The majority of disciplinary action taken against unruly students at the University of Otago last year arose from complaints laid by students themselves, a discipline report from the university says.
In the report, released after council members discussed disciplinary matters behind closed doors at a meeting yesterday, Otago vice-chancellor Prof Harlene Hayne said the behaviour complaints indicated a "rise in the standards expected by other students".
Also noted in the report was a significant decrease in the number of students referred to the proctor through the police diversion scheme.
Students dealt with by way of diversion in 2011 dropped to one third of the total compared with 2010, the report says.
This statistic was due to a change in police policy, which deals with first-time offenders found to have committed a minor offence by way of a warning rather than being processed through the courts and granted diversion.
Thirteen students were referred to the university provost for more serious offences, half of which were for lighting fires, while the remainder were for assaults, burglary, and using threatening behaviour or language.
Another eight students were excluded from the university after being dealt with by the vice-chancellor for a range of offences, which included fire-lighting, wilful damage, assault and fraudulently altering enrolment papers.
In 2011, the proctor dealt with 533 students, a marked increase in the numbers recorded during the previous few years.
A large part of the increase related to students living in flats in the North Dunedin area, which influenced the rise in recorded incidents because each student flatmate counted as a single incident, the report detailed.
"This affects the numbers of students seen because one complaint about a flat often meant the proctor would speak to several students about one single incident."
Offences of theft and fire-lighting were up on 2010, with fire-lighting incidents more than double the total in 2011.
Non-students were identified in the report as being partly responsible for the increase in fire-lighting incidents.
"A change in the make-up of residents in 'student' flats was noted [last] year. A number of flats had non-student residents living with students,
"It was some of these mixed flats that were responsible for the increase in fires last year,"
The university's discipline report was accompanied by a statement from the vice-chancellor.
"The vast majority of students at Otago are bright young people who appreciate being a part of the university and Dunedin community."
Being a part of the unique campus experience offered in Dunedin "is an absolute privilege", Prof Hayne said.
With privilege came responsibility and the university's code of student conduct clearly outlined the level of responsibility expected and spelt out what was unacceptable.
"We do not tolerate fire lighting, disorderly behaviour, smashing glass, theft and other poor behaviour, and the small minority of students who carry out these acts will face the consequences," Prof Hayne said.
Of the 533 students seen by the proctor, half were given a combination of penalties which included being fined, given hours of community work, donation orders, paid compensation, or a mixture of such outcomes.
Some 266 students spoken to by the proctor received warnings.
There were about 19,585 students enrolled at the university last year, across its four campus sites.
