NATIONAL NEWS: – Auckland student brings gun to university to ‘use as a film prop’

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A university student was fined $1500 after bringing a gun onto campus to use as a film prop.

The student took the unloaded firearm to the University of Auckland for “storage purposes” in 2016, leading to them facing disciplinary action.

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It was among 1798 misconduct cases brought against students at Auckland, Waikato, AUT, Canterbury, Victoria and Lincoln universities between 2014 and 2018.

Because universities stored and classified the information differently, it was difficult to compare data between institutions. Some universities also provided incomplete statistics from 2019, while others did not.

However, cheating – including plagiarism and breaches of exam rules – was the most common reason cited in disciplinary cases reported across all six universities, with 1625 cases reported during the five-year period, information obtained by Stuff showed.

Punishments varied from warnings to enrolment cancellations. Some students were issued fines of up to $5000.

Several cheats were pinged for taking notes or their cell phones into exams, while others copied a classmate’s work.

nappropriate behaviour, such as harassment and abusive or sexual behaviour, was the second most common way students found themselves in hot water.

In one instance in 2014, a University of Canterbury student submitted offensive material as part of an assignment. Another student physically assaulted staff and students at the University of Auckland in 2018.

Multiple students were also reprimanded for sending abusive emails to staff.

In 2016, a student breached the University of Auckland’s bullying and harassment prevention policy by making false complaints about another student.

Victoria University of Wellington was the only university that noted disciplinary cases for sexually harmful behaviour, with three incidents reported in 2018.

The university defined sexually harmful behaviour as “any form of unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours, and any other unwanted behaviour that is sexual in nature”, including sexual harassment or assault.

One student was evicted from a hall of residence over the behaviour. They all received formal warnings, were put on behaviour management plans and had to undergo rehabilitative therapy.

The university was unable to provide further information.

At the University of Canterbury, reports of harassment spiked in 2019, with 12 cases reported in 10 months – a sharp increase from the two seen in the whole of 2018.

The university said several of the 2019 cases related to a Law Society review into sexual misconduct.

Generally, universities take disciplinary action against students after receiving a complaint about a student breaching its regulations.

A senior staff member, such as the proctor or vice chancellor, often investigates and if the allegation is proven, students can face a penalty including a fine, warning, suspension or expulsion.

Massey University refused to provide data because it said it would take to long to collate its records.

The University of Otago is yet to respond to Stuff‘s request for information on disciplinary cases.

Source - stuff
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