A Bucks New University lecturer was fired after failing two of her students in a “deliberate act of retaliation” after accusing them of being noisy in the street on a night out.

Senior Sports Science lecturer Dr Maria Konstantaki lowered the exam marks of two students that she had accused of anti-social behaviour on the road where she lived – a road that is often used by those returning to their halls of residence after visiting the students’ union.

One of the students – named only as student X in official documents – emailed Dr Konstantaki on December 18, 2018, asking for her feedback on part of an assignment, but the lecturer refused to help - commenting upon the “unacceptable” behaviour of student X and another student, named as Y.

She also accused the student of banging on the window of Dr Konstantaki’s sister’s family home during the night.

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In an email reply to student X after declining to help, she said: “Furthermore, your drunken behaviour and your banging on the window on the night of Wednesday 5 December has also been recorded.

“This is the house where my sister and her family lives and where I often stay to look after my niece.

“You can deny it if you want but my brother-in-law heard your friend calling your name and also has a photo of you.”

 

After this incident, in early 2019, Dr Konstantaki changed the marks on a paper they had taken, from a pass to a fail, and then uploaded the results online – despite senior staff telling her she could not change the marks.

Concerns were raised about the move and Dr Konstantaki was dismissed for “targeting” the two students “because of her belief in their inappropriate behaviour” and then “lied” to cover it up.

Dr Konstantaki claimed two other staff members had been “plotting her dismissal for two years” and had “taken advantage of these situations” – so she attempted to sue her former employer.

An employment tribunal, in Aylesbury, heard that Dr Konstantaki had previously had an “unblemished” record since she started working at the university in 2002.

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As part of the tribunal, the lecturer claimed that the real reason for her being dismissed was because the university was “trying to get rid of old lecturers”.

She also alleged unfair and wrongful dismissal, race discrimination and harassment, saying she had experienced a string of “micro aggressions and unprofessional behaviour” from a colleague over a long period.

She also blamed her behaviour on being overworked and suffering from ill health and claimed she was “confronted by hostility” at a university disciplinary hearing.

The tribunal panel found Dr Konstantaki had made the allegations of disruptive behaviour in the street she lived in “on the basis of little evidence”.

They said: “The first name of X was heard that night, but it is not an uncommon name and this simply established that someone of that name was on the road at that time.

“The alleged participants in the disturbance were seen on the road, but in poor lighting, at a distance of some 100 metres.

“They were all of similar appearance, being in fancy dress as cheerleaders. There was no photograph of X.”

They added: “We conclude that the claimant targeted X and Y for a reduction in marks because of her belief in their inappropriate behaviour, that she made the reductions for no valid reason and thereafter lied to cover this up.

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“We also note that the claimant had obviously taken steps to ascertain the identities of the students when all marking should be done anonymously.”

The employment tribunal panel threw out all of Dr Konstantaki’s claims surrounding her dismissal, agreeing that the university had acted appropriately.

A spokesperson for Buckinghamshire New University said: “The university acted swiftly once we detected poor behaviour and ensured that our students received the correct marks for their assignments.

“We are pleased that the tribunal found in our favour in this case, and supported our decision to terminate the employment of an individual whose actions fell short of the high standards we set at BNU to ensure that our students receive the best teaching experience.”