A decade after quietly stepping down from his role as Knox College Master, former University of Otago Pro-Chancellor Bruce Aitken is facing sexual offence charges.
The Otago Daily Times broke the news on August 29th after Aitken’s name suppression lapsed nine months after first appearing before the Dunedin District Court. Following the news, the oil portrait honouring him in the Knox College dining hall has been removed.
By removing the portrait, Knox College has cleaned out the last relics of the Aitken era still hanging around. His time at the college overlapped with a strong hazing culture, and he was known to attend the events. Reform at the college has seen a concentrated effort to change the culture, though this work has occurred under the gaze of the omnipresent Aitken portrait in the dining hall. But no longer.
Much of the case is covered by a suppression order, but the ODT revealed Aitken “is accused of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, as well as indecency with a boy under 12.” The ODT clarified that “the latter charge is representative, which means it covers multiple allegations involving the same complainant,” and said the alleged offences took place in Dunedin in the ‘90s, but could not specify where. Atiken has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains on bail.
Critic Te Ārohi visited Knox College five days after the news broke, joining a table of Subwardens (Knox speak for RAs) for dinner. We were told there had apparently been “no reaction” from the residents of the College at the news. Critic noticed that there was now a gap in the grand paintings of Masters lining the dining hall walls. “Oh, tea, I didn’t even notice that,” commented one of the Subbies. Others chimed in that while the news would have been “huge” a few years ago, nowadays Bruce’s connection to the college is less known. “None of the residents have come up to us or anything [...] No one knows who he is.”
The current residents are unaware, it seems, as to just how woven into the fabric of Knox the former Master once was. Bruce attended the college in the early ‘70s and was President of the Knox College Student Club (KCSC) in his day. He returned to the college as a Subbie in 1976, was elected a Fellow in 1977, and two years later appointed to the College Council. In 1994, Bruce was appointed the Master of the College – a position he held for 18 years.
Bruce was placed on leave in 2012 following a review by the University of Otago and the New Zealand Presbyterian Church (which privately runs Knox in affiliation with the Uni) into the college’s culture. Binge-drinking and health and safety issues were identified as the review’s main concerns, which came hot on the heels of the removal of the notorious ‘College bath’ – the site of many initiations – the year prior. Bruce himself had hosted bath initiations as a student.
No sources that Critic can find explain the exact circumstances of Bruce’s departure from the college, only that it was met with outrage from the Knox community of Exies (ex-residents). A now-inactive Facebook group amassing more than 1,270 members expressed their discontent at the time. Just four years after leaving the college, Bruce was welcomed back in 2016 for the unveiling of a painting honouring his likeness – the very same that is now missing from the wall of Master’s portraits.
In response to Critic’s requests for comment, the College Board said, “We cannot comment on a matter that is currently before the court, but we want to be very clear that the college continues to be committed to doing all it can to uphold a culture of safety for residents and all other users of the college campus. If anyone has any concerns they should contact the police. The college will provide assistance in doing so if requested.”