Vaughan Elder

The heat was on at a chilli-eating competition in Dunedin last night, contestants chewing through tear-jerking amounts of some of the world's hottest chilli varieties.

The University of Otago has revealed it paid $6.75 million for the 128-room Dunedin hotel it bought last month.

A potentially life-saving device developed by the University of Otago to detect parasites living in humans has received backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The University of Otago is set to spend an unprecedented amount on new buildings, with planning under way for its ''two largest capital projects ever'', chief operating officer John Patrick says.

More Canterbury high school leavers are moving south to the University of Otago, with the Canterbury earthquakes continuing to influence where people choose to study.

The editor of University of Otago student magazine Critic has stepped down, following an employment dispute which led to police being called to the office earlier this month.

Students who have an exaggerated belief they have ''a right to success'' are more likely to struggle, come exam time, a University of Otago study shows.

The installation of a 2degrees cellphone tower on a site close to residents' homes in Brighton is not a ''foregone conclusion'', Dunedin city councillor Colin Weatherall says.

Dunedin's heavy reliance on tertiary education is comparable to the ailing city of Detroit's reliance on the automotive industry and emerging trends in the tertiary sector could shake up the city's economy, an economics professor says.

A crackdown on illegal downloading at the University of Otago resulted in total computer network traffic decreasing by almost a third last year.

The University of Otago is again trumpeting just how much it contributes to Dunedin's economy, with a report showing it boosted the city by $780.8 million last year.

The University of Otago remains in a ''solid financial position'' as it faces ''ongoing cost pressures'' due to flat student numbers and tight Government spending, financial services director Grant McKenzie says.

Today's Hyde St keg party will serve as a ''test case'', and if it gets out of hand the North Dunedin liquor ban could be back on the table, University of Otago vice-chancellor Prof Harlene Hayne says.

Tickets to this weekend's Hyde St keg party have been placed off-limits to first-year students, as part of a range of measures to try making this year's event safer than it has been previously.

A trend of declining student numbers at the University of Otago has continued, enrolments down 2.3% on last year and postgraduate and international numbers hit particularly hard.

Those who think the University of Otago has gone too far in tackling problem drinking should study elsewhere, the chairwoman of a group tasked with improving the student drinking culture says.

The Government is not doing enough to attract engineering and construction students in the face of rising demand due to the Christchurch rebuilding and a housing shortage, Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker says.