ALBANY — A woman who graduated with honors from SUNY Polytechnic Institute alleges her degree was rescinded by college officials last year after she declined to file a sexual harassment complaint against the school's fallen founder, Alain Kaloyeros.

Patrizia Burinska, 32, who allegedly had a personal relationship with Kaloyeros for a short time about six years ago, contends SUNY officials improperly invalidated her degree last year as they were unsuccessfully pressuring her to file the harassment claim. At the time, Kaloyeros had stepped down and was facing federal criminal charges while also negotiating the terms of his separation from the university.

SUNY faculty members are not prohibited from having personal relationships with students, as long as those students are not in their class or otherwise supervised by that faculty member.

SUNY Poly's decision to rescind the woman's degree took place about 19 months after she had graduated from the college at the top of her class with an interdisciplinary degree in nanotechnology and entrepreneurship.

A federal lawsuit filed recently by Burinska accuses several SUNY officials of revoking that degree based on an "anonymous complaint" and an audit of her coursework that the college said showed she had not met minimum degree requirements. It's unclear why the school waited so long to flag her coursework.

Burinska enrolled in the Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University of Albany in 2012. She later transferred to the newly formed SUNY Poly, which Kaloyeros helped establish. In May 2016, Burinska received her bachelor of science degree and went to work at the sprawling nanotechnology campus on Fuller Road.

Kaloyeros stepped down as president and CEO of SUNY Poly in October 2016, just weeks after his arrest on state and federal bid-rigging charges related to the upstate development scandal, which also saw the arrest of former top gubernatorial aide Joe Percoco. Todd Howe, a longtime friend of Percoco and Gov. Andrew Cuomo who worked as a paid consultant to SUNY Poly, pleaded guilty to multiple felonies in September 2016 and became a key witness for the prosecution.

SUNY officials confronted Burinska in January 2018, as Kaloyeros was preparing for his federal criminal trial.

Kaloyeros was found guilty last July and sentenced in December to more than three years in prison. He remains free on bond while appealing the conviction.

Burinska accused top SUNY officials of informing her of their issues with her academic credits at a meeting — attended by several high-level officials at the school — where they "encouraged (her) to disclose the nature of her alleged relationship with Dr. Kaloyeros and file a sexual harassment complaint against him," the federal civil complaint states.

That first meeting regarding an "academic matter" was requested by Rhonda L. Haines, vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer at SUNY Poly. The college's Title IX coordinator, Katie Tynan-Simon, also attended the meeting and allegedly provided Burinska with materials detailing how to file a harassment or discrimination complaint.

The lawsuit claims Burinska "was targeted and set-up by SUNY Polytechnic and state defendants in an attempt to obtain information from her about the nature of her alleged relationship with Dr. Kaloyeros, and to discredit and bring punitive action against him, by isolating and pressuring plaintiff, and through the unilateral and arbitrary invalidation and revocation of her earned degree."

At a second meeting two days later, Burinska was told she would need to take about two years' worth of additional courses to receive her degree. She immediately consulted an attorney, who contacted Mark J. Lemire, SUNY Poly's legal counsel. Lemire allegedly stated during that conversation that Burinska "was not being victimized because victims cooperate, and (Burinska) was not cooperating with them regarding Dr. Kaloyeros."

About a week later, Alain Diebold, an interim dean at SUNY Poly, and Meghan Getman, the school's registrar, confirmed to Burinska that she would need 65 academic credits to get her degree, and that she would need to take those courses in Utica.

"She has due-process rights and they stepped all over them," said Jeffrey P. Mans, Burinska's attorney.

Steve Ference, a spokesman for SUNY Poly, said "an internal review revealed that the (Burinska's) coursework did not meet the requirements of the Nanoscale Science program and the degree was revoked purely based on her failing to meet academic requirements. ... We look forward to the facts coming out in court."

Last year, UAlbany awarded Burinska a bachelor of science degree — summa cum laude — based on her documented coursework at both schools. But Mans said that Burinska has a contractual right to have her degree issued by SUNY Poly, and that's primarily what the federal lawsuit is seeking.

The federal complaint is buttressed by documents that outline how numerous SUNY officials, including Kaloyeros, had guided and sanctioned Burinska's educational path toward receiving her degree from SUNY Poly.

The lawsuit claims SUNY Poly officials never allowed Burinska to see the anonymous complaint or their audit of her coursework. She also was not provided an opportunity to substantiate her work for SUNY Poly. The lawsuit includes copies of her school records, which summarize her coursework and indicate that she received top grades in nearly all of her classes at both colleges.

The civil claim has been filed in U.S. District Court in Albany against the State University of New York, UAlbany, SUNY Poly, and multiple SUNY officials, including SUNY Poly interim President Grace Wang. It seeks unspecified money damages and the restoration of Burinska's SUNY Poly degree.

Kaloyeros declined to comment on the matter.