It was no coincidence. In a bid to end “antisocial behaviour” on Health Sci Friday, the Proctor worked together with Uni management to shift Health Sci exam dates last year. This attempt to minimise partying worked about as well as you would expect.
With the final HSFY exam for (PHSI191) scheduled for a Tuesday morning instead of the customary Friday, Semester One last year saw the end of “Health Sci Fri”. This was a proud Otago tradition where overtaxed wannabe health professionals, for the first time of their lives, get to do something their parents didn’t force them to do.
The Proctor’s 2021 Annual Report revealed that this wasn’t merely a scheduling blip, but a meticulously planned operation alongside the Division of Health Sciences and the Examinations Office. According to Proctor Dave Scott, this was the first time in recent years an exam was deliberately rescheduled, with the move happening after “informal Health Sci Friday parties [had] become increasingly problematic”. Particular issues were caused by “first-year students socialising in and around the Botanic Gardens,” he said, “causing disruption and complaints… as a result of antisocial behaviour and littering”. He also added that the move gave Health Scis extra time to study for their final exams, which warmed the hearts of tiger parents everywhere.
While the move seemed to be highly effective in Semester One, it seemed that by Semester Two, freshers had adapted to partying on a weekday, with the report noting the “students congregating post-exams at the Northern Cemetery lookout”. Scott explained that the warmer summer weather in Semester Two, and the end of the academic year, probably explained their new-found willingness to get on the rark.
While Scott stated that “we will continue to work with the University and OUSA in a bid to improve the situation,” he kept his lips tightly sealed on any new tactics they may be using. Intriguingly, he mentioned that a bid by the Uni and OUSA to lead “an organised social event purely for Health Science students, including free food and a free DJ… was never taken up”.
As staunch traditionalists, Critic Te Arohi stands firmly behind egg-based methods of fresher crowd control.