Her were taken hostage in her office, she was threatened and blackmailed because she failed 28% of the students in her course. They asked that the documents be re-evaluated and more people get through. In rage, fear, disgust, talking to “K” teacher he emphasizes: “The small group poisons the functioning of the department with its wretchedness.” The resolution passed after yesterday’s general meeting of professors of the department was unanimous in … “not enough yet.”

In particular, an AUTH psychology professor was held hostage for about three hours on a Friday afternoon, as students perceived high rejection rates on recent exams. “I was asked not to give a negative mark in case of an incorrect answer to multiple choice questions, which is very common in such exams. I was recently attacked for asking them, as part of a series of exercises in a feminist psychology class, to answer the moral dilemma of abortion. They interfere in academic matters.” the teacher says. In fact, she added that a small group had complained to her that because the course she was teaching was in her senior year, she was delaying graduation. “It’s as if we should also take into account the time it takes for a student to complete a degree in the criteria for evaluating work,” says the professor, whose course — an elective rather than a required one — is particularly popular.

“This is not the first time this group wants to impose its positions by force. They come, interrupt classes and, having announced their positions, make personal attacks on us. The same thing happens at general meetings. They build their own parallel world for our views, they demonize positions, they demand responsibility from us, they ask us to make the decisions they want.” – tells “K” the president of the department, Maria Kosmidou.. “We’ve gotten to the point where we don’t want to go to work, we’re ashamed and scared,” adds the teacher who became a victim of the hostage situation.

The “shameful intrusion,” he said, was condemned by the Psychology Department meeting yesterday. “The Assembly unanimously condemns the repeated harassment of teachers and students by a certain small group of students in the context of both classes and examinations, under the pretext of various announcements and requests. In particular, the meeting condemns the repeated intimidation of a large number of teachers and the head of department on issues that are entirely related to the academic function and responsibility of teachers (for example, teaching material, examination subjects, grading method, exam results, etc.). ), repeated harassment of the president (as well as members of the department) to attend department meetings when not institutionally allowed, repeated humiliation of professors by creating and putting up posters in the philosophy department in which they mock faculty, reported cases of intimidation their fellow students whom they harass and harass if they do not comply with their demands and views, and, finally, the general insulting, harassing and misleading attitude towards persons, institutions and academic procedures,” the resolution says.

“All of the above violates the educational process, violates our labor rights and obligations, and has serious negative consequences not only for the normal functioning of the department, but also for the mental and physical health of the teaching staff,” the report says. meetingwhich decided the resolution-complaint “to be placed on all platforms for announcements of the Faculty of Philosophy of AUTI, to be announced on the website of the department and electronic platforms of electronic courses, for reading by teachers in the context of courses, in order to adequately inform all students.”

“Ethical Attack”

For his part, the rector of AUTI Nikos Papaioannou told “K”: “This is an immoral attack from groups that say they are pro-democracy and academia, but tarnish the Greek public university. They are condemned by the conscience of citizens.”

“There will be a revolution if we introduce disciplinary legislation”

Greek universities have disciplinary law, but it is not enforced. Cause; “It will be a revolution if we start to implement it. On the other hand, we fear for our physical integrity and feel a constant threat.” says “K” university student, capturing the reality that everyone knows. Although we have seen professors taken hostage many times, insults, mockery of professors by students, in the end, the only punishable offenses are cheating in exams and plagiarism in assignments. Teachers who dared to raise the issue disciplinary action in the relevant bodies of their university, they faced demands and threats from students.

In particular, Law 4957/2022, concerning the disciplinary sanctions of students, defines in article 198 the following: Disciplinary offenses for students are: a) violation of the integrity of examinations, b) plagiarism or suppression of the direct or indirect contribution of others to the subject of scientific research, c) destruction property of the university, movable or immovable, d) obstructing the proper functioning of the university, including its educational, research or administrative functions, as well as the functioning of individual and collective bodies and services, as well as the use of its premises and equipment, e) the use of closed or open spaces , premises, infrastructure and equipment of the university without the permission of its competent authorities, f) the use of premises or open areas, facilities, infrastructure and equipment of the university for use for purposes that are not consistent with its mission, as well as assistance to third parties n to perform this action, g) guilty and in any way pollution of the premises of the institution, including noise pollution, h) the use of prohibited substances covered by the Law 4139/2013 (A΄ 74) within the university and any contribution to their trade, i) the commission of any misdemeanor or criminal offense, if it is related to student status.

Disciplinary sanctions imposed on a student are: a) a written reprimand, b) a ban on participation in examinations in one or more courses during one or more examination sessions, c) a temporary or permanent ban on the use of equipment or premises of an educational institution, d) temporary suspension of student status for a period of one to twenty-four months; and e) permanent exclusion.