Features

You know the Vice Chancellor right? That lady in the big fancy office by the Leith? She basically runs the entire University, and well, let’s face it, is far too busy and important to sit down for an interview with a little old student magazine. Or so you would have thought. Without a second thought, Prof Hayne invited Critic Editor Joe Stockman to sit down on her oh so comfy couch for a yarn about her job, her role in organising Orientation, and her thoughts on So Go’s.

How are you enjoying your new job so far?
I absolutely love the job; it’s the best job on the planet! I loved my time at university so much that I decided to never leave. This job allows me to celebrate all the things that I love about universities.

What on earth does the Vice Chancellor do?
The Vice Chancellor is essentially the Chief Executive Officer of a very large company. Basically, I’m responsible for the buildings, the staff, the finances. But we’re not making cars; we’re here to inspire young minds. So I am also ultimately responsible for the academic side of the university.

So, you’re the first female Vice Chancellor – is that a big deal?
When it was first announced that I would be the Vice Chancellor, that’s what everyone wanted to talk about. I hadn’t reflected on it too much, because being a female had never really been an issue in my career.

Ironically, my status as the first American Vice Chancellor and as the first psychologist Vice Chancellor is probably more diagnostic than my gender.

One of the great things about the University of Otago is that it was the first university in Australasia to admit female students. A number of the first female students, such as Caroline Freeman and Ethel Benjamin, were the women who fought the hard fight, and paved the way for gender to no longer be an issue.

You’ve taken an active role in Orientation. Why are you so passionate about this?
OUSA does a great job of introducing students to the social aspects of the University, and that’s vital. It’s important for them to come here and to realise that they’re adopting a new way of life. First and foremost however, universities are academic institutions.

Many students come here without a clear understanding of what it is that they’re supposed to do. The University is becoming increasingly selective regarding student admission. For the individual student, the cost of failure has increased over the last few years.

I actually do research in this area – on students settling into universities – and we know that students are most successful when they have an opportunity to learn the rules of the game very early on. I think it’s really important for the University to get in there and to help students get off on the right foot from the very beginning; that’s what we’re trying to do.

We’ve heard you talk about the need for an Academic Orientation. What are you on about?
An Academic Orientation reminds students of their obligations. Even though students pay tuition to come to university, 75% of their bill is paid by the New Zealand taxpayer. Most students don’t realise that they pay only a small fraction of the total cost of their tertiary education. So, we’ll talk about some of the exciting opportunities that the University provides for students to give back to their community, to New Zealand, and to the world.

Do you think that your research on memory development has shaped your views on youth alcohol consumption?
From my research on memory, the biggest message that I can give undergraduates is that there’s a phenomenon called the “reminiscence bump”. When looking back on our life experiences, there’s a huge bump in the number of memories between the ages of 18-25.

When I work with masters of colleges, or lecturers, I remind them that they’re going to feature in the autobiographies of thousands and thousands of students. It’s important that they think about how they’d like to be remembered.

The issue about alcohol is slightly different. I’m very concerned about the high susceptibility of young adults’ brains to the negative aspects of alcohol. The risks of permanent brain damage, and a whole host of other social and emotional outcomes, come from prolonged, extensive alcohol use at this age.

Do you think there has been a shift back towards in loco parentis treatment of undergraduates?
One of the fantastic things about the University of Otago is the huge amount of pastoral care and additional educational opportunities that are offered through our residential colleges. I was the chairman of the board of UniCol for a decade, so for at least the last fifteen years here, we’ve done a pretty darn good job of in loco parentis! What we haven’t done, however, is spread that out into the academic community.

Research shows that the more we involve adults (whether it’s lecturers, professors, or parents) with undergraduate education, the easier it is for students to make the transition to university. A large number of students are disadvantaged because they’re homesick, they’re depressed, or they’re anxious. These are things that we can deal with, but we must take responsibility.

Do you think that students should think of universities as “service providers”, from which they are “buying” a degree?
I think that’s an extraordinarily sad way to view the world. We are not the Harvey Normans of the educational world.

Universities are ways of life. The three, four, five, six years that students spend at university will ultimately be some of the best years of their lives.

What do you think of the relationship between the University and the student body?
I think that it is important to keep in mind that at Otago, the Vice Chancellor and the deputy Vice Chancellors are all still active academics. For us, there is no line between “out there” and “in here”. We all still conduct research, supervise students, and take lectures on a regular basis.

What does it mean to an undergraduate that Otago is “Research Led”?
Once students get into their classes, they’ll discover that their lecturers are internationally recognised leaders in their areas of expertise. Our teachers are not only transmitting knowledge and information, but they are actually the people who are creating that information. Our undergraduates will have the opportunity to learn about things that may not even be published yet. Being educated at that cutting edge is highly valued here.

What were your thoughts on the VSM legislation?
Personally, I’m not in favour of any kind of mandatory unionism. I like democracy and free will, and it’s important for people to make choices.

Putting that aside, I’m not sure that students’ rights were being overlooked through compulsory OUSA membership. This is why we, alongside OUSA, opposed VSM. Now it’s important to figure out how we are going to make it work in this brave new world!

What do you think is the role of student media on campus?
I think it’s the same as the role of media everywhere; it’s designed to educate and to entertain people. In terms of the university environment, student media provides a great training ground for budding journalists and radio presenters.

I think that universities are the critic and the conscience of society. In fact, NZ is one of the only countries in the world that has this enshrined in legislation. Student media, like every other aspect of the university, should play a vital role in that.

Speights or Southern Gold?
Neither. I’m not a teetotaller; I do enjoy NZ wine. Particularly wine that comes from vineyards owned by University of Otago graduates.

Are you on Facebook?
I am on Facebook.