Two University of Otago students had a disarming start to their O-Week after fall- ing off the roof of their flat, each breaking an arm. The incidents were subsequently leaked to the Otago Daily Times, humiliating the pair.
The pair had been drinking a few beers when one of them fell off the roof. The other then reached for his cellphone and slipped, knocking himself unconscious. One of the pair told Critic, “I didn’t think I was going to fall off but I did.”
Like most victims of such accidents, the two broken-armed boys paid a visit to the Proctor. He agreed they had punished themselves enough by breaking their arms, and no further punish- ment would be given. However, the names of the boys were then given to the ODT by OUSA, which somehow misunderstood the difference between Critic and the ODT.
The article, titled “Students’ O-Week warning: Dumb & Dumber,” was published in the ODT on 14 February. The article implied that putting the story to print was the punishment served by the Proctor and that the public embarrassment would deter other students from similar armful practices. Due to the country’s lack of real news the story also went national, being printed in the NZ Herald and the Southland Times.
The Proctor has since contacted the boys to apol- ogise, and explained that the details were leaked to the ODT in error. At the time of writing, OUSA also intended to apologise to the boys in person. OUSA President Francisco Hernandez believed that while it was “good to make people aware of issues,” this “should be done with regard to the dignity of the individuals.”
Clearly the public humiliation was not enough to protect other students from arm: on Thursday 14 February, a student was taken to hospital after falling from the second storey of a Castle Street flat on Sunday night.
Proctor Approves Of Arm-Breaking As Form Of Punishment
