Interview: University of Otago vice-chancellor Harlene Hayne

Our entrenched student drinking culture will not be improved by more rules and punishments, says the university's non-traditional vice-chancellor.

By Diana Wichtel In Current Affairs

Print Share

12th May, 2012

The taxi ride to the University of Otago to meet the vice-chancellor takes us deep into scarfie territory. A girl is perched vertiginously on the edge of a two-storey-high windowsill, catching some sun. Down a street of more or less munted dwellings, there’s the odd iconic sofa, a few housemates having a beer. On a pole, like a piece of conceptual art, are the mangled remains of a letterbox. In 1967, James K Baxter wrote A Small Ode on Mixed Flatting – a classic assault on moral panic – when the university tried to ban the practice. In it he refers to drunks in thin shirts ...

Get full access to Listener.co.nz

Subscribers can read the full version of this story.

You can subscribe and get full online access for as little as $5 per week.

Enjoy the high-quality, in-depth journalism of the Listener magazine with convenient online access. This includes access to thousands of archived articles and up-to-date TV and entertainment listings.

Our great content is available online even before it hits the shelves, and includes more focus on breaking news. With our responsive design you get a great reader experience whether you read from your home computer, tablet, or even smartphone.

Already a subscriber? Just login to read full version of this story.

Already an existing print subscriber? As part of your magazine subscription you are entitled to receive full access to the New Zealand Listener Online content. Click here for instructions on how to redeem your digital access.

Or you can subscribe now to get unlimited access to listener.co.nz.