News

T he University of Otago took a tougher stance on out-of-control flat parties leading up to the 2015 Orientation Week, with flats being asked to cancel events before the week had even begun.

Residents of the Dundas Street V Flat, Dylan Hall, Tessa Lunam, Baily Beecher and Ross Stocker, were some of the many tenants of numerous flats pulled into Proctor Simon Thompson’s office. They said that Campus Watch arrived at the flat and told the students they had an urgent meeting with Thompson. “He told us to close [the Facebook event] down … he also told us to completely change the date, but that just doesn’t work for us.”

Members of the Hilton flat, located on Clyde Street, said there was a pile of printed screenshots on Thompson’s desk, each with the Facebook events that had been made for each party. The V flat confirmed this was also the case during their meeting.

The students were told they would be liable for anything happening on or around the premises if the party were to go ahead. “Anything and everything that happens is our fault,” said Lunam. “[The Proctor] basically said if we had the party then we had to take the consequences that came with it.” These consequences could range from small fines to expulsion. The students were offered the chance to cancel the party or to make it invite only.

The Proctor said, “Antisocial and dangerous behaviour can result in a wide range of consequences from warnings to expulsion. Lighting fires or throwing bottles at people is very likely to result in expulsion, but each case is dealt with separately and the penalties could vary.”

Lunam said, “It seems to us that the University just doesn’t want us to have our own parties, they only want us to attend the O-week events … which are mainly aimed at Freshers.” Hall felt the university was being “very sterile” and added, “There’s nothing really for second years aside from house parties … it seems like [the university] is trying way too hard to stop people having a good time.”

The Hyde Street flat, Fear and Loathing, shifted the location of their party “due to a lot of pressure from the DCC, police and the university,” resident Richard Scott stated in a Facebook post. Scott attributed the “possibility of the Hyde St keg party not going ahead” as a reason for the change in venue. The party was moved to the Lotus Room.

A flat at 662 Castle Street also cancelled the Facebook event they had created for their party after rumours of the threatened consequences. “We saw other people shutting their parties down and talked to [some] mates who were [cancelling the events], so we decided to shut ours down before we had to, [in order to] avoid a pre-warning,” said resident Dermot Frengley. The party went ahead, though Frengley said police arrived “twice before it was even dark [to] tell us about the dangers of a party.” A paddy wagon was also parked outside the residence while the party was happening. “Our party was very mellow in comparison to what the police believed it would be, only a hundred people would have been there at any one point in the night,” he added.

The Proctor said, “Although the majority of students are well-behaved, [there is] a minority whose antisocial behaviour is unacceptable. Activities such as lighting fires, breaking glass bottles and the like will not be tolerated as they greatly endanger their own or others’ safety and well-being.”

Otago Police Coastal Area Commander Inspector Jason Guthrie said, “To ensure a safe and enjoyable party, rule number one is do not post an open invite on social media; this is a fast track to losing control.” He added, “There are plenty of other simple considerations including providing food, knowing the people who are at your party, keeping your guests on your property and avoiding glass as much as possible.”

Police have been attending flat parties on a nightly basis over the past few weeks, Guthrie said, and although many had been “run without issue, it is unfortunate that the minority continue to tarnish the reputation of the wider student community.” He said this year’s Orientation has been “no worse or better than any other.” However, there is “still a significant scope for students to mature their attitude towards alcohol.”

Guthrie warned those organising parties that “being a responsible host extends to monitoring the numbers attending, ensuring that attendees stay off roads and footpaths, and most importantly taking a sensible approach to alcohol use. The focus needs to shift from risky alcohol consumption and, for flat parties to be safer, organisers need to grip this up and take ownership of providing a safe environment.”