A group of staff members at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, have sent an anonymous email to university chancellor Andrew Crane, accusing “three staff members of corruption and bullying,” according to an October 9 Brisbane Times article.
The email, which is signed by “a group of staff members in School of Marketing at Curtin Business School,” also alleges that Curtin Business School has shown “unfair preferential treatment towards select students and staff,” according to the article. Crane, the recipient of the email, “has since referred it to the university’s integrity and standards unit” for an investigation.
One of the email’s claims alleges that there was “an elaborate scheme” that targeted mostly international students: the scheme involved “inflating their grades” and “promises of climbing the academic ladder in return for their loyalty,” according to Brisbane Times.
The email points to 20 instances of alleged situations of misconduct and bullying, “including accusations of staff being so badly bullied that they had to leave the university.” The email states: “These three people have continuously blackmailed, harassed and mentally tortured any colleagues who stood up or spoke up against all their shenanigans.” Some of the bullying behaviors described in the email include “denying promotions, frequent changes in teaching or admin duties, deliberately unfair lower performance ratings and continuous negative comments and badgering of colleagues,” according to the article.
The email also mentions the reason for the writers’ anonymity, stating: “This is the reason why we are writing to you anonymously to avoid any reprisals and a complete lack of protection to whistleblowers.” The anonymous staff members also sent the email to members of the media and “the offices of federal and state education ministers Dan Tehan and Sue Ellery,” according to the article.
“We have a robust complaints resolution process, designed to deal with matters effectively while properly respecting principles of privacy and natural justice, that has been cited as best practice by the Public Sector Commission,” a spokesperson from Curtin University stated. “We note that the allegations, whilst serious, are potentially defamatory of multiple people.”
View the full details of the email in the Brisbane Times article.
