By Beau Yarbrough, Southern California News Group and Kim Kozlowski, The Detroit News

Before he was appointed the 10th chancellor at UC Riverside in 2013, Kim Wilcox was the provost at Michigan State University.

There, he appears not to have acted on persistent complaints about former dean William Strampel. Strampel was arrested May 26 as part of an investigation into how former sports doctor Larry Nassar was able to sexually abuse more than 250 girls and women for more than two decades while employed by the university.

Many of Nassar’s victims were competitive gymnasts, including members of the U.S. gymnastics team.

Strampel, 70, is charged with misconduct in office, criminal sexual conduct and neglect of duty for what investigators described as lax supervision of Nassar. He’s the first MSU official charged as part of the investigation by the Michigan Attorney General’s office.

Performance evaluations of Strampel, the former dean of MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, from multiple faculty, staff and students paint a disturbing portrait of a man who flaunted his sexuality and inappropriately commented about others’. He had a tendency to put a sexual or crude spin on conversations, make comments about the appearance of women and look at their breasts while talking with them.

Strampel bragged of sexual conquests to students and said he could have been Michigan’s governor if it hadn’t been for his affairs.

The charging documents suggest Strampel preyed on female students, too. His performance evaluations suggest university officials knew or should have known that Strampel’s off-putting comments made many students, faculty and staff uncomfortable.

The comments are among a 63-page university-held document and part of Strampel’s 2010 evaluation obtained by The Detroit News.

Most of the negative comments in Strampel’s review repeat a theme:

“Dean Strampel should not interject sex into every conversation with staff and students,” one commenter wrote.

Added another: “As a female faculty (member), an argument may be made that I could have the possibility of being treated better than my male counterparts, especially if I have a pretty face and a curvaceous figure, well-dressed in short skirts and low-cut tops.”

Still another wrote: “I have witnessed unprofessional and sexual comments from the dean about female students – including remarks from the dean of a female wearing ‘come (expletive) me heels’ and another instance where he admitt(ed) to knowing a student for a long period and how ‘she certainly filled out nicely.’”

“I defend the college and do not repeat these stories and would like (for) them to not be true, but with their frequency from so many sources, and my own observations of his unprofessionalism, I am very concerned for the reputation of our college,” the commenter said.

“I feel that Dr. Strampel’s history of inappropriate language, public discussions and stories do not support the college in a positive manner,” one person wrote. “His sexist remarks and inability to talk with a woman while looking at her eyes instead of her breasts are well known and bring down the respect and reputation of the Osteopathic College … With Dr. Strampel as the ‘figurehead’ of the Osteopathic College, it makes me embarrassed to be associated with, and claim graduation from, the Osteopathic College at Michigan State.”

The comments emerged as the sexual abuse scandal at Michigan State widened to include Strampel. Last week, he was charged as part of an investigation by the Michigan Attorney General’s office into Nasser’s actions while employed by the university.

Nassar has pleaded guilty to sexual assault and child pornography charges. He is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Strampel is charged with harassing, propositioning, sexually assaulting and soliciting pornographic videos of female students. He also is accused of failing to enforce or monitor provisions put in place for Nassar after the university cleared the doctor in 2014 of inappropriate sexual behavior with a former student.

But the comments from students and faculty members about Strampel were part of a review process that occurred eight years ago – meaning MSU officials, including Wilcox, likely knew about Strampel’s behavior for years.

A 2010 letter in Strampel’s personnel file shows that Wilcox said Strampel would continue as medical school dean at the end of the review.

“Our several discussions over the past several months have reinforced my commitment and that of Dean Strampel to advancing the goals of the College within the broad mission of Michigan State University,” Wilcox wrote.

Now, eight years later, Wilcox is calling for a full investigation into the allegations against Strampel.

“I was appalled and saddened by the stories brought forward by the courageous women during Larry Nassar’s trial and now by the crimes allegedly committed by William Strampel,” Wilcox said in a statement released Thursday. “I will not comment on any ongoing investigations or legal proceedings involving Michigan State University (MSU) at this time. I join MSU in supporting efforts to provide the public and authorities with all documents and records necessary for a full and transparent investigation, including any records that involve my participation.”

Wilcox reached out to UC President Janet Napolitano when the news first broke of his connection to the Nassar case on May 27.

“When the report came out in the Detroit News, Chancellor Wilcox proactively came to me and described the situation as best he could recall,” Napolitano wrote in a statement released Thursday. “He would like full transparency into this matter, which I support as well. There should be a full and fair evaluation of all the facts as they pertain to Chancellor Wilcox. Based on the facts as I know them, there is no need for further action from me.”

MSU spokesman John Truscott said interim President John Engler, who took over two months ago, has moved swiftly to address alleged misconduct at the university.

“Whatever the decisions made in the past, President Engler’s actions on this matter have been quick and decisive,” Truscott said. “One of President Engler’s first decisions was to remove Dr. Strampel as dean of the School of Osteopathic Medicine and to revoke his tenure as well as make significant reorganizational changes to that medical school. MSU is focused on implementing changes that will prevent a situation like this from ever occurring again.”

Neither Strampel nor his lawyer, John Dakmak, responded to requests for comment for this story. Dakmak has said Strampel planned to fight the charges against him and expected to prevail.

Strampel became dean of the osteopathic medical school in 2002. He was among 14 MSU officials who got reports of Nassar’s abuse over the two decades before his arrest, according to a Detroit News investigation.

Strampel also told Nassar he was on his side when allegations about him were emerging publicly, and mocked Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to speak out about Nassar in September 2016.

In December, Strampel announced he was taking a leave of absence for medical reasons but would return to the faculty.

Engler announced in February he planned to fire Strampel, a tenured faculty member.