Latest cancellation: no formal graduations this year

The University of Otago campus was busy on Saturday as graduands gathered for family photographs....
Photo: ODT files.
More  than 3000 graduands have had their graduation ceremonies cancelled after a threat of violence spoiled December plans in Dunedin.

The University of Otago yesterday announced it was postponing all four of this week’s graduation ceremonies and parades after the security threat early last week.

No arrest has been made, and no information of the threat has been made public. Yesterday, southern district commander Superintendent Paul Basham said the police investigation was complex and technically challenging.

He appealed for information from the public and said police believed it was highly likely the person who made the threat had told others about it.

University vice-chancellor Prof Harlene Hayne said the university was working closely with police on the investigation and a decision was made yesterday to postpone the four graduation ceremonies planned for tomorrow and Saturday.

More than 1300 students have been affected by the decision.

The threat against university graduation ceremonies first forced an 11th-hour abandonment of last Wednesday’s official proceedings for students.

Now, 2583 graduands will miss out on formal ceremonies as a result of the threat.

The first ceremony cancelled due to the threat of violence was to make up for a March graduation cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

That means the university will not host an in-person graduation ceremony this year.

Prof Hayne said the situation represented a further disappointment at the end of a year that had been more difficult than most.

‘‘However, I have every confidence that our graduands will find ways to celebrate.’’

Since Wednesday, hundreds of students have celebrated informally in the city after graduation ceremonies were successively called off.

For those graduands who wanted to take part in a full official ceremony at a later time, the university was planning to offer ceremonies next year, Prof Hayne said.

More than 600 Otago Polytechnic students were due to graduate last Friday in a ceremony that was also cancelled.

hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz

 

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