As Sacramento State recently moved Alexander Gonzalez Jr. from his previous fundraising position in the department of advancement to a new job in Public Affairs, some questioned the university’s decision, calling it an act of nepotism. Public Affairs disagreed.

Public Affairs said transferring the president’s son to a new position as interim director of communication to promote the plans of his father is not an act of nepotism. The president, Alexander Gonzalez Sr., did not hire his son and is not responsible for his supervision.

“It happens often on campus where one department moves a person to another job on campus,” said Gloria Moraga, associate vice president of Public Affairs.

The younger Gonzalez was hired by Sac State in 2005 because of his previous fundraising experience. During his time in his initial position at Sac State, he raised money for the One Book programs, an honors program and a scholarship program that helps former foster youths get through college.

Although Sac State insists that the appointment of the younger Gonzalez is not an act of nepotism, skeptics like junior business major Chris Smith question his qualifications for the new position.

“Many times in the past, this university has passed up hiring internal applicants to hire more educated external applicants,” Smith said. “He is 32 and only has his bachelor’s degree. Sac State has been suffering for a long time. We need the most qualified people we can get to help our school.”

Before his appointment with Sac State, the younger Gonzalez worked as a fundraiser for a nonprofit radio network, Radio Bilingue in San Francisco.

Carole Hayashino, vice president of advancement at Sac State, told The Sacramento Bee in 2005 that his experience qualified him for his initial appointment as associate director of development.

“We went through a very careful process and I can comfortably say that Alex was hired on his own merits,” Hayashino said.

In a letter to the younger Gonzalez dated June 30, Hayashino stated that the new position was responsible for “developing and implementing the market strategy and communication plans to celebrate Sacramento State’s Destination 2010 campaign.”

The president and his son were out of their offices at the time of publication and were unable to be reached for comment.

Job specifications for the position require that the individual is a “university graduate in business, marketing, communications or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience and expertise.” The position also requires three to five years in university advancement and demonstrated success in communication.

After working for Sac State for four years, the younger Gonzalez has received more than $10,000 in promotions. He currently earns $83,940 per year, though his pay did not increase with the job change, said John Kepley, Public Affair’s special assistant to the elder Gonzalez.

“All promotions, evaluations, wages, hours, and pretty much any terms of conditions of employment, the president has no control of,” Kepley said.

Kevin Wehr, president of Sac State’s chapter of the California Faculty Association, said the university is dealing with the situation in a bureaucratic way.

“They’re playing a semantic game. This does not pass the stink test,” Wehr said. “Nepotism is as nepotism does.”

According to the nepotism policy administered by the vice president of Human Resources, “there shall be no bars” to appointment of immediate family members in the same or different departments.

The policy also states for a relative to be hired, special written requests must be prepared for the head of the unit to review and approve.

The younger Gonzalez was appointed in 2005 with the approval of both Sac State and CSU Human Resources divisions, Moraga said.

According to the Nepotism Management Plan established for the younger Gonzalez’s new position, he reports to a manager of the vice president who “does not have any direct or indirect supervision to the relative.”

Wehr said even with the fundraising experience the younger Gonzalez has, if any other student applied for a nearly $84,000 position with the campus, much more experience and a higher degree would be required for appointment.

Brittany Bottini can be reached at [email protected].