An Instagram post requesting that students “put the parties on pause” has been taken off of OUSA’s story after receiving backlash from students. OUSA has since clarified that they “are not here to kill any good vibes for students,” but wants to ensure parties are kept safe and legal.
The post, shared from Good One Dunedin, was good-intentioned. “We’re all hoping for a good 2022”, it said underneath a large yellow thumbs-down sign, “so now is not the time [to party]”. This post was made just a week before the beginning of Flo-Week. The ad encouraged students to “keep each other safe” before warning of a potential $4,000 fine and “prosecution for not following Covid guidelines”.
This well-intentioned post was met with almost immediate backlash. “I’ll pay the $4,000 if it means I get to keep partying”, said one student. Another said that “students wanna feel heard and actually get helpful ideas and advice, not to be treated like children being patronised by the school principal.” A third said that “I literally cannot think of a worse way to communicate this message… it’s like taking the entire purpose of the organization and saying ‘ah, fuck it’, you know? I thought it was a joke, seriously. I thought someone was having me on.”
While the post has been taken off of OUSA’s story, it remains on the Facebook pages of OUSA and Good One Dunedin, although it seems to have received little attention on either page. Good One Canterbury did not share the same post, but they haven’t posted anything since they said “mates share crates” in December last year. Critic Te Arohi suspects they might still be trying to finish their crate.
OUSA’s CEO Debbie Downs told Critic Te Arohi that the post “was intended to discourage anyone trying to host a large party.” She said “it is impossible to host a large event within Red traffic rules, and more importantly, it is very difficult to keep people safe… a party of 80 can turn to 800 very quickly”. And that would be illegal.
Student President Melissa Lama clarified that the main goal was to advise students on how they can have the most fun while staying out of trouble. “We are not here to kill any good vibes”, she insisted. Rather, OUSA was trying to help students have the best time possible without being “held liable for any parties that breach Covid rules”. Melissa simply asked that students wanting to party first seek advice from official Government sources or Good One, so they don’t get slammed with a hefty fine. Melissa did not post the Instagram story.
Proctor Dave Scott said that himself and Campus Watch are available to “educate everyone about the guidelines… and offer good advice,” telling students to “stay safe and have fun”. In an open letter to students, Campus Constable John Woodhouse warned that potential punishments include the “power of arrest for repeated breaches or failing to comply with Police directions… for most offences a $1,000 fine for an individual,” and threatened the prospect of being “charged and summoned to court where the penalties may be substantially more severe”.
The Unite Against Covid-19 website says that parties are not banned at Red, but numbers are limited to 25 people or 100 if vaccine passes are checked. Someone must be responsible for recording who attends the party, and for ensuring the number of people stays within the limit.
For anyone who considers Critic Te Arohi a reliable source of advice, we would advocate the safe-sex approach to partying, rather than the abstinence-only approach:
Look, kids, as you get older, we know you’re going to start experimenting with other people. We can’t stop you from doing that, we can only describe the risks. So, if you’re gonna do it, just don’t do it with too many people. And if you do, for God’s sake, use protection.