News

The NZ Drug Foundation has cited the University of Otago as a case study on binge drinking in its latest publication.

The article, titled ‘Campus Crackdown’, discusses the University’s efforts to deal with the culture of binge drinking pervading the student lifestyle in Dunedin. The piece references the many policies enacted by the University in recent years to combat the problem of student binge drinking, including the imposition of the Student Code of Conduct, the introduction of the Campus Watch service, and the ban on alcohol sponsorship or promotion at University events.
   The article also discusses the wider New Zealand culture of alcohol consumption, and its impact on teen drinking that filters through to University students. In the piece, Vice Chancellor Sir Professor David Skegg is quoted as saying “These facts about the wider environment need to be acknowledged by critics who demand that the University of Otago should instantly solve its student behaviour problems, which cannot be solved until the culture of binge drinking among New Zealand youth is radically altered.”