survey data and greater transparency, Toro said the board will receive a consolidated document at the end of July and that one task force currently recommends keeping Central's name while adding a descriptive tagline rather than changing the legal name.

What remains unresolved: Public commenters repeatedly asked that the investigation and any major institutional changes be transparent and that the board demonstrate clear oversight. Regents asked for survey documentation; Toro committed to providing board-level materials in July. The meeting did not include votes on institutional reorganization—only discussion and public comment.