Voting for the Victorias is now underway. The Victorias are awards given out annually recognising excellence in a wide range of contexts. Both academics and students can be nominated in a number of categories ranging from Best Lecturer to Maddest Scientist. Voting forms are available across all campuses. The award ceremony will take place later in the year.

VUWSA is clamping down on the misuse of free bus tickets given out for travel between campuses. In order to get a free bus ticket, students must now bring in a copy of their timetable, along with their student ID card and the old clipped ticket. “Inappropriate” use of the tickets, such as traveling from university to home or for personal travel, is being tracked and will be billed. Education Officer CJ Hunt says there was a need for such measures after one student claimed 31 tickets in the first trimester. Nice one bro.

A follow-up symposium to the climate change conference is to be held on Friday 6 October. Experts of a wide range of areas will address the conference on two major themes: the global policy context and the domestic policy issues of climate change. The cost of attending the conference for students is $40, or $20 if registered before 15 September. Registrations can be made by contacting the Institute of Policy Studies.

New Zealand’s greatest jurist and Distinguished Fellow of Victoria’s School of Law Lord Robin Cooke of Thorndon died last week at the age of 80. He was a judge in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal until he was appointed to the British House of Lords and the Privy Council, the only New Zealand judge to have done so. As well as being a staunch promoter of a Supreme Court, Lord Cooke was also responsible for several key decisions in favour of Maori under the Treaty of Waitangi.