Student disciplinary matters at the University of Otago will
be discussed behind closed doors at its first council meeting
of the year this week - three months after criticisms were
made by a council member about how disciplinary outcomes were
being ignored by media.
A report from the University of Otago Student Services
detailing the outcomes of student disciplinary matters last
year is scheduled to be tabled at a public-excluded session
of the university's council meeting tomorrow.
Maximum amounts for disciplinary fines able to be imposed on
students have doubled this year, while an additional review
has been called for by the head of the university's
disciplinary appeals board, Judge OkeBlaikie, to raise
amounts higher still.
At a council meeting in November, Judge Blaikie called for
more balanced reporting from media about unruly student
behaviour and asked for more focus on the outcomes of the
disciplinary process.
He cited concerns about negative publicity being generated in
regards to an increase in reported incidents when fire crews
responded to multiple street fires being lit in the student
quarter, near the end of the academic term, late last year.
The Otago Daily Times requested a summary of the numbers of
disciplinary matters investigated by the university proctor
and was provided with figures showing the total amount of
fines imposed on students in 2011 was the lowest in five
years.
Last year, 136 students were fined $10,670 for serious
breaches of the university's code of conduct, as a result of
529 incidents dealt with by the proctor - a 54% leap from the
343 incidents processed in 2010.
matthew.haggart@odt.co.nz
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