But every year "O" week creates a nationwide wave of worry.
"Party students blamed for leaving Dunedin street like the Third World"; "3000 say they will attend student party"; "Student loses everything in Dunedin flat arson". Naturally people focus on the couch burnings and alleged mayhem. I would argue that's a dickhead problem, not a student problem.
In any large population of young people there's going to be trouble. There are too many hormones floating around for there not to be.
Take 100 people under 25 and you'll find at least 15 complete dickheads. Equally, take 100 people over 65 and you'll find at least 99 grumpy old bastards. It's the circle of life.
For me, Dunedin was a great place to grow up and an even better place to go uni. Thousands of people my age piled into town. So many like-minded kids looking to better themselves and have a good time.
Sure, I was involved in the odd piece of poor behaviour but not every single day. People are quick to blame the Scarfies but much of the Dunedin damage is caused by non-enrolled locals.
Generally, Otago University is a vibrant, intellectual, artistic and loose place to hang out. Rightly so. If you're lucky enough to get a tertiary education it's your duty to enjoy it in full.
Before too long these troublesome students will have jobs, kids and mortgages. They will be working 50 hours a week, paying taxes and facing their mortality.
As Ferris Bueller said: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." The brief years between happy-go-lucky child and grindstone adult should be our little window of fun.
As Jeremy Wells said recently: "I'm glad I went hard at uni, I tried everything, I experienced everything. It makes it easier to deal with the crap I have to now, knowing that I left it all on the field back in the day." In saying that, he could have gone harder.
Further to that, an English tutor once warned me: "If you don't give it a nudge 18-24 you risk a shameful midlife blowout."
So what is the country worried about? A few years ago I attended a student riot. I can tell you first-hand it wasn't as bad as it looked on telly. There were angles at play that day. A reporter stood in front of the crowd: "When the camera light goes on I want you to go completely crazy. Could we get some people up on the roof behind me? We want this to look full-on. Okay, 3, 2, 1, GO CRAZY."
So the light went on and everyone jumped around yelling for the camera. Then the light went off and everyone went back to normal.
On that particular occasion, riot was the wrong word. It was a "performance". Then the cops turned up and stole the show.
The next crop of students watching on TV knew exactly what was expected of them the next year.
Too many older Kiwis spend their time scratching back in the face of the young. They've had their fun, bought their house and enjoyed a free education. Now they wanna crap on the next generation for behaving the exact way they did.
Yes, there are munters around but generally students are positive, cheeky go-getters in the prime of their lives. I say let the young have their fun.
They'll come right. You did.
Oldies, listen to the wise words of David Bowie: "These children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds are immune to your consultations, they're quite aware of what they're going through."
Students, listen to the wise words of John "Bluto" Blutarsky: "Toga! Toga! Toga!"
