CSU Maritime plagued by rape and harassment claims from women, transgender students

MORROW COVE, Calif. - California State University’s Maritime Academy is under fire for alleged widespread sexual misconduct, racism, and hostility towards women and transgender students.

The misconduct has been happening for years at the training ground for students bound to work at sea, and reached a peak last year when the school's president was confronted, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

Dozens of cadets gathered at the Quad to tell President Thomas Cropper about the mistreatment. They said it was especially bad on training cruises, when they are at sea with their classmates and superiors for as many as 60 days.

One cadet accused administrators of failing to discipline students who called trans people "fags" and compared them to a castrated dog, the report said. 

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Another discovered their motorcycle tires slashed and the word "dike" carved into the gas tank.

One woman told The Times she dropped out of school to avoid seeing the man who raped her, as the campus investigation dragged on for months. And another student said she now carries a knife for protection after someone tried to coerce her into having sex.

Cal Maritime administrators said they have "strongly and repeatedly denounced" the misconduct and are trying to take steps to combat the problems.