Archive

Police Target Otago Students With More Breathalysers

Posted 11:04am Tuesday 13th July 2021 by Erin Gourley

Otago students will be targeted for drink driving in a new police campaign, the Campus Cop has warned. This is a big PSA that there will be more breathalyser stops on the streets around campus, starting from Re-O Week. The new campaign will see cop stops with breathalysers stationed around North Read more...

The Exec Did Stuff and Wrote About It, Now Read About Us Reading About It

Posted 11:00am Tuesday 13th July 2021 by Fox Meyer

Nobody set the minimum page count of the Exec’s second quarterly reports of 2021 at seven pages, but they chose to write that much, anyway. We read through all of them to let you know who’s doing what. Points were given exclusively for brevity, because that’s the only thing we can Read more...

Wife Guy, Luthier, Doctor, Dean: Meet Your New Vice-Chancellor, David Murdoch

Posted 10:53am Tuesday 13th July 2021 by Erin Gourley

Professor David Murdoch has many hats on his plate to juggle.  He’s still working in clinical practice for the Canterbury DHB, and he’s still the Dean of Otago’s Christchurch Campus. He’s a pathologist, a career that has recently become very relevant and interesting Read more...

Police Target Otago Students With More Breathalysers

Posted 2:29pm Thursday 1st July 2021 by Erin Gourley

Otago students will be targeted for drink driving in a new police campaign, the Campus Cop has warned. This is a big PSA that there will be more breathalyser stops on the streets around campus, starting from Re-O Week. The new campaign will see cop stops with breathalysers around North Read more...

Centre City New World Allegedly Denied Leave Requests for Exams

Posted 1:09pm Friday 18th June 2021 by Denzel Chung

Dunedin's Centre City New World denied students’ requests for leave to sit exams, according to a student working at the supermarket. The supermarket owner denies this claim.  An employee had applied for leave three weeks in advance for a University exam, said an anonymous student Read more...

The Spat Behind Music for the People’s Relocation from New New New

Posted 1:47pm Friday 11th June 2021 by Oscar Francis

A very public falling-out between a venue owner and a local artist on Facebook has seen Starters stepping up to the plate to save the Music for the People gig, which is taking place this weekend. Person Will, Music for the People’s organiser, put New New New founder Ian McKinlay on blast in Read more...

Shosha Selling Cream Canisters Again, Now With Paperwork

Posted 4:52pm Wednesday 9th June 2021 by Erin Gourley

Shosha has started selling cream canisters again, after removing the product from their shelves on 16 May due to concerns about recreational use. The vape store has put measures in place to make sure that their customers are using them for “hospitality/baking/catering purposes” Read more...

Fees Increase for International Students Despite Protest

Posted 5:33pm Tuesday 8th June 2021 by Erin Gourley

70 students showed up to the University Council meeting today in protest of raising international student fees, but the University Council voted to raise the fees anyway. The Council will raise the fees in a new way. For international students returning to Otago, their fees will be Read more...

University RAGE at Heavy Handed Government Policies, Polite Bureaucrat-Speak Mask Comes OFF to Reveal COMPLETE BREAKDOWN of Relationships at Education Coalface

Posted 5:02pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

Last week Critic wrote about OUSA’s submission on the Government’s new policy around tertiary students, and the gist was that while they liked the vibe, they didn’t like the details. The Uni seem to agree, saying that the Code is “eminently sensible” but also has a lot Read more...

Yikes! Blood Donations Still Restricted for Trans Women and Gay Men

Posted 5:00pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

The New Zealand Blood Service are "planning a review" of their approach to gay and transgender donors. A trans student at Otago, who was a frequent plasma donor before they transitioned, said that “it's just fucked at the moment.” Another student noted that the Read more...

A SORDID TALE OF SQUALOR: Landlord Binned Bottle Collection … Or Did He?

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Denzel Chung

A student had their bottle collection wrecked by a landlord who “did not believe they were still on the property at the time,” according to a Tenancy Tribunal ruling. Their landlord has hit back, saying “the Tribunal has got it half-right”.  Louis’ tenancy for Read more...

“I’ve changed,” Sobs Veggie Boy in Teary Tell All Interview

Posted 4:54pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Fox Meyer

The cheapest coffee in town will now cost more than a coin, as Veggie Boys raises its price by a dollar. A regular is now $3, and a large comes in at $4. The price increase comes during a change of management. Supreet, the new manager at Veggie Boys, told Radio One that the previous owners Read more...

Peace-loving Professor Pans Parliamentarian for Lukewarm Take on KILLER ROBOTS

Posted 4:51pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Adam Currie

Last Wednesday, Hon Phil Twyford gave a lecture on disarmament in Archway Two. It was mostly attended by politics nerds and mature students. Twyford is the Government's Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control.  Twyford spent most of the time talking about his work to stop “killer Read more...

National Coordinator of Thursdays in Black: SHOCK RESIGNATION

Posted 4:49pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

The Coordinator of Thursdays in Black Aotearoa, Jahla Tran-Lawrence, has resigned. Thursdays in Black Aotearoa will have a by-election on 17 June to find a new leader. Thursdays in Black is a student-run campaign that aims to prevent and respond to sexual harm in universities and polytechs in Read more...

ECONOMIC LIPOFILLING: Landlords Rub Hands Together With Glee and Lick Lips Lasciviously at 2022 Riches as Jacinda and Grant Let Loose the MONEY PUMP

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Sean Gourley

Student allowances are set to increase by $25 in April 2022. Most students can be confident that this change will see a similar rise in rent across most of Dunedin.  The average increase in rent for next year appears to be between $10 and $20 per person, according to the students interviewed Read more...

Transphobic Leaflets Left by Losers SLAMMED by Literally Everyone Who Isn’t a Twisted Far Right LOONY

Posted 4:33pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

Over the past few weeks, transphobic pamphlets have been appearing on noticeboards around campus.  One student has reported the pamphlets to Critic Te Arohi twice. Both times, the pamphlets were put up on the Hunter Centre noticeboard. On May 12 they said “we noticed some rather gross Read more...

Tutes and Dems Plead Poverty, But Will It Fall Upon DEAF EARS From RUTHLESS NEOLIBERAL UNIVERSITY?

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Fox Meyer

The Otago Tutors and Demonstrators Network has collected a lot of data. It found a lot of things — namely that most tutes and dems think they aren’t paid enough. The Uni changed the payscale for these positions, so pay now depends on commitment to the paper, not prior experience or Read more...

Clocktower SILENT During Super Duper Blood Moon, Panned for Refusing to Take a Stance

Posted 4:14pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

There was trouble in paradise on Wednesday as the clocktower failed to chime for most of the day. To the dismay of the student population, the clocktower’s ringing was absent on the eve of the super blood moon. Built in 1879, the bongs of the clocktower have graced the ears of hundreds of Read more...

Study SLATED as Bullshit by Demented Grad Students

Posted 4:09pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Fox Meyer

A study released last week surveyed 4,499 Kiwi students to see if their mental health got worse when they worked on their PhDs. The data said: no, their mental health was not affected. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me, right?” asked Dan, a fourth-year. “Is that Read more...

North Dunedin Pests Targeted In New Research Project

Posted 4:02pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Denzel Chung

City Sanctuary volunteers have been installing backyard traps in student flats on Castle and Leith, as part of a research project investigating attitudes towards community trapping in Dunedin.  Critic Te Arohi joined Kate and Toby, two volunteers, as they installed their 27th trap of the day Read more...

Protest! Dunedinites Show Up in Support of Palestine

Posted 3:32pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Aiman Amerul Muner

Amidst chanting and handmade protest signs, Rawaa Elhanafy made her point clear: “From the land to the sea, Palestine Will Be Free.”  Rawaa, a third-year Pharmacy student, was one of the organisers of the Dunedin March for Palestine. She and hundreds of others marched down George Read more...

Burmese Activists Organise Solidarity Concert

Posted 2:25pm Thursday 27th May 2021 by Denzel Chung

A concert this Thursday, May 27, aims to raise funds for democracy activists in Myanmar. Dunedin’s small Burmese community have been working non-stop for the last two months to make it all possible. The Solidarity Myanmar concert will be held at the Dunedin Town Hall, with a line-up Read more...

Huawei Phones Struggle to Connect to University Wifi

Posted 11:47pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Asia Martusia King

Huawei phones cannot reliably connect to University wifi, a student told Critic. Toby noticed last Thursday that his Huawei phone, which is usually able to connect to the wifi, was unable to connect to the University wifi in the Robertson Library. He went to Central Library but had no luck Read more...

Student Nurses Support Strike in June

Posted 11:46pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Hannah Johns

Student nurses have called for the government to take the eight-hour strike planned for June seriously, or face losing graduates to Australia.  The New Zealand Nurses Organisation voted to strike on June 9 for eight hours after the government offered a 1.38% pay increase, a percentage just Read more...

OUSA Subwarden Committee Formed

Posted 11:43pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Fox Meyer

Subwardens now have official representation on a committee and can approach OUSA more easily with their issues. Subwarden means RA. RA means Residential Assistant. Residential Assistant means friendly, not friend. OUSA President Michaela Waite-Harvey said that subwardens are “a good liaison Read more...

No Tutus in the Selwyn Ballet This Year

Posted 11:41pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Fox Meyer

As you may have noticed, there was a distinct lack of tutus worn by the Selwyn Ballet performers at this year’s capping show.  Luke McLelland, Warden of Selwyn, said that OUSA told Selwyn that they got feedback from last years show indicating that people didn’t really vibe with Read more...

Debate Magazine Left Without Designer for Five Weeks

Posted 11:38pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Erin Gourley

Debate Magazine, the student magazine at AUT, has only produced four issues this semester after the AUT Students’ Association (AUTSA) failed to hire a new designer for the magazine. The situation left Editor Rebecca Zhang unable to make a magazine for five weeks.  In her first Read more...

Free Rat Traps For North D Pests

Posted 11:36pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

City Sanctuary, a Predator Free Dunedin project set up by the Dunedin City Council is offering free rat traps to Studentville residents in an attempt to eradicate the crafty little bastards from polluting pristine North D. In the coming weeks, City Sanctuary will install at least eighty traps Read more...

OUSA Criticises “Paternalism” in Code of Pastoral Care

Posted 11:34pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

OUSA has submitted in support of the proposed Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Students) Code of Practice 2021, but proposed several changes to the wording of the policy.  “OUSA considers the implementation of the Code as necessary, especially in addressing spaces Read more...

Students Upset at Proposed Freedom Camping Rules

Posted 11:32pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Sean Gourley

Students, known for being broke, have raised concerns that proposed changes to freedom camping regulations will limit their ability to see New Zealand.  The changes were proposed by Minister for Tourism Stuart Nash. He is from Napier, so must know a lot about places people want to visit. The Read more...

131,610 Standard Drinks Worth of Hand Sanitiser Bought by Uni in 2020

Posted 11:29pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Denzel Chung

The Uni spent almost $100,000 on hand sanitiser in 2020, according to figures obtained by Radio One. Despite Covid-19 restrictions having eased this year, they are on track to spend almost the same amount in 2021.  According to Property Services Manager Dean Macaulay, $98,128 was spent on Read more...

Mid-May Madness for Massey Students

Posted 11:27pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Erin Gourley

A lot of shit is going down with Massey University’s various students associations. The General Manager of the Massey University Students’ Association (MUSA) left his job (or was made redundant), students were mad at their students’ associations, and now all four of their students Read more...

Musicians Push Back Against Noise Control Regime

Posted 11:25pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Denzel Chung

A “Save Live Music Forum” brainstormed ways for musicians and venue owners to do something about noise control regulations, which musicians claim create an atmosphere of “fear about what is allowed” in Dunedin.  Hosted at the Dog with Two Tails on Saturday 16 May, the Read more...

Budget Buzz Brokers Broke Breathas

Posted 11:22pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Elliot Weir

The government released their 2021 budget on Thursday, announcing the first meaningful benefit increases in decades, as well as increased spending on rail, Māori housing, Pharmac, and other areas. Amongst all the big numbers and dollar signs, there is some stuff for students to be excited Read more...

Most Bathrooms on Campus Now Have Sanitary Bins

Posted 11:18pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Fox Meyer

The Uni has improved its provision of sanitary bins, with bins now available in most bathrooms on campus. There has been an increase of 254 sanitary bins on campus (not including residential colleges) since 2018. However, in men’s bathrooms, sanitary bins are only present in the accessible Read more...

GUEST EDITORIAL: Menstruation is non-binary, period.

Posted 11:12pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Jay Bailey

As a transgender person who was assigned ‘female’ at birth (AFAB), menstruation is a funky topic for me. My body’s feminine properties constantly remind me that I exist in a meat shell which doesn’t quite fit with my perception of myself. But my body is not as clearly binary Read more...

Shosha Has Stopped Selling Cream Canisters

Posted 1:00pm Monday 17th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

16 May 2021 will go down in history as the day that Shosha stopped selling cream canisters. If you’ve been to Shosha recently, you might have noticed signs indicating that they would not be selling cream canisters from 16 May. “It has come to our attention that some customers have Read more...

OUSA Bore Students with Referendum Questions

Posted 4:08pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Sean Gourley

In an attempt to send student engagement to an all-time low, OUSA has set their semesterly referendum questions to the most boring issues possible. There are only three engaging questions from the total ten questions provided. They are: “8. Should the University have the power to Read more...

First Ever Arts Ball A Success

Posted 4:06pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

The first ever Arts Ball at Otago took place in the Otago Museum on May 8 hosted by the School of Arts Students Society (SASS). Students who attended reckoned it was good, even though there was an inordinately high ratio of Doc Martens.  Allie Hawksworth, President of SASS, was involved in Read more...

Chatime At Uni Delayed

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

When Critic announced in mid-February that a Chatime franchise would be opening inside the old Archway Shop after Easter, there was much hype among the student population. However, we’re now over a month after Easter (which was April 4, just to save you the Google search) and we’ve got Read more...

New Baked Potato Takeaway Outlet Opening In Dunedin

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Denzel Chung

A new takeaway outlet will soon be opening on George Street, dedicated to that unsung hero of foods: Baked potatoes.  Facebook and Instagram pages for Patate were launched last Thursday, with owner Aysu Shahin announcing they will “open very soon” at 420 George Street (nice), Read more...

There Is A Decomposing Lobster on Great King Street

Posted 3:58pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Asia Martusia King

Around three weeks ago, a lobster appeared on Great King Street.  Annabelle, a resident of Great King Street, was leaving her flat one morning when she started smelling “the salty sea air”. “I thought it was odd because you usually smell either exhaust or Maccas,” she Read more...

Uni Begs Council to Actually Do Tertiary Precinct Upgrade

Posted 3:55pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

The DCC stood remarkably stone-faced last week as the University effectively got on their knees and begged for them to stop taking infrastructure funding away from the tertiary precinct.  The DCC has delayed the tertiary precinct upgrade. The plan has gone from $20 million over the next few Read more...

Ooh Look How Fancy OUSA Are, Now They Have An Advisory Board

Posted 3:53pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

OUSA are paying some fancy businesspeople to help them make commercial decisions on a newly created Advisory Board. The Board will meet bimonthly with OUSA to discuss commercial decisions and the direction of OUSA, as well as keeping in regular contact with the Exec and the CEO. There will be up Read more...

Students Ignored at Parliamentary Inquiry into Student Accommodation

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Denzel Chung

The final report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Student Accommodation, meant to uphold standards at halls, has been slammed by the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA), with President Andrew Lessells claiming it “ignores the voice of students.” The Inquiry was Read more...

Te Ao Māori Becomes Compulsory In Law Degrees

Posted 3:47pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

Tikanga and te ao Māori will now be taught in all of the core papers of a law degree, after a unanimous vote on Friday 7 May by the Council of Legal Education. The Council of Legal Education sets the requirements for all LLB courses in Aotearoa.  President of Te Roopū Whai Read more...

Government Providing 400 MIQ Spots for International Students in June

Posted 3:45pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Elliot Weir

More international students will be able to come to Otago Uni from June, with 400 spots in MIQ set aside for international students.  The New Zealand International Students’ Association welcomed the news and said that the “lack of MIQ spaces has been a long-standing problem for Read more...

Manager “Oblivious” to Supermarket Workers’ Concerns Following Stabbing

Posted 2:41pm Tuesday 11th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

Clarification: the photo above this article is not an indication of which supermarket is involved. Rather than offering support to employees after yesterday’s stabbing at Countdown, another Dunedin supermarket asked workers for extra shifts because the supermarket would be Read more...

Consequences of Bitcoin Debated

Posted 3:02pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Quintin Jane

You can buy a Tesla with it, and you can evade the feds with it, but recent reports from Cambridge University show that bitcoin mining consumes more power than the entire country Argentina, and accounts for nearly 1% of global power consumption. Actual, physical mining accounts for 4–7% of Read more...

There’s Asbestos in the Biochem Building

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

A routine story about the University proactively clearing away asbestos from an old building as part of an upgrade took an unexpected turn when the University sent mixed messages.  An earlier statement sent to Critic Te Arohi said that only the safer, “non-friable” form of Read more...

Only 1% of Uni Students Don’t Consume Caffeine

Posted 2:53pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Fox Meyer

A new Massey study circulated by prominent science publisher MDPI found that nearly every single New Zealand tertiary student consumes caffeine on a near-daily basis. Caffeine was most commonly consumed as energy drinks, coffee, tea, or chocolate. The real news here is that 1% of students somehow Read more...

Uni Wants Some New Rules, OUSA Says “Mmmm idk about that”

Posted 2:50pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Fox Meyer

OUSA pointed out a fuckton of problems with the proposed changes to the Code of Conduct in a 20-page submission to the University. The Uni is updating its Code of Conduct and received public submissions on the proposal until 7 May.  The very first thing that the Exec said in their submission Read more...

Fire Shuts Down Lectures

Posted 2:47pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

The dreary walk into University up Union St East was made a little more exciting on Wednesday morning, with the already scaffolding-covered College of Education Auditorium surrounded by four fire engines responding to the sight of smoke. According to a University spokesperson, a “small, Read more...

Samoan Students On Why Their Country is Ready for Change

Posted 2:45pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

The Samoan election was in a deadlock between a new opposition party, FAST, and the current governing party, HRPP. Another seat was added to break the deadlock, but it’s not clear whether that was legal, and the Head of State has recently called for a fresh election, but it’s not clear Read more...

“Farewell After 45 Years, Here, Have a Coffee and a Christmas Voucher”

Posted 2:42pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Denzel Chung

Just two months after asking for “a bit of respect, a bit of courtesy” from her workplace of 45 years, Sue Loan who previously co-ordinated delivery of newspapers across Dunedin, received a 15 minute coffee break and two New World vouchers left over from Christmas.  “We are Read more...

“Democracy is Dead”

Posted 2:38pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Fox Meyer

Sign Up Club’s 30 April OUSA SGM ended not with a bang, but a fizzle. The only motion to pass was an increase in pay for ex-officio positions at OUSA. This raised the pay for the Te Roopū Māori Tumuaki Karamea Pēwhairangi and Pasifika Students Association’s President Read more...

“Where Them Students At? Students At?” Ask Protesters

Posted 2:34pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Denzel Chung

May 1 saw two protests happening in the Octagon simultaneously, with organisers lamenting a lack of student activism in a city once known for rowdy student-led protests.  The annual J Day protest, organised by the Ōtepoti Cannabis Collective, was designed to continue pushing for Read more...

Students Targeted With Anti-Vax Propaganda

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Fox Meyer

On Thursday 6 May, studentville was bombarded with flyers full of bullshit about the Covid vaccine. The flyers could be found on Castle Street, George Street, and Queen Street.  They were created by the anti-vax group “Voices for Freedom”, founded by three “passionate Kiwi Read more...

Exchanges To Aus Starting Next Semester

Posted 2:24pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Fox Meyer

Your Tinder pool will finally increase past 69 people next semester, as students will be able to jump back and forth across the ditch on exchange. Danielle Yamamoto Kerr told Critic that Otago and its Aussie partner universities will resume the exchanges in the second semester after several Read more...

Admin Job Losses Actually Led to Larger Departments

Posted 2:21pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Denzel Chung

The University initiative which cut 160 support staff jobs for “efficiency” has led to the hiring of at least 170 full-time equivalent staff to replace them. The Support Services Review (SSR) was implemented by then Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne, and basically involved yeeting many Read more...

Gigs Suffer From Noise Complaints

Posted 10:13pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Denzel Chung

Local musicians and venue owners are pushing the DCC to stop noise complaints “killing live music,” after a folk gig at Dog With Two Tails was shut down because noise control could “hear it from a carpark.” As if that wasn’t the whole point. Dave Bennett was sound Read more...

Students Really Suck At Returning Library Books On Time

Posted 5:10pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

I have a confession to make. I’m a criminal. My $9 library fine (for a second-year psychology textbook, if you must know) is now over a year overdue and contributes to precisely 0.39% of the $2321.20 in library fines incurred by Uni and Polytech students. Campus Watch, you know where to find Read more...

Departments Inconsistent on Disability Note-taking Service

Posted 5:06pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Eileen Corcoran

750 students across the university receive lecture notes from peer note-takers, but inconsistencies across departments are still a barrier for some students with learning disabilities. Disability Information and Support provides a range of assistance to around 1500 students each year, half of Read more...

Meat-Free Mondays Means More Mindfulness Of Mother Nature

Posted 5:02pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

Anyone who relies on Cafe Albany for their daily caffeine hit may have recently noticed a lower quantity of meat being sold on Mondays. This is part of a new University sustainability initiative. According to Campus and Collegiate Life Services Director James Lindsay, Cafe Albany “started Read more...

Cryptocurrency Connoisseurs Create Club

Posted 4:58pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Fox Meyer

A new OUSA-affiliated club wants to spread the word about Bitcoin and all the other cryptocurrencies that Critic Te Arohi doesn’t know the name of, but presumably exist. Campbell Miller and his flatmate started the crypto club this year to fill a void they saw in the club scene. “I Read more...

Otago Students Raise Over $100k During Relay For Life

Posted 4:55pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

In an incredible effort unmatched by any other university in the country, Otago students raised over $100,00 for the Cancer Society (the disease, not the star sign). Otago is also the only Uni to have its own separate Relay event. We may be crippling alcoholics every other week, but we know what Read more...

Campus Queer Space Faces More Hurdles

Posted 4:51pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Elliot Weir

A dedicated queer space on campus has been in the works since 2018 and, more than two years down the track, is still facing issues.  As previously reported by Critic, the space was meant to open on the first floor of the University Union building near the Terrace Lounge by the end of April. Read more...

Sign Up Club SGM Happened But We Wrote This Before Then

Posted 4:48pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Fox Meyer

Sign Up Club’s SGM will have been completed by the time you read this. Critic goes to print on Thursday night, and the SGM is on Friday, so we can only speculate as to what happened. Here’s our best guess as to how things went down last Friday. The SGM, held at 2.00pm, not 5.00pm Read more...

OUSA Ask City Council To Change Their Ten Year Plan

Posted 4:39pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Fox Meyer

The DCC’s draft for their 2021–2031 plan is underway, and OUSA want the DCC to significantly change it. After listening to what students said, OUSA told the city council to do something. Their suggestions are 15 pages long, and worded in impenetrable bureaucrat-speak. It’s not Read more...

Burglar Allegedly Cut Holes in Curtains to Peep

Posted 4:24pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Susana Jones

Police asked students on Dundas Street and Harbour Terrace to check their curtains for holes, after the arrest of a 32-year-old burglar who allegedly entered houses to cut peepholes in curtains.  A police spokesperson said that “these offences took place in the student area and some of Read more...

OUSA ANZAC Service Well-Attended

Posted 4:13pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Denzel Chung

Around 500 people of all ages attended OUSA’s ANZAC Day service, the first to be held on campus since 2019.  Held in conjunction with Te Roopū Māori and the University, the service was held in the Main Common Room, but attendee numbers meant the crowd ended up overflowing out Read more...

Tumuaki Resigns From UCSA In Protest

Posted 4:04pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Erin Gourley

The Tumuaki of Te Akatoki Māori Students’ Association at the University of Canterbury resigned from UCSA last week, criticising UCSA’s approach to Māori students.  “Not one more minute will we be undervalued,” Rosa Hibbert-Schooner wrote in a letter, which Read more...

What Ramadan Means to Muslim Students at Otago

Posted 3:57pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Aiman Amerul Muner

Ramadan is here from 12 April to 12 May. Muslim students here in Dunedin observe the Islamic holy month by fasting from dawn and congregating together at sunset to pray and share a meal.  This year, the University of Otago Muslim Students' Association (MUSA) is organising daily Iftars Read more...

SOULS Raises $13000 for Relay for Life

Posted 2:30pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Erin Gourley

Law students have raised over $13,000 in their Relay for Life campaign, making them the largest contributor in the Otago region. The large amount of money has been made possible thanks to a collaboration between all the representative groups of law students. SOULS, Pride in Law Otago, Otago Asian Read more...

Third of Anatomy Class Fails Exam On Their Own Bodies

Posted 2:26pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

Anatomy students are mad after a third of students in the ANAT331 class failed a practical examination. Nearly four times as many students failed than got above 80%. The average grade for the assessment was 56.4%, or a C. One student achieved an A+. Only ten others achieved either an A or an Read more...

Member Removed from OUSA Club For Sexual Misconduct

Posted 2:24pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Fox Meyer

A club member was expelled from a club on Monday 19 April, in the first use of OUSA’s new Complaints and Sexual Misconduct Policy. OUSA voted to “indefinitely suspend” the club member, though the full story is not public. But sexual misconduct is the ground for “indefinite Read more...

Facebook Threatens Democracy

Posted 1:51pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Fox Meyer

Sign-Up Club has successfully petitioned for OUSA to host another SGM, which will take place on Friday 30 April at 5pm in the Main Common Room.  “SUC is giving the power back to the people,” said the group. SUC motions that OUSA:  Host another Hyde party this Read more...

Rents to Rise Along With Landlord Saltiness

Posted 1:41pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Denzel Chung

Recent tax changes for investment properties have landlords and OUSA agreeing on one thing: Rent increases are “inevitable”. With landlords arguing tax changes have forced their hand, OUSA is now exploring ways they can respond at both a local and national level. David Seymour, ACT Read more...

University and OUSA Oppose Delay to Tertiary Precinct Upgrade

Posted 1:37pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Erin Gourley

The University and OUSA oppose the DCC’s proposal to delay the Tertiary Precinct Upgrade into the 2030s. In the 2021–2031 ten year plan, the DCC propose to push the Upgrade, originally scheduled to begin in 2021, into the 2030s. Both the University and OUSA confirmed that they oppose Read more...

More than 300 People Jumped the Hyde Fence

Posted 1:30pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Fox Meyer

Increased ticket prices led many students to try to get in the free way. Most were caught, many were injured, but some were successful. Critic spoke to one such jumper. Jamie* gave us the lowdown on how to get into the hoedown.  “The key is to actually know the security Read more...

Cutlers Already Offering 2022 Castle St Leases

Posted 1:15pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

Cutlers is the first real estate company to release a flat list for Castle Street this year. For many upcoming flatters, it’s the same shit, different year. A group of this year’s freshers, having declared themselves besties for life just a few weeks into the year, will sign a flat Read more...

Campus Awash In Mysterious Bad Smell

Posted 1:10pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Erin Gourley

A smell descended on campus last week. Students described the smell as “fishy”, “wet mildew”, “wet dog”, “an old wet towel”, “a musty undertone”, and “like a cross between something decomposing and those sheep trucks that go past Read more...

OUSA Motions Pass in Long SGM

Posted 1:07pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Erin Gourley

The Exec were able to validate their Covid-related constitutional breaches and raise their own pay at the SGM last Wednesday. The SGM met quorum, with over 100 students showing up. The Exec’s pay rise generated discussion, because the OUSA President’s pay was set to go up by $8000 Read more...

“Good Vibes” At Netsky-Ousa-Te Roōpu Māori Hui

Posted 12:59pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Denzel Chung

The hui with DJ Netsky took place on Wednesday 21 April. OUSA President Michaela Waite-Harvey said the hui with Belgian DJ Netsky and Te Roōpu Māori went well, with “good vibes only” ahead of his concert last Thursday at Union Hall.  “A decent group,” Read more...

Student Loses $750 at Casino After Hyde

Posted 12:56pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Sean Gourley

An Otago student managed to lose $750 within half an hour at the roulette tables at Grand Casino (previously Dunedin Casino) on the evening of the Hyde Street Party.  Fresh out of his Teletubby costume, Chip* was having a jug at the Bog before his mate had the bright idea of going to the Read more...

Building Sparks Animal Experiment Debate

Posted 12:46pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Denzel Chung

The opening of the University’s new multi-million dollar animal testing centre, the Eccles Building, has sparked debate between animal activists and students involved in animal experiments. Students involved in animal experiments have pushed back against animal welfare activists, arguing Read more...

OPINION: It's Time We Woke Up

Posted 4:44pm Monday 19th April 2021 by Kate Pitches

Yeah, we fucked up. Our planet’s trashed.  It’s 4am. We’re all in denial stumbling around in the dark. The drinks have worn off but we’re pretending they haven’t so that we don’t have to face reality yet.  I was at the climate strike last weekend Read more...

The George Street Dots Revisited

Posted 10:01pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Hannah Johns

Last year, the DCC painted dots on George Street to create a pedestrian-friendly space. A year on, the dots are fading away. Hannah Johns spoke to Aaron Hawkins about the dots and discovered that there are no plans to repaint them. Hannah: I’ve become very fond of the dots, every time I Read more...

Someone Shat in the Zoo

Posted 9:57pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Fox Meyer

Title says it all. Great job, fuckhead. Otago’s new Most Wanted is the man who shat in The Zoo at the rugby on 10 April. Described as “slender, blonde, curly-haired and unashamed”, this man is assumed to be highly dangerous and not to be confronted by the public.  Public Read more...

University Losing Money, Money, Money on Colleges During 2020

Posted 9:55pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

University halls of residence lost a cool $690,000 in 2020, due to the Covid lockdown. Due to 2020 being the shitshow that it was, the Uni wasn’t quite able to cover all of their hall costs, and have since increased their intake of first-years in accommodation for this year. This is either Read more...

Building Students’ Dream New Vice-Chancellor

Posted 9:51pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

With the gaping void left in our hearts by the departure of beloved Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne, students have been left in the lurch when it comes to someone to blame for our next round of department cuts. Critic spent far too much time talking to students about their perfect potential Read more...

Shocking: Students Don’t Engage With Student Politics

Posted 9:48pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Runze Liu

Despite efforts by OUSA, students continue to be indifferent towards its governance. OUSA leaders are tasked with making policy to ensure everything runs smoothly. This includes event planning, keeping the Uni from screwing students over, and providing safe(r) intoxication Read more...

Science Library Third Floor Converted to Offices

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Quintin Jane

The third floor of the Uni’s Science Library has been stripped of books and is set to become office spaces for the Sciences Divisional Board i.e. the people who run the Science programmes at Otago.  According to Campus Development Division Director Tanya Syddal, the area is to be fit Read more...

India Singled Out in Travel Ban

Posted 9:37pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Fox Meyer

Representatives of international students in New Zealand have spoken out against the India Travel ban. India was singled out in the sudden ban, which provisionally lasts from April 11 to April 38. Tithi Gandhi, Otago Indian Students Association’s (OISA) Welfare & Equity Representative, Read more...

Why the Hyde Themes Were Removed From Event Page

Posted 9:32pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Erin Gourley

The list of Hyde themes was taken down from the event page after students raised concerns that some of the themes were offensive and inappropriate. In particular, students who spoke to Critic were concerned about the “Travellers and Gypsies” theme.  “It was a bit annoying Read more...

Clubs Might Get Funding for Food Instead of Just Sports

Posted 9:28pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Erin Gourley

OUSA is proposing to remove the divide between sports and cultural clubs at its upcoming Student General Meeting (SGM). Motion number five on the agenda is “that the Grants Policy be expanded to include some grants for food”. Academic and cultural clubs are pissed about the current Read more...

DCC Denies Use of Sonic Weapon

Posted 9:23pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Asia Martusia King

There is a mosquito device in Dunedin’s Queens Gardens, but a DCC Parks Officer said they were “not aware” of the device’s existence. The so called ‘mosquito device’ installed in Queens Garden emits ultra-high frequency blasts, which are normally detectable Read more...

Students Get COVID Vax

Posted 9:19pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Fox Meyer

Students in health professionals doing their placements are starting to get the COVID vaccine. The Health Sciences Pro Vice Chancellor (PVC) reached out to students over email. The email was a call for anyone about to start work in a frontline medical placement to book an appointment for their Read more...

The Truth About the OUSA SGM

Posted 9:13pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

OUSA is holding an SGM (Student General Meeting) this week. OUSA have been advertising the SGM as the Executive doing Executive things in public because they need to do it once a year. However, what the Exec haven’t made particularly clear or easy to find is that any member of OUSA (so, Read more...

University Wants A New COC

Posted 9:09pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Denzel Chung

For the first time in 10 years, the University has proposed changes to the Code of Student Conduct and the Discipline Statute. The proposed additions include specific prohibitions for sexual misconduct, online harassment and initiations. The Uni is proposing to have the power to force who breach Read more...